Master Of Suspense In Rear Window By Alfred Hitchcock
Rear Window
The film I choose to watch and analyze for film techniques is Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock, Paramount Pictures, 1954. Alfred Hitchcock was known as the “Master of Suspense” for his skills at directing psychological thrillers. How many directors today could make a great thriller like Rear Window work with a camera, lights, and a window? The fear was not projected up on the movie screen but within the minds of his audiences viewing it. Rear Window has a classification of Genre as a Thriller. A thriller film revolves around anticipation and suspense. It aims to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. In Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock does exactly that. He incorporates drama as well as mystery to the movie that makes your mind go to work watching it. You have to rely on your mental …show more content…
resources to figure out this psychological thriller. All the action takes place in a small courtyard. Jefferies is a bored broken legged photography that is hung up on some irresistible voyeurism. He suspects the man across the courtyard has murdered his wife and tries to convince everyone that he did but has no proof. Through being persistent, witty and persuasive he ends up being right in the end. The main editing feature that Alfred Hitchcock uses in a lot of the scenes in Rear Window is the Long shot. I will name one
specific scene where he uses it.
It is where Jefferies is sitting in his wheelchair looking out of his camera across the courtyard as Thorwald is packing up his bags. This technique is just as if Hitchcock was sitting in that wheelchair looking across that courtyard him self. Another editing feature that Alfred Hitchcock uses in the scenes of Rear Window is Fade-in and Fade-out. You can start with the very first scene fading in with the window coverings opening and the courtyard appearing. The scenes are kept fairly short and they all end with fade-out. This has the effect of making the material seem abrupt and somehow unfinished, leaving us hanging on for more. Lastly, the camera angles, lighting, close up shots used by Alfred Hitchcock in the scene where Jefferies is sitting in the wheelchair in the dim room as the murderer is creeping up the stairs. Sound plays a big part in this scene. The sound of foot steps and only traffic in the background is heard. The close-up camera shots of the door enhance the suspense of waiting for it to open to see if it’s the
murder. Rear Window has been a timeless classical psychological thriller since 1954. Alfred Hitchcock was a master at suspense. He uses James Stewart in every scene. With his wittiness and dry humor Stewart delivers well. Grace Kelly is graceful and you just can’t keep your eyes off of her. Then there is the delightful Thelma Ritter, Jefferies’ nurse. This all star cast plus the master of suspense himself equals nothing but success. This masterpiece was achieved from being filmed from one very small apartment using very good camera angles, lighting, editing, directing and of course acting. This film today is still in the top 100 of must see films.
The film I choose to watch and analyze for film techniques is Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock, Paramount Pictures, 1954. Alfred Hitchcock was known as the “Master of Suspense” for his skills at directing psychological thrillers. How many directors today could make a great thriller like Rear Window work with a camera, lights, and a window? The fear was not projected up on the movie screen but within the minds of his audiences viewing it. Rear Window has a classification of Genre as a Thriller. A thriller film revolves around anticipation and suspense. It aims to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. In Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock does exactly that. He incorporates drama as well as mystery to the movie that makes your mind go to work watching it. You have to rely on your mental …show more content…
resources to figure out this psychological thriller. All the action takes place in a small courtyard. Jefferies is a bored broken legged photography that is hung up on some irresistible voyeurism. He suspects the man across the courtyard has murdered his wife and tries to convince everyone that he did but has no proof. Through being persistent, witty and persuasive he ends up being right in the end. The main editing feature that Alfred Hitchcock uses in a lot of the scenes in Rear Window is the Long shot. I will name one
specific scene where he uses it.
It is where Jefferies is sitting in his wheelchair looking out of his camera across the courtyard as Thorwald is packing up his bags. This technique is just as if Hitchcock was sitting in that wheelchair looking across that courtyard him self. Another editing feature that Alfred Hitchcock uses in the scenes of Rear Window is Fade-in and Fade-out. You can start with the very first scene fading in with the window coverings opening and the courtyard appearing. The scenes are kept fairly short and they all end with fade-out. This has the effect of making the material seem abrupt and somehow unfinished, leaving us hanging on for more. Lastly, the camera angles, lighting, close up shots used by Alfred Hitchcock in the scene where Jefferies is sitting in the wheelchair in the dim room as the murderer is creeping up the stairs. Sound plays a big part in this scene. The sound of foot steps and only traffic in the background is heard. The close-up camera shots of the door enhance the suspense of waiting for it to open to see if it’s the
murder. Rear Window has been a timeless classical psychological thriller since 1954. Alfred Hitchcock was a master at suspense. He uses James Stewart in every scene. With his wittiness and dry humor Stewart delivers well. Grace Kelly is graceful and you just can’t keep your eyes off of her. Then there is the delightful Thelma Ritter, Jefferies’ nurse. This all star cast plus the master of suspense himself equals nothing but success. This masterpiece was achieved from being filmed from one very small apartment using very good camera angles, lighting, editing, directing and of course acting. This film today is still in the top 100 of must see films.