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An Analysis Of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

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Recommended: Critical analysis of depiction of women in films

Is Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’ an appropriate text for VCE English in 2018? A speech delivered by a young feminist teacher to the Victorian Department of Education Conference on VCE text selection. October 17, 2017—Speech—Jemina Smith Good morning, my name is Jemina Jade Smith, and I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to speak at this conference, to share my thoughts on the department’s selection of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window as one of our Year 12 English prescribed texts. I have not taught this text previously, and last month, I decided to watch a re-release of the film. I went into the theatre expecting a crime suspense film and left feeling uncomfortable and unsettled. Rear Window revealed a society of women singularly …show more content…

Hitchcock has been described by many film reviewers as ‘a master of mystery, a connoisseur of compelling cryptic suspense”, however, the manner in which he depicted gender roles was concrete in its rigidity. Having directed and cast over 70 films, Hitchcock has himself admitted that women are often seen as objects and that the only reason they exist in his films is as a supporting role to the male actor. Rear Window’s main three female roles consist of the scantily clad Ms Torso, named only by a body part, and the glamourous Lisa and nurse Stella whose roles are limited to enabling Jeff to follow his pursuits. How can this be …show more content…

Lisa goes to extreme lengths to nurture and care for Jeff, whilst he ignores her attentions and continues to direct his eyes at other women. Lisa turns to Jeff and demands to know how far a girl has to go before he notices her. Jeff’s reply ‘Well if she’s pretty enough, she doesn’t have to go anywhere. She just has to be’’ is demeaning and hurtful. It creates the stereotype of a pretty acquiescent woman as the perfect woman. Lisa is willing to give up her highly regarded job as a fashion editor so that she can be with Jeff. Meanwhile, Jeff is appalled at the idea of curtailing his photojournalism opportunities to make a life with her in New York. She must make the sacrifices so that Jeff can be appeased.

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