It’s evident how concise of a director Hitchcock is by the very first sequence. He shows us a sweaty Jimmy Stewart, pans the courtyard outside his window, introducing us to his neighbors, frames a temperature dial revealing the intense heat, then the cast on the leg of James Stewart that reads, “Here lie the broken bones of L.B. Jeffries”, his broken camera

Isolation is demonstrated in a number of ways. Jeff is isolated in his apartment and we are alone with him. He cannot leave and his only recreation is to spy on his neighbors. His neighbors too, are isolated in their own ways. Miss Lonelyheart is the saddest example as we watch her have an imaginary date to dinner, dress up to the best of her efforts to go out alone across the street, and almost commit suicide out of despair. She is an aging, depressed spinster with no apparent friends. Miss Hearing Aid and the bachelor composer are also loners, focusing their attentions on their art. Miss Torso has many suitors yet is still alone because she is not connected to anyone. Even the couples are isolated. The couple who sleeps on the fire escape are unhappy bickerers who fuss over their dog. Raymond Burr and his invalid wife are terribly isolated from each other and her from the world. Even the honeymooners isolate themselves from reality to devote all their energies to de!

All movies are stories told through images and we believe image over any other sense. The relationship between what we see and how we interpret things is so strong that it is easy to convince the viewers of events such as murders taking place through the magic of editing. As a photographer, you can see the editorial process go through Jeff’s mind. He sees images and makes assumptions. We do the exact same thing in every single movie and Hitchcock plays off our willingness to do that in this film. We see things, we see Jeff or Lisa’s reaction to them, we form an opinion. We even feel like we are assuming too much when Thorwald’s innocence seems plain to the detective, but we are satisfied when our suspicions become validated.

We are soon introduced to the cast of characters and the inner conflict of the piece. What Jeff is most afraid of is being trapped by marriage. He calls his girlfriend “all right” and talks to Stella, his insurance company nurse, about his lack of desire for marriage. He argues with his girlfriend Lisa about how he needs to travel and not be tied down. He claims Lisa is too perfect and unadventurous for him, but we really see how frightened he is of being trapped. Marriage is a prison to him. This central idea lends to all the major themes in the film: isolation, imprisonment, and relationships.

, photos of race cars, a negat

Some topics in this essay:
Miss Torso, Rear Window, LB Jeffries, James Stewart’s, Raymond Burr, Miss Lonelyheart, Stella Thorwald, Jeff Lisa’s, Peeping Toms, Alfred Hitchcock, miss torso, rear window, isolation imprisonment, isolation imprisonment relationships, jeff lisa’s, forced voyeurs, imprisonment relationships, feel claustrophobic, cinematic representation, imaginary date, miss lonelyheart,