T.G321
Rear Window (1954, Alfred Hitchcock, UK)
In this film, Hitchcock, known as the "Master of Suspense", utilises the theme of entrapment to explore the then contemporary concept of voyeurism. The film was shot entirely in a small, artificial set, allowing for maximum control over the mise-en-scène. On this page I analyse the first two minutes of the film – the time limit for our own production – examining the use of symbolism to create a successful sequence, in which there is minimal "action".
The sequence begins with the credits, shown over a dimmed shot of three windows, which gradually open. The font is very simple, yet contains subtle devices that create symbolism. An example is the reddened edges of the letters, foreshadowing a mixture of love and violence. The capital letters create an abundance of vertical lines, that mimic those seen in the courtyard. The title, "Rear Window", has the same style as the credits, but the first "R" is noticeably far from the following "E". This could signify an anomaly amongst the consistency of order, mirroring the homicide's incongruous nature, although this may be an unintented interpretation.
Once the credits have finished and the windows have opened, the camera begins to track forward, revealing the prismatic courtyard. The most striking feature of the location is the conformity; there are numerous sets of parallel lines, such as the stairs, railings, and windows. They aggregate to form a powerful feeling of being boxed in, which fixes the idea of the entrapment of L.B. Jefferies, the main character, in the viewers' minds, before they have even met the character.
A high-angle shot shows a staircase, which has high walls surrounding it, reinforcing the entrapment. A cat is seen gracefully ascending the stairs, demonstrating that although the area supposedly creates a sense of entrapment, it is easily navigated.
The camera then pans around, to show the first view again. During this shot, a group of birds are seen flying out of the frame, and when the camera stops panning, a man is seen leaving the complex via a small alleyway, near the bottom left corner. These actions both iterate the audience's forced interpretation of the area as being easily exited, thus making Jefferies' total entrapment seem more frustrating, thereby increasing the audience's empathy.
The first close-up of a person in the film shows a man sweating profusely. This initially appears unusual, but the ambiguity is quickly cleared by the following close-up of a thermometer.
The profuse theme of voyeurism is constructed in this shot by the sense of the man's privacy being disturbed; he is clearly in his home – a private space, but the film's audience intrudes, and the man almost appears to be annoyed.
In our own production, the theme of voyeurism could be crucial in making a fluent piece. We have thought about a CCTV theme, in which the character is followed through a public area at the very start of the sequence.