Figure One - Poster
Rear Window is a 1954 American suspense film directed by
Alfred Hitchcock, written by John Michael Hayes and based on Cornell Woolrich's
1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder"
- · Release: 1954
- · Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
- · Produced by: Alfred Hitchcock
- · Screenplay by: John Michael Hayes
- · Story by: Cornell Woolrich
Telling the story through a camera movement is what Rear
window does best, first off with the opening scene, letting the viewers see
what the film is going to be about early on by showing the rear window of the
protagonist Jeff looking onto the neighbours.
Then the camera moves slowly around a broken camera and
images of dangerous perspective images, from this, the audience find out how
Jeff broke his leg.
“The viewer is made to take the POV of a character who likes to watch
things he's not supposed to see. While suspenseful, the plotline is necessarily
low on action (unlike other Hitchcock masterworks like North By Northwest and The
Birds), but a pet dog is killed offscreen. You might tell kids this was
the direct inspiration for the 2007 teen-bait thriller Disturbia.” (Cassady
2010)
Figure Two - Mr.Thorwald
The Suspense is built up through number shots, mainly Mr.
Thorwald, leaving his home late at night carrying a large case each time,
cleaning a knife, tying up a large case with rope, this helps build up the
suspense but also let the audience know Jeff simply seeing things, like his
friend suggest he is.
“Rear Window lovingly invests in suspense all through the film, banking it in our memory, so that when the final payoff arrives, the whole film has been the thriller equivalent of foreplay.” (Ebert 2000)
By making the audience perspective as Jeff’s perspective
when he’s watching his neighbour it makes the audience feel helpless along with
Jeff, especially when Lisa is confronted by Mr. Thorwald and Jeff is powerless
to do any think to save her, After the build up of her being caught, the
suspense is returned by Lisa pointing to her finger with the ring on and Mr.
Thorwald seeing her and then looks at Jeff’s direction.
Figure Three - The Ring
Although
it's an intensely intimate film, there's something special about taking your
seat in the theatre as though you're pulling up right next to L.B. Jefferies
(James Stewart). (Wietzman
2000)
Illustrations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear_Window
http://www.allmoviephoto.com/photo/2005_alfred_hitchcock_collection_005.html
http://simplybek.tumblr.com/post/4031461750/grace-kelly-in-hitchcocks-rear-window-1954
Bibliography
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