Rear Window

5 Pages 1148 Words

“Rear Window” Relationships
In 1954 Alfred Hitchcock released “Rear Window,” a film about a famous photographer stuck in a wheelchair due to an accident suffered while on the job. This photographer’s name is L.B. Jefferies; he spends his days spying on his neighbors out of the rear window of his New York apartment. His only regular visitors are Stella, “a plain-talking insurance company nurse” (Rosenbaum) who gives Jeff her opinion whether he wants it or not, and his girlfriend Lisa Freemont, an uptown fashion mogul who wants to take their relationship towards marriage. In this film Hitchcock uses the character of L.B. Jefferies to show that one can base his relationship on what they see from viewing others, because there are many different types of relationships and not one of them is exactly the same.
The opening scene of the film pans around the courtyard where the entire film is shot. In this sequence we are introduced to all the different characters. First is the elderly couple on the fire escape; they seem to represent an old boring marriage. Second is the middle aged couple with a worn out salesman coming home to a nagging wife. Third are two newlyweds who come into the room and immediately shut the blinds. Fourth is “Ms. Torso,” a beautiful young single woman with many suitors. Fifth is “Ms. Lonelyheart,” a middle aged single woman who seems to be very sad and bitter about life. The last
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character introduced is “the composer” a middle aged single man interested in his music. Jeff observes all these characters and is assumed to have been observing them for the entire span he has had his cast on. Throughout the film he observes these people and bases his relationship with Lisa on these observations.
Stella is first introduced barging into Jeff’s apartment. She begins talking with Jeff about his leg and notices that he keeps glaring out the window. She immediately begins to express her op...