Before I delve into too much detail about the screening of Rear Window and the first day of class, I thought I would jot down some thoughts on this class and TFM as a recently declared minor. My background in TFM to date is limited. I am currently enrolled in five TFM classes this semester, as I was recently forced into changing my minor focus. This is a totally new avenue of serious study for me, and while I know, and have a slight background of the ideas and concepts included in the TFM classes, I find myself less-than-knowledgable in much of the terminology and information associated with the subjects matters; especially in comparison the the other students in the class. With that being said, I find that over the course of these classes, specifically witnessed in this Hitchcock class, any questions or confusion I have is answered within the discussion, either by the professor or one of my fellow classmates. I am very excite and happy to be a part of the TFM program, and as a long time admirer of Alfred Hitchcock, my particularly interest in TFM 571 is peaked. I look forward to learning more bout a man I have long admired, from a perspective I am not used to undertaking.
Although I have seen many of Hitchcock's films, I have never seen Rear Window before this class (Which kind of surprised me considering I have heard so much about it). Without getting too deep into the movie at this point, I thought I would share what I thought of as one of the most interesting aspects of the movie. Upon watching the movie, I noticed something that, in retrospect, is something Hitchcock was brilliant at. In this movie you have a room where James Stewart lives, and this window that looks into a neighborhood courtyard, or whatever the actual "backyard" is called in this setting. On top of that there are a series of windows that allow Jeff (James Stewart's character) to peek lives of the other people living around him. There is also a sidewalk that leads to a street. Beyond this, the location of the movie's filming is extremely limited. The set is simple and in front of your face during the entire movie. Hitchcock did not rely on this aspect of filming. He had an incredible ability to tell a story so well, and get so much out of the actors, actresses, and crew, that, in many cases, there was no need for elaborate sets or on location filming that we see in nearly every mainstream movie today. The actual story that Hitchcock told, combined with the talent Hitchcock could magnify, was so well done there was no need for anything flashy on the sets. The story was the flash.
Another aspect of this movie, like many of his others, was that the story was constructed so that there was no need for large casts. Most of the people in this movie had no speaking parts, they were just watched by Jeff. A strong base of actors and a little creative freedom went a long way for Hitchcock.
Rear Window is one of those movies that you could get very deep into, and could spend and entire semester breaking down and trying to determine why things were certain ways, and why Hitchcock shot one way, and so on. There is so much to this movie, I could use this entire journal, over the course of the semester, breaking down a different aspect of the movie.
Many of the themes of motifs that are addressed in this movie can still be compared to us today. Obviously, much has changed since the filming of this movie, but there are underlying concepts that still remain true. Take the following for example:
Voyeurism - As Jeff was confined in his own apartment, because of a broken leg, his "boring" life led him to seek entertainment and information by looking at the lives of those around him. He became enthralled in the lives of his neighbors, and even seemed to prefer what was going on in their lives over what was going on in his. Is this really much different that those who are wrapped up in tabloids, seeking the latest gossip on a person's favorite celebrity? What about talking about others who are in your live in one way or another, or how many use social networking sites to peer into the others loves? This seems to be a part of human nature that is one of its enduring and natural characteristics.
Relationships - Another concept I saw in the movie that is still true today is an overwhelming feeling in insecurity in relationships. Jeff had an amazing, beautiful girlfriend that, for many people, would be the perfect woman. Jeff seemed to, at least for a good portion of the beginning of the film, sabotage the relationship every chance he could. It seemed as though he attempted to come up with every reason and excuse to get the relationship to end. She was definitely a "keeper," but for whatever reason of his, he just could not handle it. This kind of situation seems to happen a lot today. One person in a relationship feels that the other is out of their league, or they are not worthy of the other, and in one way or another seek to destroy the relationship. Many are successful in doing so too.
Human Nature - This was a part of the movie that seemed to end almost as quickly as it began. But, I loved how it simply demonstrated another fundamental aspect of human nature. At the end of the movie, after the man admitted to killing his wife, one of the police detectives turned to Stella and asked if she wanted to go into the killers apartment and check it out with him. Almost immediately she said "no," but instantly her interest peaked and she seemed to change her mind. Investigating a murder scene is something that most people today would not like to do, but there is something about the unknown and almost gruesome that seem to peak people's interest. Instinctually, most would respond no, but I believe that many people would have a desire somewhere inside them to witness such a spectacle as a murder scene.
Scopophilia - Honestly, I had no idea what this meant, so I had to look up the definition. It read "literally the love of looking. The term refers to the predominantly male gaze of hollywood cinema, which enjoys objectifying women into mere objects to be looked at."
While this concept holds merit in the movie, especially when it comes to the dancer in one of the windows. I this case I look more toward the "love of looking" aspect of the definition. There were many people that were viewed by Jeff's character over the course of the movie, yet, in fact, the main subject of viewing was a man. I equate this concept to "people" watching as it may be referred to in today's terminology. This is something many people claim to do today.
I think I will leave this entry at this point. I really enjoyed Rear Window. Everything from the filming to the way the story was told. it was very impressive. Another great movie from Sir Alfred.
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