Alfred Hitchcock was an English film director known as the "Master of Suspense" for his innovative use of music, lighting, and camera angles to create suspense. His 1954 film Rear Window was notable for being the first to use point-of-view shots, showing what a character sees through the camera. It tells the story of a photographer who spies on his neighbors from his apartment window while confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg. Through watching them, he becomes convinced one neighbor has committed murder. The film employs voyeurism as the unknowing neighbors are watched, as well as sexual objectification as the ballet dancer neighbor is watched getting undressed.
2. Who is Alfred Hitchcock…
Alfred Hitchcock was an English Film director and producer who was nick
named the “Master of Suspense”.
The reason Alfred Hitchcock is called the “Master of Suspense” is because he
used music, lighting and camera angles to create suspense in films that
haven’t been used before by any other director or producer.
He made his first film in 1925, this is when he started making Thrillers which
he would soon be known for all over the world for.
Alfred Hitchcock was also labelled the God Father of Thriller movies as he
developed lots of motives and narratives which would later on be copied by
many other film directors taking inspiration from Hitchcock.
3. Rear Window…
Rear window is a 1954 Alfred Hitchcock
film about a photographer journalist,
who is in a wheelchair with a broken
leg, that decides to spy on his
neighbours from his apartment window
to kill time, however he becomes
convinced one of them has committed
murder. As he is spending all his time
spying on his neighbour he decides to
solve the mystery of this murder ,
however no one believes him therefore
he decides to take the matter into his
own hands. In this film, POV shots are
used for the first time, sexual
objectification is used and also
voyeurism.
4. POV Shot…
A point of view shot is a short film scene that shows what a character is looking
at which is represented through the camera.
There are many POV shots in Rear Window because it is there to create suspense,
this is because it gives the audience the illusion that they are the person that is
doing the ‘gaze’ .
The POV shot made Rear Window a popular film as this was the first ever film to
use this effect.
5. Sexual Objectification, Voyeurism…
Voyeurism is the sexual pleasure gained through looking at
the human form when the person is unaware, i.e. when
spying on someone. Voyeurism is seen in Rear Window when
Jeff (the main character) watches his neighbours from his
window.
When watching the film you can see that he is getting
pleasure when looking as he is intrigued to watch more. He
loves the idea that he is watching the day to day life of
everybody round him and they haven’t got a clue he is doing
it, this makes him gain some sort of power. Therefore, the
thrill and idea of power he is getting through spying makes
him do it more and then it becomes a daily routine for him to
watch what is going on.
Sexual Objectification, which is when females are seen as
sexual objects through our gaze and represented as weak, is
seen in Rear Window as the Ballet dancer is seen getting
changed and getting in the bath. The reason this is sexual
objectification is because she's doesn’t know that he is
watching her get dressed there she is seen as weak as clearly,
she has not many clothes on and he is seen as powerful as he
can see her.