Rear WindowBy Ray Roberts

Rear Window is a suspense

film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It was written by John Michael Hays and based on a short story, “It Had to Be Murder” by Cornall Woolrich.

The film was released on the

1th August 1954 in America.

General Information

Photographer L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries

breaks his leg working at a race track. Being confined to a wheel chair in his New York apartment, he spends his time looking out of the rear window observing the neighbours. He begins to suspect that the man opposite may have murdered his wife. Jeff enlists the help of his girlfriend Lisa Fremont and his nurse, Stella, to investigate.

Synopsis

The film was filmed in

colour (Technicolor) Aspect Ratio 1.66.1

Spherical Running Time: 112 minutes It was all filmed in

production studio Paramount Pictures.

Technical Information

James Stewart - L B "Jeff" Jeffries Grace Kelly - Lisa Carol Fremont Wendell Corey - Lieutenant Thomas J Doyle Thelma Ritter - Stella Raymond Burr - Lars Thorwald Judith Evelyn - Miss Lonelyheart Ross Bagdasarian - Songwriter Georgine Darcy - Miss Torso Sara Berner - Woman on fire escape Frank Cady - Man on fire escape Jesslyn Fax - Miss Hearing Aid Rand Harper - Newlywed man Havis Davenport - Newlywed woman Irene Winston - Mrs Anna Thorwald Alan Lee - Landlord Anthony Warde - Detective

Cast

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Herbert Coleman - assistant director Produced by Alfred Hitchcock Written by John Michael Hayes Photographed by Robert Burks Music by Franz Waxman Edited by George Tomasini Costume Design by Edith Head Production Design by: J McMillan

Johnson Hal Pereira - art director

Main Crew

The MacGuffin plot device in Rear Window is the murder

of Thorwald’s wife and to some extent, so is Jeffries’ obsession in spying into the lives of his neighbours. The macguffin allows the the story of the romantic relationship begin Jeffrey and Lisa to develop.

The characters use the opposite windows similarly to cinema screens. They partly to identify with other people, to compare their lives, to use these lives to talk about their lives.

The majority of the film is in the subjective view of Jeffrey. There are times where the camera shows us something which Jeffrey doesn’t see to build suspence.

Brief Analysis of Voyeurism in Rear Window

The film earned $5.3 million in rentals

at North American box office in 1954. With a $36,764,313 total from the

box office from a budget of $1 million. Time magazine called it “just possible

the second most entertaining picture (after the 39 Steps) ever made by Hitchcock”.

Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 100% certified fresh rating, based on 61 reviews.

Reception

The End