Rear Window

Rear Window was an amazing film by Alfred Hitchcock that really hits the idea of whether voyeurism is a good or bad thing. Although Jeff solves the mystery of Thorwald being a murder, he is hit with the complications of Stella and Lisa telling him how wrong watching other people are. This was also the only movie I could think of where we know just as much as the character does almost as if we are sitting in his apartment with him the entire time.

One thing I would like to speak about in this film that I found fascinating and revolutionary was the views through the camera lens. This was so ahead of its time and really did change a lot of the ways that . One point about this is that it gives the viewer the feel of being the person behind the lens or scope. The viewer almost feels as if they’re the one in charge and are begging to see more with the lens. One movie I can relate this too although a completely different genre is Saving Private Ryan. There is the scene in the movie where you are looking through the scope of a sniper and finding enemies as if you were the soldier in the position. Saving Private Ryan was the first time I had seen something like this ever done, and now I know where they got it from.

One last point on Rear Window is the cinematography. Alfred Hitchcock does an outstanding job of using lighting and shadows throughout the entire film. Now the fact that this film is a mystery and thriller the lighting is very important for certain aspects to keep that mystery from unraveling to fast, as well as keeping the viewer and the character Jeff able to solve it. The lighting in the film is always picking up on important messages, signs, and symbols throughout it. Also at the end of the film when Thorwald finally comes to get Jeff you only see his shadow at first. This keeps this last scene so suspenseful and thrilling due to not knowing if its him or someone else.