Rear Window

Textual Analysis

Words: 1625

Pages: 6

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Cinema allows us to witness characters’ lives unfold in front of us. Filmmakers use film

language to create meaning and influence our interpretation. A major film element used for

this purpose is symbolism. Alfred Hitchcock extends the use of symbolism as he treats the

film as a metaphor for cinema. ​Rear Window​ (1954) is a film about photographer L.B.

Jeffries, who is bound to a wheelchair because of an accident. As a result, he is forced to

entertain himself by observing the daily lives of his neighbours from his window, which leads

to him solving a murder mystery along with Lisa. ​Rear Window​ uses a subjective camera, the

classical narrative structure of enigma and resolution and linearity of time which are

characteristics of classical Hollywood cinema. It also uses thematic elements from Film Noir

like low lighting, pessimism, crimes, confinement, suspicion and femme fatale. This essay

analyses symbolism, cinematography, lighting and characterisation used to create themes like

voyeurism, gender roles, confinement, human curiosity and community ethics in ​Rear

Window​.

Rear Window​ was released in 1954, produced in the US. This was the time when filmmakers

started taking risks by showcasing controversial ideas. Some critics say that ​Rear Window

seems to symbolise Jeff’s voyeurism to watching television (2016). He sits in his seat and

switches from one story to another, like we use a remote to switch channels. Jeff uses his

‘television’, just like us, to escape from other situations in life. He also gets too involved in it

to care about anything else, for instance, his relationship with Lisa. He does everything in

front of it; eating, cleaning, work and Stella scolds him for sleeping in front of the window

like mothers and wives. This symbolism is partly because the 1950s marked the arrival of the

television era. Filmmakers wanted to explore television. It extended voyeurism inside

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American homes. He promotes the idea of observing people in a more isolated setting than

cinema (2001). Thus, ​Rear Window i​ s more a metaphor for television than cinema.

Rear Window​ is a romance-thriller, which is often known as ‘Hitchcockian’ style because of

Alfred’s specialization in this genre. Romantic suspense stories are driven by a balancing act

of fear and assurance of romance. ​Rear Window​ subverts to the genre as it has two parallel

conflicts that meet and resolve in the end, the murder investigation and Jeff and Lisa’s

relationship. The mystery and romance build up simultaneously. Initially, Jeff and Lisa

appear distant, but as he suspects the murder and probing begins, they come closer. She stays

overnight and goes detecting the dog and Thorwald's house. This is when Jeff realises his

love for Lisa, which is evident from the ending. The mystery would never have been solved

without the two female characters which relate to the themes of feminism. There is a constant

battle of sexes through the interplay between ‘male gaze’ and ‘femme fatale’ figures in the

film.

Rear Window​ uses characterisation to emphasise on themes. All the stories that occur in

neighbouring houses (Miss Lonely-heart, Miss Torso and the musician) revolve around

sexuality and violence (2009). Both these themes coincide at Thorwald's apartment. Jeff finds

pleasure in voyeuristically watching others from his window than spending time with Lisa

because he is afraid of commitment. Eventually, to grab his complete attention, Lisa goes

across to the other side of his window to Thorwald's house. Now she has his full

concentration, he seems worried about her. The ring in this scene is a metaphor for themes of

marriage and mystery and romance and thriller to coincide. Lisa wears the ring, signifying

that because Mrs Thorwald had Jeff's full attention, Lisa had to become her.

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Jeffries is shown as the typical 1950s man because of his anxieties towards women, marriage

and sexual relationships which explains his voyeuristic nature (2017). He seems more

interested in solving the mystery than in his girlfriend. He gets bored by the happily married

couple and is more inclined towards the disturbed husband-wife relation of Thorwalds. Their

relationship seems to be pleasing for Jeff because he becomes more convinced against the

idea of marriage as he witnesses the mundane married life and Thorwald’s desperation to kill

his wife. Alternatively, Miss Lonely-heart reminds Jeff of the importance of having loved

ones. Lisa compares Miss Torso to herself and argues that she is not a “loose” woman. This

turns out to be true because she has a husband who is not perfect. He is shorter, and not as

rich as other men she brings home. This is akin to Jeff and Lisa’s relationship as Jeff thinks

that Lisa is ‘too perfect’ for him. Both women are considered attractive and have had many

perfect men in their lives, but they desire only one ‘imperfect’ man to love (2008). Each

story, each window represents a form of life in America during the 1950s. The dog owner’s

dialogue and the fact that nobody talks to each other in the colony shows how people were

busy and old habits of being friendly with neighbours were dying out.

Rear Window b​ egins with curtains going up just like in a theatre. This foreshadows the

voyeurism like someone is watching television, in a confined setting with limited view or

from behind a lens, which in this case is Jeff’s point-of-view. Point-of-view shots are the

main feature of ​Rear Window ​used to feed the essence of the story by amplifying the

voyeuristic effect. Hitchcock uses a simple technique of subjective camera, by showing an

objective view of him looking outside then a point-of-view to show his perception of the

action. The fact that Jeff is not allowed to move in events when he desperately wants to take

action (just like the audience in cinema) makes the audience more anxious because even the

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protagonist can’t do anything in desperate situations. For example, when Lisa is in

Thorwald's house. Additionally, the theme of confinement and loneliness is built upon

because both Jeff and the viewers do not leave the apartment and are trapped, while Lisa and

Stella leave. We are left imagining about events that occur outdoors. This builds up suspense

and hence the theme of human curiosity. The ‘Kuleshov effect’ is another technique used to

build up emotions by superimposition of images. It is used in​ Rear Window​ to show Jeffries’s

reactions to activities happening in neighbouring houses. For example, when we see (from his

point-of-view) Miss Lonely-heart and he smiles at her. He looks suspiciously at Thorwald's

house and rolls his eyes away from the happy couple. Hitchcock uses this effect to

manipulate the audience’s emotions.

Rear Window’s​ ending summarises the portrayal of gender roles in the film and society.

Female figures in ​Rear Window​ are somewhat unconventional, they are not afraid to be

involved actively in solving crimes, dealing with murderers by breaking in houses. Lisa’s

character is another example of characterisation used as a thematic element to comment on

social conditions. Lisa is an intelligent, dominant and confident woman. She turns the light

on as she enters because she wants Jeff to notice her. The high lighting makes her look pretty

and glamorous too. However, it is her independent, strong and determined behaviour that

causes her trouble, later. Alternatively, being naive, silent and dependent is also not

recommended as good traits too, because of what happens to Mrs Thorwald. Furthermore, it

also suggests that irrespective of the kind of woman, all of them go through unwanted sexual

experiences throughout their life, such as Miss Lonely-heart and Miss Torso. This is

considered normal in the society because Jeff witnessed these women go through it but never

did anything. This also suggests that ​Rear Window​ showcases male gaze. In a way, Hitchcock

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reversed male and female roles as Lisa is doing the field work, while Jeff is sitting at home.

He is the helpless one, as he could also not protect himself from Thorwald. Thus, the climax

marks the exchange of gender roles as Jeff’s life is saved because of Lisa. This scene where

Thorwald is trying to kill Jeff by throwing him out of the window is symbolic because the

rear window was his medium, his lens, to solve the murder and he is getting killed through it.

This devalues the act of crossing socially ethical borders, and the window also symbolises the

‘frame of guilt’ (1985).

In ​Rear Window​, less frequently, the camera switches from his point-of-view to an objective

view for creating suspense. For example, to create disparity in knowledge by revealing some

information only to the audience when Jeff is sleeping and Thorwald leaves the apartment.

The theme of confinement is evidently emphasised upon by the limitation of the set which

was built entirely inside Paramount studios, and the perspective viewers get. The limited

space, view, and time build up suspense and tension. It makes the audience anxious because

they are unaware of things that happen outside film time and space. In fact, the whole

mystery happens because Jeff has limited access to Thorwald’s house. The lack of lighting in

other apartments as we see it from his point-of-view creates suspense because the audience

cannot clearly see what is happening. The events that happen in the neighbourhood are

filtered through (his point of view, low key lighting etc.) for the audience as an attempt to

build up curiosity. Also, darkness is often associated with closeness and mystery, which is a

characteristic of Film Noir.

In conclusion, ​Rear Window ​uses film techniques like low lighting, subjective camera,

characters as thematic elements and symbolism to explore themes of gender roles, voyeurism

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and community ethics and create suspense and tension. Hitchcock also interplays contrasting

themes like male gaze and femme fatale figures and genres like romance and murder mystery

to comment on social conditions that are timeless.

Bibliography

Chow, Rey & Hadjioannou, Markos (2017) ​‘The Hitchcockian Nudge; or, An Aesthetics of

Deception’.​ Representations. 140(1). pp 159-174.

Fawell, John. (2001) ​Hitchcock's Rear Window: The Well-Made Film.​ ​Carbondale: Southern

Illinois University Press​. pp 123 - 135

Gordon, Paul. (2008). ​Dial "M" for Mother: A Freudian Hitchcock.​ Associated University

Presse. pp 62 – 63

Perlmutter, Ruth. (1985)​ ‘Rear Window: A Construction Story’. ​Journal of Film and Vide.​,

Vol. 37, No. 2, pp 53 – 54.

Sue, Brower. (2016) ​‘Channeling Rear Window’.​ The Journal of popular film and television.

pp 89 - 98.

Thompson, Jay Daniel. (2009)​‘The Complexities of Spectatorship: Reviewing 'Rear Window’.

Screen Education. No. 55: pp 101-105.