Metropolis Analysis

One of film legend Alfred Hitchcock's most impressive films, Rear Window is an adaptation of Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to be Murder". This 1954 film is very representative of Hitchcock's soaring talent as a film-maker, for it incorporates many of the brilliant techniques and unique trademark elements he was so noted and admired for developing. In order to establish a foundation for this analysis a brief presentation of the plot of Rear Window is necessary. The entire movie is shot from a single room, looking out onto courtyard surrounded by apartments of varying size and shape. Our main character Jeff, is forced to sit in a wheel chair while recovering from an injury he received while on the job, a top photographer for Life magazine. Jeff's career alludes to his prying and spying nature, while he tends to photograph exciting and fantastic scenes, he is only a few steps away from being a paparazzi. To pass the time all day, Jeff stares out of his rear window watching the lives of the various couples through their own rear windows. Jeff is being pursued by a beautiful model named Lisa, who he believes is simply too prim and proper to live with him. She is wealthy, famous, beautiful and perfect for "any man that can get one eye open", but Jeffries believes his lifestyle is too rugged for her. Upon further analysis, we find that it is not only Lisa that is preventing Jeffries from taking the plunge, but his wedded neighbors that seem unhappy, bored, or nagging all the time. Hitchcock takes us on a journey of not only a murder mystery, but on Lisa's attempt to become what Jeffries wants, a rugged, thrill seeking bride that will never leave him bored. The opening scene introduces Jeffries personality, as well as a glimpse on his views of marriage with a pan of all the apartments that Jeff sees from his window. Soon after Hitchcock introduces Lisa as the beautiful model that she is. It is a commonplace to say that Rear Window deals with curiosity and the need to pry into the lives of others. Jeff’s curiosity begins harmlessly enough, but gradually, this innocent curiosity turns to semi-professional spying. For example, he starts to use a photographic tele-lens and binoculars from his