Discussion Of Hitchcock's Work: Rear Window Reveals Truths About Human Nature

Rear Window reveals truths about human nature. Discuss

Although often characterised by its crime plot, the compelling 1954 thriller ‘Rear Window’ directed by Alfred Hitchcock elaborates many uneasy aspects of human nature. While a chilling neighbourhood murder and a love story are woven into the storyline from the perspective of an injured photojournalist, L.B.Jefferies, whose obsession of prying his neighbours is motivated by the enforced immobilization, Hitchcock underlines the intrusive voyeuristic tendencies as universal and contagious. Furthermore, by resonating with the social climate in the 1950s, Rear Window demonstrates the fact that not only do many humans seek to exclude themselves from mutual interactions but to also impose and follow the stereotypical roles of contemporary society.

Controversial as it is, Hitchcock presents voyeurism as an inherent aspect of human nature. Through the panning of the camera in the opening scene, Hitchcock utilises the extreme close-up shots showing a broken camera and a wall covered with photos of danger and action in Jeff’s apartment, insinuating his occupation as a photojournalist—a profession that explicitly requires and legitimises the constant act of voyeurism. Furthermore, the shift in Lisa and Stella’s attitudes towards Jeff’s prying eyes, reinforces Hitchcock’s appraisal of the act of prying as an intrinsic side of all human beings. Spotting Jeff as he looks out of the window, Stella, the insurance company nurse, criticizes that ‘we’ve become a race of Peeping Toms’, asserting that Jeff’s paucity of self-control will eventually precipitate ‘troubles’. Stella’s ‘homespun philosophy’ is reinforced and endorsed through Hitchcock’s manipulation of mise-en-scene, where the audience observes Stella standing firmly in the foreground alongside the immobilised Jeff, putting her in a relatively dominant position. The criticism continues, as Jeff’s sophisticated girlfriend Lisa Fremont can no longer conceal her frustration over Jeff’s infatuation with the alleged neighbourhood murder, censuring that ‘doing it the way you are…is diseased!’. Despite such strong condemnation, Hitchcock Ironically adverts the roles of both Lisa and Stella from outsiders to active accomplices of voyeurism to such extent, that they are ‘take(ing) in all the changes’ in Jeff’s investigation. Mirroring the rampant McCarthyism enhanced by the fear of surveillance, the irony typifies the fragility of morality in the face of curiosity and the pleasure of looking. Furthermore, despite momentarily averting their gaze away from Miss Lonelyhearts’ apartment in guilt, the dog owner’s hysterical scream provokes the camera to move as an inquisitive voyeur, bringing both Jeff and Lisa again, back to their rear window. As such, Hitchcock reiterates that ‘pretty private stuff’ is usually irresistible, especially when the audience suddenly finds that they too, are being transformed into voyeurs by the consistent use of point of view shots. While voyeurism is revealed to be intrinsic and contagious, Hitchcock presents the tendency to detach from the outside world as a part of human nature.

Seen as an reflection of the 1950s American society, Rear Window elaborates on the display of indifferent attitudes as a part of human nature that ultimately results in a self-centred society. By slowly lifting the blinds in the opening scene, Hitchcock’s use of mise en scene presents the audience with the conventional and compact little world, in which Jeff lives. Despite the sense of claustrophobia within the apartment block, each of the neighbours lives a diverse and separated life. Following the slow panning of the camera, the audience observes an old couple waking up by a vigorously ringing alarm, while the camera swiftly moves down to the apartment below, where Miss Torso, a young and attractive dancer, is already preparing herself breakfast while practising dance routines. While depicting their seemly incompatible differences, Hitchcock illuminates the antagonist, Lars Thorwald’s aversion of discourse and mutual interaction to such extent, that he intentionally isolates himself from the community. Portraying through the point of view shots, The Artist’s gardening advice is rejected by Thorwald in an almost virulent way, ‘oh why don’t you shut up!’ The kind-hearted gesture is in great juxtaposition to Thorwald’s hostility, thus Hitchcock succeeds in evoking a sense of uneasiness from the audience, while emphasising the lack of connection between residents. While Rear Window is viewed as a detailed portrait of how self-centred attitudes as a part of human nature result in an indifferent society, Hitchcock also depicts that it is human nature to make premature judgements and to integrate into the stereotypical roles imposed by the society.

Hitchcock demonstrates that it is human nature to categorise people into certain groups and to pursue traditional roles, regardless of individual characteristics. Often mistreated and disregarded, Hitchcock’s female characters in Rear Window are the epitome of many who suffer from gender stereotypes and discriminations in the sexist era. Despite being ‘loaded to her fingertips with love for (Jeff)’, Lisa’s feelings are unreciprocated because of Jeff’s entrenched view of her being ‘too sophisticated’ and too much of a ‘Park Avenue’ woman. This is manifested by Hitchcock’s use of the close-up shot of Lisa’s flawless face and hairstyle in her debut, in tandem with the manipulation of the mise en scene, portraying Lisa in her ‘eleven hundred’ dollar dress in the foreground. Similarly, Miss Lonelyhearts’ fantasy of having dinner with a romantic partner viewed through Jeff’s eyes echoes Lisa’s desire for marriage. Hitchcock further strengthens Lisa and Miss Lonelyhearts’ disappointment through the melancholic melody of the soundtrack ‘To see you is to love you’, insinuating single women’s endeavor to fit into the social norm. Hitchcock’s use of the Kuleshov effect as Jeff raises his glass in response to Miss Lonelyhearts’ gesture provokes a sense of sympathy from the audience. Likewise, while women struggle to maintain their individual traits, the audience too, observes many male characters struggling with the loss of their masculinity. The contemporary society’s view on men being the active breadwinner provides a stark contrast to Jeff’s immobilised state, propelling him to engage in the act of watching people ‘like a bug under the glass’ to maintain his manhood and dominance. Unable to ‘emerge’ from the ‘plaster cocoon’, the camera pans to reveal the ominous words written on Jeff’s cast ‘Here lie the broken bones of L.B.Jefferies’, which adds emphasis to his feeling of entrapment. On the other hand, since the epitaph-like words are usually associated with death, Hitchcock insinuates the potential consequence of losing one’s masculinity, echoing the brutal murder of Anna Thorwald committed by her husband, Lars Thorwald. Through Hitchcock’s use of the point of view shots, the audience observes the agonized marital life between the two, to which Jeff refers to as a ‘swamp of boredom’. Evidenced by Anna’s constant demand for servility from him, the audience observes the traditional submissive nature expected on women being taken over by the husband Thorwald himself. When Thorwald brings dinner to her bed, to which she complains, ‘I hope they’re cooked this time’, the sentimental melody fades away and is replaced by the non-diegetic sound of an acute siren from afar, which indicates Thorwald’s dissatisfaction at his lack of dominance and freedom, while also foreshadowing the brutal murder later in the film. It can be argued that Hitchcock presents Thorwald’s murder as an extreme form of escapism from such entrapment, reflecting Thorwald’s desire to ‘go anywhere and do anything’. Hitchcock not only highlights that it is human nature to impose superficial roles on one another, but also the endeavour to integrate into such expectations, despite being uncomfortable.

Through its linear structure, Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller Rear Window depicts voyeurism as an intrinsic aspect of human nature. Despite living in the vicinity of one another, the sense of social alienation pervades in every aspect of the film, which emphasizes people’s tendencies to remain isolated. In addition, through various characters, Hitchcock shows that it is human nature to impose often biased judgements on others and to pursue the stereotypical roles in the contemporary society.