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REAR WINDOW SUMMARY NOTES Context – 1950s - Rear window was made in 1954- only 9 years after WW2. Rear Window was made at a time of great apprehension and suspicion, where individuals were encouraged to keep close watch on their neighbours - WW2 impacted on people in the USA: an economic boom happened (unemployment went from 25% to 10%, more women were working, American factories started up again) - Women’s roles included household jobs and small simple/low-income jobs e.g. fashion industry, nursing, fashion models - Americans at this time feared communism - McCarthyism was the practice in the US of making accusations of subversion/treason without proper regard for evidence - Nuclear family  normal family, dad working, mum at home, this was the widely accepted view of a family o -

Men’s roles/stereotypes Breadwinner Their job was allowed to affect family life Detached Male violence on women was common Expected everything to be done when they came home from work No direct involvement in care of children The aggressor Superior to the women Satiate/desire of women Aggressively heterosexual Not expected to feel emotions deeply Stoic

o Women’s roles/stereotypes - If they had a job it would be a low-income simple one and it wouldn’t interfere with their maternal role - If they had a baby, then they would stop work - Involved in familial life - Receive allowance from husband - Cult of domesticity - Submissive/demure - Virgin until marriage - Overanxious, hysteria - Needy - Demanding - Crying = hysterical

Setting - Choice of setting: New York City - Rising need for accommodation since the baby boom occurred in 1951 - Apartments were common - Microcosm of the apartment complex *****

Set design - In a psychoanalytical viewpoint, the different levels of the apartments in the apartment complex shows the different levels and hierarchy in relationships or marriage Top: happy, established couple Jeff’s level: fledging/dysfunctional relationships Bottom: isolated and alone (Lonely hearts) - The normal family in top right-hand corner is never the focus of Jeff’s attention and shows a ‘nuclear family’ with a dad and mum and kids, they seem to be functioning normally, unlike the other relationships/ families of Jeff’s direct line of vision. He only focuses on the relationships that are there to support his narrative and fears. The dad dressing the child  usually the mum, they are happy because they have adapted to change their gender roles - The multiple stories in the apartment complex represent possibly the different futures for Jeff - An example of architectural dialogue would be the separation of the windows in the Thorwald’s apartment  This feature is thought to allude to the couples fragmented relationship. - All of the apartments can be seen to inherit the space of the courtyard as a communal room which connects them. The labyrinth of divided spaces within the courtyard is intended to be a representation of the isolation and divisions within the community - Jeff often positioned higher than his neighbours in the apartment complex, position of power - The courtyard presents a domestic continuum that runs the highs and lows of being single, to newlywed passion to uxoricide - The set is seen as a prison

Point of view - The audience is continually in the subjective point of view of L.B. Jefferies - We see everything that Jeff sees and don’t venture out of the apartment just like he doesn’t - Hitchcock has said that successful subjective film-making is the result of an interplay between first person voyeuristic shots (e.g. Miss Torso from Jeff’s point of view) and objective reaction shots (of Jeff reacting to miss Torso) - We see the world through his perspective but also released from this perspective and given a context Jeff does not have - We often look at Jeff, but with him too

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We are both inside and outside Jeff, guided by his line of vision but also by Hitchcock’s ideas of what he should think We also look out the window a few times when Jeff does not, we see and know a great deal that he does not “Hitchcock’s most uncompromising attempt to imprison us, not only with a limited space, but within a single consciousness” Sometimes Hitchcock used the objective camera to give us the omniscient powers of observation that are crucial to suspense Miss Lonely hearts can be a possible future of Jeff’s, when he raises his glass to hers, it represents this and his understanding of her position

Characters - Thorwald’s relationship is symptomatic. Opposite of the gender roles of Jeff and Lisa (Jeff immobilised rather than the wife) - Miss Lonely-hearts looking for love - Miss Torso either has pick of the drones or juggling wolves, when Stanley comes back it confirms she’s juggling wolves - Jeff and Lisa can’t see eye to eye, but neither are willing to compromise - Lisa’s outfits get simpler and simpler through the story - Mrs Torso objectified by Jeff for her body - The newlyweds’ marriage comes to mirror the Thorwalds’ - When the Thorwald mystery occurs, Lisa and Jeff share a purpose, uncommon to the 1950’s stereotypical gender roles - Lisa proves she can live out of a suitcase, proving her worth - Composer continually looking for companionship  Hitchcock is saying to us it is a natural human state to desire companionship, necessary to be happy and healthy. E.g. Thorwald kills his wife because he doesn’t have companionship with her - Lisa breaks her mould, does the unexpected, wants to be in Jeff’s line of vision - Jeff feels powerless - In Thorwald’s apartment, Lisa proves she isn’t the damsel in distress, she is canny enough to get herself out of there - Jeff smiling with two broken legs  he seems okay with it, content, due to his relationship with Lisa changed, she’s the women he wants her to be - Lisa can be seen as a passive image of visual perfection, an object of the male gaze who does not really excite Jeff’s interest until she crosses over into his voyeuristic world - Lisa was or still is a model and is someone perfectly comfortable with being on the other side of the camera lens - Lisa is as comfortable exhibiting herself in stylish clothing as Jeff is peeping into other people’s lives - Lisa is tired of being in front of the camera and she wants to come join Jeff behind the lens - Jeff strangely seems more comfortable with women when he has some distance from them, when he is gazing at them with a pair of binoculars or a camera. More comfortable with gazing at them than being with them  lack of sexuality? Hint at homosexuality?

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Emasculated Jeff scene when he cannot open the wine bottle that Lisa hands him Lisa and Stella are constant movement to Jeff’s stasis Lisa can be seen as a powerful, dominant woman when compared to Jeff, she towers over Jeff in nearly every shot they both appear, first scene she is an ominous shadow over Jeff and then kisses him aggressively Jeff’s character development/ moral progress comes through his recognition that Lisa is a much bolder, more spirited woman than he had realised, and a sense of guilt is felt on his behalf Jeff’s moral redemption mirrors an increased sense of humility and an increased respect for women Hitchcock reinforces our feelings of sympathy for Lisa by often following Jeff’s cruel remarks with reaction shots of a wounded Lisa ** the scene with Miss Lonely-hearts weeping on her bed is after her assault with the suitor, this is when Lisa and Jeff internalise the scene and reflect on what they saw

Hitchcock’s style - Hitchcock is noted as the master of suspense - He utilises a camera movement that mimics a person’s gaze, he turns viewers into voyeurs Alfred Hitchcock on the 3 theories of film editing: (1) Montage - Prefers to call it cutting assembly - Images which may hint at things that cannot be explicitly seen by the audience e.g. naked woman in shower (2) Orchestration - Using size to create shock - Plays on the suspense felt by the audience - Using different camera angles (3) Kuleshov effect - Using 2 pieces of footage and coupling it with another piece to create different moods - Creates meaning to the first shot - Can add context to someone’s reaction to a particular scene e.g. watching Miss Torso - Audience derives more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shot than from a single shot in isolation Key Hitchcock quotes: - Hitchcock himself defended Jeff’s voyeurism, saying “Sure he’s a snooper, but aren’t we all?” - Not only does Hitchcock depict Jeff as immobilised by his broken leg, but also as emotionally static and inflexible, passive and unengaged - Hitchcock depicts a sort of urban angst blighting the lives of his characters - Hitchcock wants us to question whether or not voyeurism can be justified – if we don’t look into other people’s lives and ask questions, then do we really care for our neighbours. When we start looking and caring, we then resolve issues of loneliness - A lot of Hitchcock’s purpose is to describe McCarthy-era America and the tension and urban angst that was around

Visual elements – types of shots Mise en scene - refers to all the visual elements within the frame at a given point, including setting, lighting, costumes, acting style Cinematography – involves all aspects of the use of the camera to film the action. The main elements of cinematography are: -

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Focus: this can draw the audience’s attention to particular characters or place emphasis on particular characters or setting Camera distance: changing the camera distance is one of the most important ways in which filmmakers can represent shifting perspectives. Different camera distances allow the filmmaker to represent both the larger context of characters and the smaller details of their physical interactions Camera movement: tilt  moving the camera’s lens up or down while keeping the horizontal axis constant. Pan  moving the camera lens from one side to another. Tracking  camera moves parallel to the subject it is filming

Camera shots o long shots: contain landscape but gives the viewer a more specific idea of setting o close up: contains just one characters face, enables views to understand the actor’s emotions and also allows them to feel empathy for the character. In RW, close-ups are used to create the Kuleshov effect o mid shot: contains the characters from the waist up, allows audience to see the characters’ faces more clearly as well as their interaction with others, gives insight to a relationship i.e. body language o panning: turning the camera horizontally so that it sweeps around the scene. This is used in RW, especially during Hitchcock’s shots of the neighbourhood

Sound Diegetic sound  its source is visible or implied in the world of the film e.g. actors speaking to each other, music coming from an orchestra - *** all sound in Rear Window is diegetic, meaning it all comes from the set, further involving the audience fully in Jeff’s world Non-diegetic sound  its source is not present or implied in the world of the film e.g. music/score, narration

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Voyeurism As an audience, we are placed in Jeff’s voyeuristic mindset

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we only know as much information as Jeff, and Hitchcock deftly reveals Jeff’s neighbours’ narratives in compact little pieces so as to keep us wanting more and therefore aligning us with Jeff’s point of view and voyeuristic nature Jeff feels trapped and can’t help but to watch the world around him, he immerses himself in the lives of others as a way to avoid his own personal problems Initially, Stella and Lisa are highly critical of Jeff’s obsession with his neighbour’s lives and both articulate that voyeurism represents an unhealthy invasion of privacy Hitchcock argues that although voyeurism may be in poor taste, it is also a natural and widespread aspect of the human condition *** Jeff belongs to the profession that legitimates voyeurism Due to the heat, everyone has their blinds and windows open, except for the newly wedded couple (suggestion of sexual activity), helps Jeff’s voyeurism Lisa finds herself having to do everything to redirect Jeff’s gaze away from the unwelcome competition presented by the Thorwalds and back onto herself, “pay attention to me” Jeff’s neighbours do not know or care about the extent to which they are exposed Mrs Lonely-hearts’ assault which leads to her intention to commit suicide induces the idea of the duty of care, which at least Stella recognises Jeff ending up with two broken legs instead of one at the end of the film can represent the consequences for his voyeuristic behaviours Our perceptions of other people’s lives can be clouded by stereotypes Jeff’s job as a photographer is to objectify people, (masculine job), his voyeurism matches this

Marriage The discussion of marriage between Stella and Jeff at the start of the film forms the emotional core of the film Jeff’s stubbornness keeps him emotionally distant from her, just as his camera keeps him at arm’s length from the neighbours He overanalyses their relationship, suppressing his romantic feelings for the purpose of practicality The courtyard presents a domestic continuum that runs the highs and lows of being single, to newlywed passion to uxoricide The newlyweds typify the aspirations of the 1950s and the traditional expectations This doesn’t last long until the newlyweds are fighting over money towards the end of the film – the wife saying that she wouldn’t have married him if she knew he wasn’t going to quit his job highlights the traditional role of the husband as the breadwinner and provider (their relationship shifts), comparison to Lisa (she doesn’t become the nagging wife), newlyweds marriage by the end mirrors Thorwald’s in the beginning Jeff’s cynicism about marriage is first revealed in the conversation with his editor. Jeff views marriage as a trap almost, but buried under his resistance is an element of guilt  he knows that Lisa loves him and a part of him know that it is unfair to string her along unless he feels the same way

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Jeff uses his career as his excuse for avoiding commitment and he would rather keep the relationship as it is, ‘status quo’ The Thorwald’s house and Jeff’s each have a carer and an invalid, though the gender roles are reversed The juxtapositions between all the types of relationships and individuals in the apartment complex highlights the prospects and choices open to individuals Jeff’s views on marriage is influenced by what he sees and the Thorwald’s marriage reinforces his worst fears Lisa is the image of the 1950s, but she doesn’t capture his attention because he is captivated by action rather than something static/ ordinary Jeff seems to think of women as marriage-hungry, devouring creatures, who find the apex of their glory in the diminution of a man’s happiness

Gender roles Rear Window reflects the gender stereotypes of the 1950s Jeff’s own views on women are blinkered and he typecasts many of the women he observes: Miss Torso is a sexy blonde single, Miss Lonely-hearts is a middle-aged spinster, Anna Thorwald is a nagging wife Hitchcock therefore suggests that marital discontent is inevitable, especially as by the end of the film the newlywed wife has turned into a nagging wife In this society, women are objectified, viewed primarily through the lens of men’s sexual desires Lisa may be extremely successful in what she does as a job, but her role does not command Jeff’s respect, as it is clear when she gives him a synopsis of her working day The Thorwald case, however, enables Lisa to transition into Jeff’s domain and a reversal of gender roles follows Confined to his wheelchair, Jeff has the passive role throughout the drama, while Lisa becomes his ‘legs’ and assumes the more active role, breaking into Thorwald’s apartment to get evidence Lisa realises she enjoys being ‘Girl Friday’ Throughout the film, Lisa never loses her femineity. Even when she is climbing into the Thorwald apartment, she does it in high heels and a floral dress In the final scene, Lisa is dressed more casually, jeans, shirt and loafers. The message isn’t that Lisa has changes, but Jeff and therefore the audience sees Lisa in a different light, and she has developed as a character Neither Jeff and Lisa are willing to change, both needs to break free from stereotypes (Lisa more than Jeff) The normal nuclear family in the top right-hand corner  The dad is dressing the child while it should usually be the mum, they are happy because they have adapted to change their gender roles Rear Window explores the way men underestimate women, the way men’s chatter about their own strength masks weakness, the way a woman’s seeming delicacy masks strength perhaps greater than a man’s

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Detachment As a photographer, Jeff must remain detached from his subjects Similarly, while he is injured, he uses the drama in the courtyard to distance himself from his own fears of commitment and intimacy The Thorwald is merely a pretext to the movie’s central concern  the affective relationship between Jeff and Lisa It is not until Lisa puts herself in a dangerous situation that he realises how he feels for her

Morality The morality of Jeff’s voyeurism forms a strong theoretical undercurrent in RW Stella, Lisa and Doyle each point out the moral questionability of Jeff’s actions, even though they all get involved in the murder mystery somehow It is easier for Jeff to justify his voyeurism; he considers it his duty (photographer) “I wonder if it is ethical to watch a man with binoculars and a long focus lens,” when he witnesses the sexual assault of Miss Lonely-hearts, although a few seconds later they have dismissed their concerns and are back at his rear window

Self-reflection The Thorwald mystery serves as a distraction for both Jeff and Lisa, who are trying to resolve the problems in their relationship. The external drama does force both characters into moments of self-reflexivity When Doyle raises an eye at Lisa’s suitcase in his room, Jeff warns him to be careful, however this is ironic because Jeff is telling him off for prying into his private life, even though this is what Jeff has been doing to his neighbours Hitchcock expresses a belief in the need for and beauty of love, but not necessarily faith in its final triumph

Essay writing Topic sentences - Shouldn’t be boring - E.g. As a consequence of his desire to protect his independence, Jeff continually pushes Lisa away - E.g. Jeff’s desire to watch others is a strategy used to avoid looking inwards - E.g. in an effort to gain Jeff’s attention, Lisa initially positions herself as a domesticated beauty - E.g. not using a character  Men’s desire to prove their independence results in them pushing women away

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Describe what Hitchcock is doing not the film

Para 1: Jeff and Lisa Para 2: evident in other relationships within the community, subsequent characters Para 3: the best relationships are those that break free of gender roles, what happens when you break free of these roles...