Rear Window

Rear Window Journal

In Rear Window Alfred Hitchcock uses the story of a cripple free lance photographer, Jeff Jeffries, to explain the twisted sense of society even in the 1950's. Hitchcock uses clever things from the way the apartments are being filmed to the dialogue between Jeffries, Lisa, and Stella to show societies interest in pain, tragedy, and discomfort, and in the end you see how tragedy is what makes everyone happy.

From the very beginning of rear window we encountered scenes where Hitchcock shows Stella being sadistic, but we come to realize later that it is not just Stella. Stella is just the only one who speaks out about it. You must observe all the other characters actions and reactions to truly see. Stella tells Jeffries that "we have become a race of peeping toms" and that "the only thing that can come out of peeping toms is trouble". In no way do those comments make Jefferies feel like what his is doing is wrong. By his reactions to Stella's comments you actually feel like they encourage him to continue watching his neighbors from his window. He reinforces the idea that he lives in a corrupted society when he replies to her comments that "right now, I would welcome trouble". Jefferies is the source of the corrupted society and as the movie goes on you begin to see him corrupting the other characters, especially Stella and Lisa.

When Stella is talking to Jeffries about Lisa and she describes Lisa as a great girl, you see Jeffries have a reaction that is somewhat surprising. He is turned off by the idea that she is so innocent and pure and from that insists that he is not the right person for her and that they are not meant to be married. As the story goes on and she begins to believe Jeffries you sense that he is becoming more attracted to her. The first big change is when she comes over and creates a believable story for him. In the previous scene when they were kissing he wasn't focused at all, but after she tells him the twisted story about the possible death of the neighbors he becomes intrigued by her and the kissing then becomes passionate.

The death of the