Rear Window Critique

 

Rear Window

The 1954, thriller film, Rear Window, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, follows the story of a man who believes he has witnessed a murder from the view of his apartment window. The main character, L.B Jeffries, is a professional photographer, who was recently injured in a racecar accident. Confined to a wheelchair, Jeffries spends most of his day looking at his neighbors out of his apartment building window. As Jeff watches his neighbors, he becomes convinced that his neighbor, Lars Thorwald, has killed his wife. He observes him for days at a time, trying to come up with explanations for his unusual behavior. Throughout Mr. Jeffries’s investigation, Lisa, Mr. Jeffries’s perfect, beautiful, and rich girlfriend, is trying to get Jeffries to commit to her. However, Jeffries is convinced that Lisa cannot keep up with his dangerous and constantly “on the go” lifestyle. Throughout the film, Lisa starts to show a more adventurous and risky side of her, which draws Jeffries into her. With the help of his girlfriend, Lisa, and his nurse, Stella, Mr. Jeffries desperately tries to find evidence that could convict Mr. Thorwald of murder. While trying to collect evidence, Lisa ends up in Mr. Thorwald’s apartment. Before she can leave, Lars finds her and starts assaulting her. The police arrive just in time and bring Lisa to safety while Thorwald escapes and goes to confront Mr. Jeffries. After admitting to his wife’s murder, Lars grabs Jeffries and pushes him out of the window, breaking Jeffries’s other leg. Regardless of everyone’s doubts, Jeffries’s theory ends up being correct and we can assume that Lars Thorwald was convicted of murder. 

           There is no doubt that Rear Window is an iconic film with an enticing plot that draws the audience in and creates a relationship with the characters. Through the use of camera angles, music, and lighting, Hitchcock makes you feel like you are a part of the film, watching the story unfold with the rest of the characters. However, when looked at from a feminist view, the film reaffirms harmful gender stereotypes, specifically, in the female characters. The women in this film are portrayed as love-driven people whose only desires are to find a man and get married. A perfect example of this is Lisa Fremont. She is a rich, beautiful, and successful woman, but she is willing to give up her career and leave everything behind to follow her boyfriend. Throughout the film we see Lisa start to open up and show her more adventurous side, but this is seen as her way of just getting Mr. Jeffries to commit to her. While I did enjoy this film, I believe that the women could have been represented in a better light that shows that women can have personalities and desires other than finding love and getting married.

This film is not a film that I would typically watch. However, while watching this film, I found myself to be very invested in the plot and where the story was going. The way this movie was filmed made me feel like I was sitting next to Jeffries and Lisa, looking out the rear window. The shots and camera angles really added to the overall sense of suspense of the film, making it such an iconic Hitchcock film. Overall, I enjoyed watching this film and I will definitely recommend it to people.