Thoughts on Rear Window (1954)
Hitchcock’s most famous films, in some way, always reflected a larger truth about the Hollywood landscape during its time. Rear Window is no exception. In 1954, the film was lauded as a tense, frightening thriller about the witnessing of a crime disrupting the everyday flow of life as one observes it, and it remains just as effective viewed that way today. Yet it was not until various film critics and scholars took a retrospective look at Hitchcock’s filmography that they discovered the underlying theme of voyeurism and all its implications in a patriarchal society.
The gender dynamics and feministic qualities of the film can be seen through the roles of the not-so-subtly named Miss Torso, an attractive middle-aged dancer who—through Jeff’s observations of her—embodies a more sexualized aspect of the male gaze—and Lisa, Jeff’s girlfriend, who he barely pays any attention to until she gets involved in Thorwald’s murder of his wife. Hitchcock exhibits the darker aspects of the voyeuristic qualities of men towards women—and of human nature altogether—most notably in a sequence where Miss Torso (who Jeff refers to as “Miss Lonelyhearts” because she’s single) is visibly contemplating suicide in her nearby apartment and Jeff disregards her in favor of observing the situation with Lisa and Thorwald (after Lisa snuck into his apartment through an open window).
We are as much a voyeur as Jeff, and in a sense, feel similarly accountable. Filmed through his perspective, we are turned into anxious spectators, nervously anticipating what will happen next as we peer into the lives of others. In doing this, we question our judgements and perceptions of those around us—how our shameful urges and desires motivate them and our need to get involved in others’ lives so we can feel better about our own.
The gender dynamics and feministic qualities of the film can be seen through the roles of the not-so-subtly named Miss Torso, an attractive middle-aged dancer who—through Jeff’s observations of her—embodies a more sexualized aspect of the male gaze—and Lisa, Jeff’s girlfriend, who he barely pays any attention to until she gets involved in Thorwald’s murder of his wife. Hitchcock exhibits the darker aspects of the voyeuristic qualities of men towards women—and of human nature altogether—most notably in a sequence where Miss Torso (who Jeff refers to as “Miss Lonelyhearts” because she’s single) is visibly contemplating suicide in her nearby apartment and Jeff disregards her in favor of observing the situation with Lisa and Thorwald (after Lisa snuck into his apartment through an open window).
We are as much a voyeur as Jeff, and in a sense, feel similarly accountable. Filmed through his perspective, we are turned into anxious spectators, nervously anticipating what will happen next as we peer into the lives of others. In doing this, we question our judgements and perceptions of those around us—how our shameful urges and desires motivate them and our need to get involved in others’ lives so we can feel better about our own.