Hitchcock’s Subtle Use Of Color In Rear Window

The movie begins with a camera pan across an apartment complex in New York City. From the start Hitchcock alludes to the violence that is coming. From the window at which the camera is panning, the glaring red brick of the apartments across the courtyard overwhelms the audience. As the camera pans down a black cat crosses the way just in front of the window, a classic warning of luck. Then a close up of a bright red thermometer that reads over ninety degrees is shown. Hitchcock fills this scene with warnings of danger. (Mata)

This scene continues to introduce the main character, L. B. Jefferies or “Jeff” (James Stewart), whose apartment is the focal point from which almost all camera shots are ta

In another apartment a man brings his wife’s dinner to her in bed with a red rose. She tosses the rose onto the bed and begins to eat. This man and woman are soon to be introduced as Mr. And Mrs. Thorwald. Jeff watches carefully as he had witnessed the two arguing earlier. In this scene Jeff is not casually watching but compulsively prying. The audience feels the importance of this argument as the camera is focused clearly on the Thorwalds apartment.

The audience is left with a scene of Jeff asleep with two broken legs. Lisa is by his side wearing black pants and a red shirt. Although, this time the red and black seem to represent the power over Jeff that she has obtained. His resistance to marry her and his excuses of her not being tough enough to handle his type of life has come to an end.

The next scene starts with a great luminous red glow of the sky as night is falling. This color allusion is even more obvious as the audience is again warned of the danger to come. However this warning is interrupted by the introduction of another character. Lisa (Grace Kelly), the beautiful girlfriend of Jeff’s, leans over for a surprise kiss to awake him. She is wearing a mostly white dress, again innocent of Jeff’s voyeurism. (Mata) As they sit and drink wine he notices a woman across the way. She is named miss lonely hearts by Jeff and is having dinner with an imaginary companion. Her bright pink apartment walls, emerald green dress, and red hair allude to her desperate need for passion and love. While Jeff and Lisa sit at dinner happily drinking their white wine, Miss Lonely Hearts sits with her make believe companion drinking a dark red wine. This is definitely a signal of danger as she burst into tears and buries her head on the table.

ken. From this window, Jeff watches his neighbors carry on about their lives, as he is confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg. Another character is also introd

Some topics in this essay:
Lonely Hearts, Lisa Jeff, James Stewart, York City, Grace Kelly, Lisa Jeff’s, Window Hitchcock, Thorwald Jeff, , Alfred Hitchcock, miss lonely, miss lonely hearts, lonely hearts, wearing black, bright red, red glow, white dress, jeff watches, danger mata, mata scene, jeff’s apartment,