In the film Rear Window directed by Alfred Hitchcock, a significant shift of power is portrayed. This shift occurs between the protagonist of the film, L.B Jeffries and his romantic partner, Lisa Freemont. This shift also aids in outlining the main theme of the film, which is marriage, as all aspects of marriage are observed and taken into account by Jeffries. The change of dominance within Lisa and Jeffries relationship can be broken down into three stages, which develop and change throughout the film. At the beginning of the film Jeffries is shown to have the power within the relationship as he dictates the parameters of the relationship, however he is also intimidated by Lisa 's social standing. Towards the middle of the film the possession …show more content…
The film opens and quickly establishes Jeffries character, the surroundings become familiar to the viewer as the camera pans around the courtyard, the oppressive heat is evident and contributes to the feeling of claustrophobia which mirrors his concept of marriage. The introduction to the film also demonstrates that it will be viewed through a male gaze. This is evident when Jeffries refers to the dancer across the courtyard as 'Miss Torso ', this label immediately reducing her to being nothing but a body, right from the outset Jeffries ' submissive attitude towards women suggests he is not interested in a serious long-term relationship. This stance gives him the upper hand as Lisa is fighting for his romantic …show more content…
During the establishment of the film Jeffries clearly possesses the power in the relationship, with Lisa submitting to his needs and demands. The power begins to shift during the middle of the file as Lisa implements her ‘sex appeal’ and demonstrates her intelligence in an attempt to seduce Jeffries. Finally, when Lisa shows her sudden burst of bravery and adventure, Jeffries’ admiration for her grows and she becomes possessive the power within their relationship. At the beginning of the film Jeffries is represented as a caged lion, with a fierce personality, he is trapped as the result of a photography accident, which has left him with one leg in a plaster cast. At the end of the film, Jeffries had two plaster casts due to a further accident perpetrated by the murderer, suggesting now that he is more seriously involved with Lisa perhaps he has become even more trapped. This shift of power is confirmed when Lisa switches the travel book she is reading while Jeffries is awake to a fashion magazine which insinuates that she has the power and has him wrapped around her
However, in Modleski’s analysis of the film, Rear Window, it is apparent that it is the actions of the characters that evaluates and defines their masculinity or femininity. The heroines, Violet and Corky are opposites when it comes to appearance. As it was established, Violet is feminine and Corky is masculine. However, in the film it only initially seems like Violet plays the more passive role and Corky plays the more active role. At the escalation of the film, Violet demonstrates her masculinity and actively uses the male gaze in her
The women in both films gave the men something to look at. For example, in the opening scene of Rear Window, the audience sees Jefferies looking from his window over to Miss Torso who is dancing and stretching as she gets ready for her day. As in the film Disturbia, the audience sees Kale looking through
The climax is illustrated and clarified through the symbolic tearing or exposing of the bare walls. She wants to free the woman within, yet ends up trading places, or becoming, that "other" woman completely. Her husband's reaction only serves as closure to her psychotic episode, forcing him into the unfortunate realization that she has been unwell this whole time.
Dade feels intimidated and becomes “afraid [that] the woman was coming back” as his “heart went dizzy”, believing that “the woman knew something about [him]”(11). Dade beings to get paranoid and fears the woman, depicting her as wise or insightful, over emphasizing things such as her stare or smell. As a result of such he begins to get his own ideals confused which eventually leads to making regretful decisions. When Dade grabs hold of the woman and is taking her to the stockroom, he “felt as if [he] were leading her to the dance floor, [flushing him] with remorse”(16) and guilt. Dade feels wrong and sad because of how the mysterious woman had seemed slender with bones showing on top of how she had to steal food in order to provide for herself, making Dade reluctant and eventually change his course of actions. Although Dade believed he had found what he was truly waiting for, it was actually a product of his delusions from all the stress and pressure that was forced upon him as some moments he feels anxious, disappointed, joy, and surprise from interacting and thinking about the woman. It is due to all this confusion and guilt that Dade becomes influenced and molded from someone full of hope and kindness to someone who can only believe he knows what he is doing is
Sue Brower touches on this idea in her article, “Channeling Rear Window.” Brower states that “Jeff’s new disability makes him a domesticated spectator” (94). As Jeff is stuck in the wheelchair, he is watching everyone else’s lives through the window. The window symbolizes Jeff visualizing what he wants for himself. In the way Jeff views the highly sexualized Miss Torso through the window, Hitchcock represents the male character staring voyeuristically at his neighbors. He is fantasizing, in a way, the life he cannot live. George E. Toles’ “Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window as Critical Allegory” also touches on the idea of “voyeuristic involvement in other lives” (226). Both women characters in the film, Lisa and Miss Torso, are sexualized by Jeff. The way these two women are portrayed causes Hitchcock’s true intentions to be questionable. Does Hitchcock only see women as sex symbols, or can they have their own personalities and careers just as the male characters
One of the things that changes during Jeff's journey is his character. In the beginning of the
Rear Window (1954), a picture on vouyerism, Hitchcock positions the film in the American cultural context of the postwar masculinity, class struggle and gender roles. Lisa the high-society model is pitted against the maternal nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) from the working class world. Lisa moulds herself to suit Jeffries’ desire, dress and behaves accordingly. She is an active woman who later becomes a sleuth and unintensionally helps Thorwald to find Jeffries’ postion which leads to a fight and later a broken leg. Lisa is actually a double threat to Jeffries masculinity both in her ultrafeminine costume and her guise as an action woman. Both paralyses Jeffries both physically and mentally with anxiety about his masculinity. The film
Jeffries broken leg is a way in which his character is “castrated” as he is forced to relinquish his active role in the film and Lisa picks up this role as a way to continue the story and embrace masculine ideals that Jeffries admires which in turn earns her his favor.
After Jeff’s accident, his life remains stable and Jeff seems comfortable in his current occupation. However, Lisa is trying to be adventurous with her job and wants to travel the world. She even encourages Jeff to open a portrait studio and pursue his career even further. Jeff constantly turns her down and denies her the right to even try to make their relationship more serious. Jeff is extremely hesitant in moving their relationship forward and constantly pushes her away in fear. He has reached the crucial age of making important decisions, as he is middle-aged and should be settling down in life. However, the idea of settling down into a dull, simple lifestyle seems to scare Jeff. For example, “Through the Looking Glass: Reflexivity, Reciprocality, and Defenestration in Hitchcock’s Rear Window” by Lawrence Howe discusses the difference between the women and men characters of the story. Howe talks about the way the film “reinforces the power of the masculine spectator over the feminine spectacle” (16). Howe also incorporates the idea of a woman, Lisa in this case, being a force to be reckoned with. During the film, Lisa represents herself as an independent, strong woman. She holds her own, even when Jeff continues to make her feel inferior. Jeff seems to hold power over their relationship, as he does not want to get married to Lisa. This elevates the idea of Lisa being
There have been many contributors when it came to tackling anti-social behaviour and preventing crime however, the most influential contributors are Wilson and Kelling. They came up with the theory of broken window which will be further explain in this essay. This essay will outline the broken window theory, as well as explain what is meant by broken window. Finally it will give examples that exemplify the broken window theory. (Maguire, Morgan and Reiner, 2012)
He finds the intimacy he was looking for in Miranda, a single woman who is seeking affection. Through this affair, Miranda develops feelings towards Dev, causing her to imagine a life together. Miranda pictures, “ herself in the cocktail dress, and Dev in one of his suits, kissing her hand across the table” (93). Miranda and Dev’s forbidden love is actually lust, which is lost in the translation of the word “sexy”. The difference between lust and love is that love is a feeling of affection, while lust is a sexual attraction. When Dev calls Miranda “sexy” she reads into the word as if it were saying “I love you.” However, Dev believes the word sexy means “beautiful” and does not see a future with Miranda. The miscommunication between Dev and Miranda cause Miranda to fill the loneliness she felt as a single woman with ideas of what their life could be, but Dev does not envision the same future. It is not until Rhonin, a young boy Miranda is babysitting, explains the true meaning “sexy” to Miranda, that she realizes future is not possible. Rhonin defines “sexy” as, “loving someone you don’t know” (107). Miranda and Dev do not know each other. All they know is their affair. Dev became lost in the idea of a younger woman and Miranda became lost in the idea of filling her void of compassion. Miranda understands that although she would
The broken window theory was originally proposed by James Q. Wilson and George Kelling in 1982. Broken Window Theory is a criminological theory of the norm-setting and signaling effect of urban disorder and vandalism on additional crime and anti-social behavior This theory used broken windows as a metaphor for run down neighborhoods. If a neighborhood is kind of old looking and run down then, the theory suggests that the people are the same as their environment and that they are more likely to commit a crime. Even on the streets of the “bad side of town,” as some people would say, had white officers walk and patrol the streets of a predominantly black side of town. They had to obey the “street laws” and if not then
In the film Rear Window that was released in 1954 Alfred Hitchcock the director uses suspense through out the film to create a mystery. Hitchcock uses several techniques like symbolism, narratives, and voyeurism. Hitchcock main focus in the film was to create the entire film from a one-point vantage spot. The film depicts a vision in the audience head that is produced by visuals. How do gender roles. Having the film shown by the eyes of the protagonist Jefferies eyes the audience have a connection to the film and have one specific vocal point to focus through out the film.
The term CPTED is new to me, even though I am familiar with the techniques involved. The information on CPTED was food for thought. This process would be very helpful when it comes to protection when it comes to violence. Prevention is the main ingredient, we cannot ward off all crime, but applying the information gathered here will possibility reduce some acts of crime toward our person, our home and/or our place of business. To attempt to protect after a burglary is a little too late, even thou we will learn, but why wait to learn how to protect ourselves? In a former class I learned about the “broken window effect,” this to me is referred to in the video when it spoke about the SAT questions where T-territoriality (does anyone care what
Without realizing it, she has created a struggle between a friend in whom she can confide but cannot love like a husband and a husband whom she can love as such, but in whom she cannot confide. The saddest part of the story, and the part which finally shows the consequences of the wife 's ineptitude, is the final scene. Upon awakening from a stoned slumber, she finds her blindman, her confidant, sharing a close conversation with her husband, her greatest desire, as they draw a picture of a Cathedral together. Her makes her jealousy evident when she exclaims, “What are you doing? Tell me, I want to know...What 's going on?” like a child shouting to be heard (Carver 193). Her desperate tone stems form the fact that she must observe her heart 's greatest desire occur before her eyes, but from the side lines. She so desperately desires to become a part of the relationship forming between her husband and the blind man, but she cannot. Once again she falls behind, this time spiritually as her husband experiences a revelation, while she remains in the dark. The husband realizes the importance letting people “in” ones life at the blind man 's words, “Put some people in there now. What 's a Cathedral without people,” but the wife does not (193). Obsessed with becoming a part of their conversation, she completely overlooks the relevance of the