Analysis Of Alfred Hitchcock 's Rear Window

I never gave much thought into what it takes to shoot, direct, edit, and complete a motion picture. Sure, it may sound fun, but after this assignment, it felt like a lot of work. There are quite a few specialized groups that put together the films that we enjoy in our movie theatres. No wonder why it takes months and even years to edit a film, these folks are making sure things are done and synced correctly! The following essay will identify information pertaining to film and importance for their audience so the person or persons watching can have an understanding of what it is they are viewing. A story that has no meaning or becomes very confusing in the details that are presented does not make a good film.

Throughout this course, you have been compiling a blog and writing essays that analyze various elements of film such as theme, cinematic techniques, and genre. It is now time to combine those elements into a comprehensive analysis of one movie.

Movies have the ability to transport people to different times and places and distract them from ordinary everyday reality. They allow for a range of emotions to be experienced. At their core, movies examine the human condition. There are plenty of deeper truths woven into screenplays and plenty of lessons to be learned, even when an individual is solely seeking entertainment.

Rear Window and The Birds were both filmed around the 1960’s a time in which the film industry was experiencing a great downfall. Because there were so many movements going on around the world such as, feminist movements, racial movements, post war movements, political movements etc. many films were not successful and there were many different genres that were being used in films. There were also many different independent films that were produced; this had an influence on American film as well. It is surprising how successful Hitchcock was during this time period where film production was looking grim. In order to be successful in America during this period of struggle Hitchcock had to shy away from the usual style and production of film.

Alfred Hitchcock uses many techniques throughout the film “Rear Window” to convey suspense. The major theme of the film regards L. B. “Jeff” Jefferies voyeurism. His intrigue in the everyday lives of his neighbours is viewed as intrusive and morally wrong on principle. However, without this voyeuristic tendency the crime committed by Thornwald would never have been solved. Thus, the audience is lead through emotional turmoil in questioning whether it is wrong to invade someone’s privacy, or just and heroic to solve a crime. We see the climax of the film when Lisa and Stella venture out of Jefferies apartment to investigate the murder of Mrs Thornwald. This leads to a confrontation between Thornwald and Jefferies. These scenes build suspense through the use of detachment, the use of ‘split-screen’, ‘red-herring’ plot devices, lighting, music and diegetic sound.

it is the start of the story. The window fills the whole frame of the

Hitchcock seats the Charlies across from one another and the action plays out in accordance with the classic 180-degree rule for conversation. The 180-degree rule is the most basic way to film two people having a conversation while sitting opposite from one another. This series of shots usually consists of: establishing shots, two shots, close-ups of each actor, insert shots, and then possibly a re-establishing shot. Hitchcock manages to bring a lot of tension out of this fairly conventional set-up by the way he constructs his scene. The two characters sit down across from one another and are positioned on the far edges of the frame, which emphasizes the emotional and psychological distance between the two. In the same shot Hitchcock sets up for the “shot, reverse shot” conversation, by having Uncle Charlie lean in towards his niece. His leaning serves as a lead in to the conversation about to take place. It is important to note that during this same shot, Uncle Charlie lays out a napkin on the table and smoothes it with his hand. The napkin exists to provide a parallel to the way the scene will play out. The hands of Uncle Charlie can be seen as those of the director, and the napkin as the fabric of the scene. The napkin is laid before us smooth as the scene begins, and becomes increasingly tight and twisted by the hands of Hitchcock as he slowly tightens his hold on the audience. It also has the importance of revealing something about Uncle Charlie’s character. It

Films and movies hold much than we can guess, they reveal a lot of vices and rots that are happening in society. Others give a history of a particular society, its beliefs, culture and their standard of living in the society. Films are used to disclose the social responsibilities in a given season and customs, moral values, societal worries and other cultural practices.

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film, Rear Window, explores many dimensions in cinematography. The phenomenal film is well known for proclaiming its voyeurism issues that goes on in today’s society. Even though voyeurism is an act that should not be done, this film portrays it in an affirmative way. Rear Window introduces primary structural components in the first act which sets the mood for the audience to interact with J.B. Jefferies in a way as it is the audiences duty to help him solve the mystery on whether Thorwald murdered his wife or not.

Film is a series of artistic moving images that make up a story. In every film, the director visually presents the storyline, different characters, the problems they encounter and how they were deal with. There is a wide range of ways to study films of various genres. We focus on film language, genre, mise-en-scene, representation, stereotypes, etc. In Black Girl, it was depicted as an allegory and had a lot of mise-en-scene.

Alfred Hitchcock’s attention to detail in his films is one of the many things that makes him one of the most recognized film auteurs of all time. He was very particular what about he wanted seen on screen and how he wanted to get those shots. From camera movements to the things found in the mise-en-scène, Hitchcock was very precise about every little thing that is seen in his on screen worlds. He would strategically place objects throughout the mise-en-scène and have characters wear certain clothing. By doing this, Hitchcock is able to let the audience know things about the characters and the plot without it having to be said on camera. Hitchcock once said that “If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on” (Tiffin). That’s why there’s no surprise that when Hitchcock finally made his first color film, he began to use color as another way of communicating with his audience.

There are many different elements of film that filmmakers can utilize to make a film. Direction, storyline, cinematography, mise en scene, as well as point of view and tone can all lend a hand in making a film great. One might say that the most important aspect of a film is the script. Others might argue the actors are the most important part. However, an impressive balance of all of the different elements of film are what can elevate a film to greatness. That is why the best film viewed this semester is Night of the Living Dead.

Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller ‘Rear Window’ (Hitchcock, 1954) begins with the immediate use of mise-en-scène in order to establish a sense of atmosphere, equilibrium and the mundane, soon to be disrupted as the events of the film unfold and are observed through the eyes of the voyeuristic protagonist, Jeff. Setting, cinematography and various other expressive mise-en-scène techniques work together to influence the overall appearance of the film. Though, by taking a closer look, these techniques reveal the significance of the narrative and characters. In the opening sequence, Hitchcock’s original visual style provides signposts for the audience to recognize what will be significant in the future: instead of establishing what is only happening in the moment in time; mise-en-scène is used to suggest what is to come. This arrangement of the “Classical Hollywood” narrative - starting with the setting and characters in a state equilibrium - acts as a seemingly all-purpose, archetypal opening by establishing location and introducing character. Simultaneously we can see that this sequence is vastly different from the rest of the film: it is leading the viewer into a false sense of security – the calm before the storm – as Jeff soon happens to piece together information leading to the possibility that one of his neighbors murdered their wife. This sequence is one of the only moments in the film we see things the protagonist does not, thus this carefully constructed opening is preparing

I have watched a considerable number of movies this semester so it was hard to choose which one to analyze. It came down to “Remember the Titans” or “Good Will Hunting”. However, the movie that I will be analyzing is “Good Will Hunting”. The reason I chose this movie is that it can be analyzed in many different ways. I will be analyzing different scenes of the movie and analyze them from different angles. I will be analyzing about the symbolism that is happening in the movie. I will be analyzing many different things about the movie. The first thing I will analyze in this movie is the symbolism of things, objects, colors, and

Reality is ultimately dependent upon what is seen and how it gets seen. Rear Window, directed by the renowned Alfred Hitchcock, centers around a temporarily wheelchair-bound photographer and his beautiful, affluent girlfriend, who believe that one of his neighbors has murdered their wife. With the help of his caretaker and a friend of his, who is a detective, they attempt to prove that the murder did indeed take place. L.B “Jeff” Jefferies, played by James Stewart, is the hindered photographer, who is confined to his apartment. To kill time, Jeff develops the “diseased” habit of watching his neighbors through his professional grade camera and lens. His girlfriend, Lisa Carol Fremont, played by Grace Kelly, is heavily involved in the fashion industry and is well known for her elegance. However, she deeply in love with Jeff and desperately wants to be a part of his life, even if that means she has to embark on the unpleasant, and often life-threatening, adventures that he goes on for his work. The neighbor, Lars Thorwald, played by Raymond Burr, is a strained salesman, whose wife is a bed-ridden invalid. He tries to tend to her needs, but it never seems to be satisfactory to her. One night he decides that he is done nursing her, so he murders her. The audience is brought into a cross-courtyard game of cat and mouse, through the unique perspective of Jeff and his camera lens, and also must deal with the unnerving abyss of the unseen. Hitchcock uses an unparalleled first person