Rear WindowALFRED HITCHCOCK

Alfred Hitchcock

For many people, Alfred Hitchcock is seen as the godfather of thriller, developing proto horror films, which is still used as a base in most . Hitchcock developed many motifs used in thriller films and created the narrative for thrillers.

Examples of Hitchcock’s work ;

• Psycho

• North by North West

• Rear Window

Rear Window

The film is about man ‘Jeff’, a photojournalist, who recently broke his leg whilst shooting for a news article. Due to his accident Jeff has no choice but to stay in his room until his leg is healed.

Whilst sitting in his room, Jeff decides to observe his neighbours through his ‘rear window’. One night he hears a loud scream and a glass breaking. He then sees Lars Thowald leaving the apartment.

This is where the mystery begins, as Jeff starts a race to find out if Thorwald had in fact killed his neighbour.

Rear window uses a lot of POV and shows the audience voyeurism and scopophilia as Jeff uses his camera to spy on his neighbour.

POV

Rear window uses the POV shot excessively. This shot allows the audience to see what is happening through the eyes of the character. The POV shot was developed by Alfred Hitchcock, which he used to convey mystery and build an atmosphere of unknown, which makes thriller movies very suspenseful. The POV shot also make the audience feel as if they are in power.

In regards to Rear Window, the POV shot objectifies the neighbours and makes the audience think that the power lies in Jeff. However, as Jeff is temporally disable, we know that in reality Jeff has a very limited power.

The use of the POV shot in rear window is an example of both scopophilia and voyeurism, as the audience is able to gain a sense of please by looking at the neighbours when the neighbours don’t know, which makes the audience feel empowered.

Sexual Objectification

A major theme in the film Rear Window is sexual objectification. Sexual objectification is when someone is objectified by another person through many different means.

In the Rear Window, the main source of objectivities is from the main character, Jeff. In a sense he is objectifying all of his neighbours, as he is spying on them. However, he is especially sexually objectifying the ballet dancer, as on many occasions he sees her getting changed and was possibly gaining pleasure from this.