In the 1954 film "Rear Window" directed by the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, was one of the most interesting films I've had the pleasure of watching especially coming from this era. Hitchcock s use of the camera perspective and the "gaze" really help the suspense and shines a great light onto the personalities of the characters in which we view as well as the protagonist himself. This Mystery / Thriller takes us into the apartment of L.B. Jeffrey a wheelchair bound photographer recovering from a leg injury from where he spends his days watching his neighbors lives through his rear window. When Jeff's voyeurism gets out of hand, he begins to believe his neighbors a murderer and enlists the help of his friends and nurse to further investigate. Throughout the film we are put into the perspective of Jeff as we look out of his window and into the houses of various neighbors living in the apartment complex. There are suspenseful parts of the film in which the camera scrambles around from window as Jeff is searching for someone where i found myself scanning the scene with my own eyes as if it were my own perspective, looking for clues.
There are also parts in which i got a look from the outside in, towards Jeff's apartment giving me a glimpse at what it is the other characters see him as while his obsession worsens. Given a second watch i found myself taking notice to more techniques that could have been used in the film. Hitchcock makes great use of Jeff's observations of his neighbors as a reflection of the character himself as well as his lovely girlfriend Lisa (played by Grace Kelly) and their relationship in the film. The way in which he views the the newly wed couple can be a direct reflection of the fears Jeff has of marrying Lisa, or the way in which Lisa compares herself with Mrs. Torso or the Lonely women when Jeff tells her she could easily find another man. I find that all of these elements were handled very well in a film like this and would easily recommend it to anyone looking for a fun mystery. It is probably one of my favorite Hitchcock films as of now.
There are also parts in which i got a look from the outside in, towards Jeff's apartment giving me a glimpse at what it is the other characters see him as while his obsession worsens. Given a second watch i found myself taking notice to more techniques that could have been used in the film. Hitchcock makes great use of Jeff's observations of his neighbors as a reflection of the character himself as well as his lovely girlfriend Lisa (played by Grace Kelly) and their relationship in the film. The way in which he views the the newly wed couple can be a direct reflection of the fears Jeff has of marrying Lisa, or the way in which Lisa compares herself with Mrs. Torso or the Lonely women when Jeff tells her she could easily find another man. I find that all of these elements were handled very well in a film like this and would easily recommend it to anyone looking for a fun mystery. It is probably one of my favorite Hitchcock films as of now.
