Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window and Mark Pellington's Arlington Road

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Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window and Mark Pellington's Arlington Road, though similar in premise and location, the films are quite different from each other. Hitchcock uses point-of-view to put the viewer in the protagonist's position, he “blurs” the line between good and evil, his antagonists tend to be charismatic, and his films always have a happy ending. Although Rear Window and Arlington Road have similar story lines, the way the stories are told are quite different, as Mark Pellington and Alfred Hitchcock have two different directing and storytelling styles.

Other that the similar premise and plot, Rear Window and Arlington Road are two completely different films. Arlington Road may have some similar points from Rear Window, it really should not be compared to Hitchcock's film, and definitely should not be compared to Rear Window, since they have different story lines, are from two completely different generations and two different directors, and neither one is a remake of the other. Hitchcock's style of telling a story consists of the protagonist and antagonist being everyday people, but neither one of them is inherently good or evil. Each character has good and evil traits, but what makes them good or evil in a Hitchcock film is how far they are willing to be pushed before they snap. Point-of-view shots are also extensively used to put the viewer in the shoes of the character. His films also tend to take place in everyday locale, such as Rear Window taking place in the courtyard of a small apartment complex. At the end of a Hitchcock film, moral order is restored and all conflicts are resolved. Between Rear Window and Arlington Road, there are a few similarities. The first similarity is the location in which the story ta...

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...ite a bit of atmosphere to the film. The use of quick cuts not only helps keep the film moving without getting “stale”, but also adds to the tension of the story. The brief abstract montages during the times of extreme panic or emotion also add a very nice artistic essence to the film without being too “cheesy.”

In conclusion, Rear Window and Arlington Road have very small similarities, but have much more in contrast to each other. Both films were very well done in their time, but Alfred Hitchcock and Mark Pellington are two very different directors with very different styles, and should not be compared to one another. The fact that the two films have a similar premise is not reason enough to conclude that Pellington was making a “Hitchcock thriller”, nor is it appropriate to compare a film and director to Hitchcock film simply for the fact that it is a thriller.

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