Character Analysis Of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

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Rear Window, released in 1954, is one of the great movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. Rear Window is a movie about an immobilized photographer, L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart) suffering from a broken leg. In the summer of Greenwich Village courtyard Jeffery entertains himself by looks out through his window onto a courtyard spying on his neighbors. While he is spying he begins to suspect his neighbor, Mr.Thorwald (Raymond Burr) of murdering his wife. He reports the crime to his police detective friend (Wendell Corey) but he does not believe Jeff because the lacks of evidence. Therefore, Jeff together with his gorgeous girlfriend and his nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) try to prove it on their own. Eventually,…show more content…
Costume has a tight connection with the character as it is used as an identification of each character and the change of costume can signify the change of position, status and mindset of each character. As Nelmes claims, “subtle changes in the costume of a single character can be used to signify changes of status, attitude and even the passing time” (p. 67). In Rear Window, the character that we can notice the changing of costume is the female protagonist, Lisa Fremont. Our initial viewing of Lisa’s characteristic come form her dress that she wears at the very first scene we have encountered her, the tight black top with the frothy chiffon skirt and white scarf and gloves characterized her as a seductive and feminine woman. Through out the movie, Lisa really wants to marry Jeff. However, Jeff would do anything not to marry her. Originally Jeff was not satisfied with Lisa’s obsession over fashion as he never complimented her even she has on a very beautiful up-to-dated dress. However, Jeff sees Lisa differently after Lisa went into Mr. Thorwald’s apartment. In another sense, Lisa successfully captures Jeff’s attention as she entered in the screen in which Jeff obsessively watches. Lisa follows the direction of her finance, Jeff, aiming to please him in the interests of marriage. In the end, Lisa wears different outfit.…show more content…
Low and high-key lighting are normally used in various visual forms such as photograph and film to create a certain feeling to the observer. High-key lighting refers to images that are mostly bright and not very black tones. Therefore, high-key lighting is usually connected to lighter moods- happy, hopeful, upbeat. On the other hand, low-key lighting relies on shadow. The image that uses this technique will have heavy shadows and lighting only in specific areas. The mood is opposite too, while high-key lighting is optimistic, low-key is mysterious, suspense, sorrow and sober. The example of the low-key lighting scene is the scene of Mr. Thorwald who breaks into Jeff’s apartment at nearly end of the movie. In this scene Mr. Thorwald is shot in a low-key lighting that create a lot of shadow on his face, giving the audience a sense of horror and mysteries kind of character toward him. The use of low- key lighting on Mr.Thorwald also supports the premise of Jefferies that actually he is the one who kills Mrs. Thorwald. Moreover, the shadow on his face also foretells the audience about the next scene and what is he going to do with Jeff. Therefore, using low-key lighting can portray Thorwald as a villain of the
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