This document discusses the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock film Rear Window and how it compares to written stories. It notes that the film is able to visually "show" images in a way that written stories can only describe. It also suggests that the scenes in the film can be unsettling in a way that prose cannot capture due to its single setting and point-of-view shots through a camera lens. Finally, it prompts readers to consider details about the main character Jeff, his backstory, anxieties, and issues that are revealed through James Stewart's performance rather than just described.

1. +
Rear Window
Dr Steve Gaunson
Textual Crossings
RMIT University

2. +
Revision
Lisa

3. + Celebration:
The story ‘sees’ images – the film ‘shows’ images.
In the film people are shown watching, but what they watch is
frequently unsettling (story doesn’t have the scope for this)

4. +
Colonisation
One-set movies

5. +
Parody
Sam Vs. Stella (Thelma Ritter)

6. +
Adjustment
Expands the community
+ cast
The camera takes on a POV

7. +
Final thought
 When watching Rear Window think about the following:
 Jeff’s backstory? How do we “see” it?
 What do we learn about him — his own anxieties? Issues with
commitment?
 How can James Stewart reveal things in his performance — that
prose has to describe in great detail?
 What does fashion express about the characters?