Preview

Rear Window Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
618 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Rear Window Essay
Film Response Essay

Rear Window shows us that relationships are not always easy

Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock is a 1954 film primarily about proving a suspected murder, but the recurring motif of relationships is evident within the plot. The direction of the film revolves around Jeffries negative outlook on marriage. The foundation of Jeffries suspicion of Mr. Thorwald is built upon Jeffries predisposition to believe marriages always end negatively. The individual stories seen through the windows in the courtyard are all a manifestation of Jeffries potential romantic futures. We emphasise with Jeffries relationship difficulties because we are manipulated throughout the movie to do so.

The foundation of Jeffries suspicion of Mr Thorwald is built upon his predisposition to believe relationships never end well. Throughout the film we are presented with an indication to Jeffries perception of Marriage. These, far from positives, outlooks influence Jeffries to assume that Mr Thorwald could not possibly have a peaceful separation with his wife, and that a murder must have been committed. This is demonstrated whilst discussing the future of Miss Lonely Hearts, Stella presents that she will some day find happiness in a man, and Jeffries rebuts by saying, ‘and that man will lose his [happiness]'. This gives us a glimpse into Jeffries mind. It is difficult for Jeffries to remain unbiased with a propensity to assume the worst in the Thorwalds relationship.

The individual stories seen through the windows in the courtyard are all a manifestation of Jeffries possible romantic futures. Hitchcock presents us with various scenarios of Jeffries relationship future. Each of them plays a role in the film whilst subtly providing a relationship guide for Jeffries. He is thinking about his future relationship with Lisa and what he should do. If he marries her, he could end up like the happily married couple or like the fighting Thorwalds. If he leaves Lisa he could end up

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    An important aspect of the film is that characters from both sides of the yard trespass to each other´s side. As described previously, Lisa and Stella go to the yard to discover what is in the box Throwald burry and this way Lisa becomes part of Jefferies´ fantasy. On the other hand, Thorwald at the end goes to Jeff´s apartment, it could be said that he “goes out of the screen” is materialized in reality. Thorwald assaults Jefferies; he is aggressive and tries to kill him (Stam & Pearson, 203). This could show the aggressive way in which art and the story shocks the audience by not only showing a theme about murder but by leading into a behavior that in real life wouldn´t be performed such as spying on other people, but at the end of the film…

    • 162 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jeff Weie Research Paper

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Research shows that Jeff was a strange young man, interested in Gothic things black clothing and Nazism, but a look a little further into his past led to a few interesting revelations. Jeff’s parents were never married, because his mother was only 17 when she gave birth. She was forced to give Jeff to his father when he was three months old. Then when he was two his mother took him back. She was reportedly an abusive alcoholic with a tendency to both physically and emotionally abuse her first born son. In 1997 Jeff’s father committed suicide after a two day…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alfred Hitchcock's film Rear Window released in 1954 portrays the power shift between the fictional couple, L.B Jeffries and Lisa Freemont. In the beginning of the film the viewers see Lisa as a perfect, high maintenance, wealthy woman who did everything to grasp Jeffries attention and prove to him that she is a worthy wife, but Jeffries believes "she's too perfect, she's too talented, she's too beautiful, she's too sophisticated, she's too everything". Despite Jeffries being in a cast, sitting in a wheelchair secluded in his apartment, Jeffries still holds power as Lisa becomes desperate for his attention and asks "how far does a girl have to go before you notice her?" Jeffries having the power in the relationship is contradictory as he is…

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A 1946 German Film called, in English, “The Murderers are Among Us” presents a black and white film that is about learning to deal with the past. For a person, they can either let the past destroy them and take away their future, or they can work through the past and move on to their future. This story is about love that has formed between two differently individuals and how they dealt with their past to move on with their future.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the story the people hear the story of murder through his words, and through his version of reality. People lie for thousands of reasons, occasionaly we don’t always know why they lie or know why they do what they do. The story reveals that paranoia, and madness can make someone look dishonest, and untrustworthy. The result of this is a narrator that we don’t even know if he committed a crime. Most times when people are innocent their stories are broad, and when their guilty their stories become more complex. This shows that guilt makes people do things they typically wouldn’t…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense Rear Window (1954) is focused on Jeff, formally L.B. Jefferies, a cooped up action-shot photographer. After being injured from work, Jeff is left with a full-leg cast and nothing to do but peer at his neighbors (a salesman with a spotty marriage, a dancer, a failing musician, a lonely woman and others) through his back window. Jeff’s girlfriend Lisa Fremont, a model and fashion consultant, and the enthusiastic Stella, Jeff’s home nurse, both assist Jeff by being his ‘feet on the ground’ and doing the actions he cannot due to his immobile condition. Initially, Jeff is watching his neighbors for entertainment to help pass the time, but later Jeff narrows his focus onto Lars Thorwald, the salesman with the dissipating…

    • 841 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When he hears a bit of Robert’s tape, he says it sounds only like “harmless chitchat,” not realizing that this sort of intimate communication is exactly what his own marriage lacks. He knows that his wife has told Robert about him and has probably complained about his faults. This makes him feel guilty, insecure, and somewhat hostile toward both his wife and Robert. Only when the narrator closes his eyes to finish drawing the cathedral does he approach the level of understanding that his wife and Robert have achieved through their taped correspondence. This reveals the extent of his self-delusion and what he believes is what is important in a relationship. He assumes that because he can see, he is more capable of brining joy and happiness to his wife as compared to Robert. But the audiotapes show that there is a huge difference between seeing with one’s eyes and seeing with one’s heart. For the first time he is seeing, rather than…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In a study conducted by Kees Keizer, an envelope with a 5 Euro note was placed in a mailbox. When the mailbox was clean and the surrounding area was free of litter, only 13% of people who passed by it took the money, but when the mailbox was covered with graffiti, 27% of the passers-by took the money (Keizer). The Broken Window Theory explains that cracking down on urban disorder will prevent additional crime and antisocial behavior. Proponents of this theory say that it is effective at preventing and reducing crime. Opponents say that this theory is malicious because it is racist and unfairly targets the poor. The implementation of the Broken Window Theory by police departments has prevented gun violence in low-income neighborhoods, has encouraged business growth and development and has encouraged urban tourism.…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 classic thriller Rear Window, Jimmy Stewart stars as L.B. Jeffries, a world traveling magazine photographer accustomed to living a fast pace active lifestyle. When Jefferies injures himself taking a risky picture he is immobilized, confined to a wheelchair inside his apartment for two months. Bored with his uneventful life he becomes completely obsessed with the lives of his neighbors spending the majority of his waking hours watching them from his window. To obtain a better view he begins using a telescopic lens from one of his cameras. By watching his neighbors through the camera he assumes the role of both a spectator and a voyeur. This contributes to the creation of a movie being played right outside Jeffries window. In this movie within the movie his neighbors' lives become the subject for the plot. Each window represents a different film screen, each of which is focused upon only when Jeffries directs his attention to it. One of the central themes in Rear Window is marriage, or more specifically Jefferies' fear of marriage. Through his voyeuristic habits he is able to see the strenuous complications that arise from marriage and relationships in his neighbors' lives. Each of their stories carries a theme that is associated pursuit and commitment of marriage: the newlywed couple beginning their life together, the depressed Miss Lonelyhearts who desperately seeks companionship, the happy couple who sleep under the stars on their fire escape, and most importantly the bitter Thorwalds whose marriage reaches an abrupt termination. He witnesses both the anxieties associated with the beginning of a marriage and the heartache of relationships ending. The plots that are played out before his eyes become more important than his own personal life. In fact, Jeffries renounces the idea of marriage due to the scenes he witnesses from within his apartment. He is currently involved in a…

    • 1424 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The narrator, who lack social skills, was not so thrilled about entertaining a blind man and was a little jealous about his wife’s continuing relationship with Robert. He thinks that his wife may have discussed details of their relationship with Robert or possibly complained about his faults, which made him insecure, embarrassed and a little irritated with his wife and Robert.…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Cathdral

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In addition to his uneasiness with the blind, the narrator is uncomfortable with his wife’s relationship with the blind man. The wife and Robert, the blind man, have maintained a close relationship via tape recordings mailed back and forth, and the narrator finds this unsettling. Despite the narrator’s feelings about the visit, Robert shows up, and the three of them dine together, and Robert and the narrator get to know each other.…

    • 652 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Every part of your car is important, so it is necessary for you to ensure everything is working and functioning properly at all times. Should something be damaged or simply stop doing it job, as the owner, it is up to you to get it fixed. It is true that people will find things under the hood that negatively impact their driving experience, but when your windshield is damaged, you may start to realize just how important it is.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Raymond Carver Cathedral

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages

    At first the narrator didn’t fully accept Robert relationship with his wife. The narrator changed his views about Robert at a later stage, when Robert visited them.…

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The narrator is shown to be a man who is envious of his wife’s first husband, jealous of her bond with the blind man and who smokes marijuana daily. The narrator’s use of a narrative point of view helps give the readers an inside of his personal thoughts about the blind man, Robert. Stereotypes and intimidations are constantly present with the narrators thought’s such as “they move slow, use canes, wear dark glasses, never laugh, and use seeing-eyedogs.” This helps demonstrate the view the narrator has towards the blind. Further into the story the narrator’s thoughts take a dramatic enlightening turn with the use of a cathedral, it serves as a way to grasp the narrator and show him to “see” things in a different prospective.…

    • 276 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Both tragedy and romance are evident through Soman’s tale of good and evil; the two couples one good, one evil beckon to create drama, which made for a cunning and irresistible story. When Sophie, evil’s queen leaves Rafal “her evil true love”, Agatha is forced to give up Tedros in order for Sophie to have a shot at his heart. But disaster strikes as Sophie realizes Tedros isn’t her true love, and neither is Rafal. Sophie is once again alone. Although, this time she embraces it and shows readers that you don’t need anyone to make you happy, all you need is yourself. Agatha and Tedros go through many hardships and both endure through misfortune when Agatha’s mother sacrifices herself and Tedros reconnecting with his mother who left him at a young age. But throughout the whole book the two couples all seek one thing; a Happily Ever after; evil or good, but only one can…

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics