"Caught up in the entertainment, we sometimes don't 'see' the camera work, composition, editing, lighting, and sound. Nor do we 'see' the production struggles that accompany every film -- including the script's many rewrites..." (From Writing about Film the packet handed out in class).
Formal Analysis
A formal analysis of a film or films requires that the viewer breaks the film down into its component parts and discusses how those parts contribute to the whole. Formal analysis can be understood as taking apart a tractor in a field; you lay out the parts, try to understand the function and purpose of each one, and then put the parts back together.
In order to do a convincing formal analysis of your scene you'll need to use the terminology provided to you in the Writing about Film packet. Keep in mind that the more proper terms you use, the more you convince your audience that you are an authority of your topic.
PART I
Choose one scene from the many on You Tube and begin by conducting an annotated shot sequence -- a shot-by-shot analysis (see your packet and class notes for additional information). Be sure to name your shot sequence. Count the number of shots and identify each one in the scene. List them on your shot sequence worksheet provided, noting the type of shot and who or what is inside the frame. After you have completed the annotated shot sequence, identify the other production aspects of this scene by reviewing the scene again -- the costumes, lighting, set decoration, music etc. List them on your worksheet as well. What are they telling you, the audience, about the scene and the characters in the scene. Turn in your shot sequence and production analysis on MONDAY. This is worth 40 points.
Then, using what you know about the film's plot summary, analyze in depth in 750 words or less what is happening in the scene. What do the characters' facial expressions communicate to us? If there is dialogue, what does that communicate to the viewer? Conduct a formal and very in depth analysis of your selected shot. This short analysis is the ONLY thing you will post on the blog. This is due by 3 p.m. on Tuesday and you MUST respond to another classmates' response. Your analysis is also worth 40 points. Enjoy!
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ReplyDeleteI like the way you see the scene as ''peeping tom always gets caught and gets into trouble for peeping" I didn't event thought of it actually. Now I looked a little bit deep into it, yes, it kind of makes more sense to the movie, more realistic since peeping tom should always get caught, so, yes Nate, keep this in mind lol (just kidding) Cut the kid, this scene is truly the high tide of the movie, it happens so fast that it is like what Jeff was doing (peeping and investigating) is like gently rubbing the matches, and suddenly, he went too far, then woosh, in a snap, his voyeurism bought him huge trouble. It is also a turning point, where Jeff crosses the line from observing to involving, it then bought Jeff and Mr Thorwald a face to face, an eye to eye.
DeleteI enjoyed reading your analysis. It was very detailed, yet not overwhelming. Most importantly, I thought it was great that you set up the analysis with a background. You clearly expressed the image of the apartment complex and courtyard. Lastly, I thought it was clever and unique to write many parts of the analysis in first person plural. In particular, the ending, "We realize that Jeff is in danger", was a flawless demonstration of that grammatical person. It was an appropriate ending.
DeleteRear Window: The Opening Courtyard Scene
ReplyDeleteThis is the first scene of Rear Window, and introduces us to a few of the supporting characters. You meet the older married couple, who are sleeping out on their balcony because of the sweltering New York City heat. They own the dog that is later killed by Thorwald. You also meet Miss Torso, the ballerina who, later in the movie, is charming men who she will never love, all while hoping her true love doesn’t die at war. She is also uninhibited enough to walk around her apartment barely clothed. Another character you are introduced to, is the Musician. He’s tired, over 40, and unhappy about it. He’s a composer trying to write his masterpiece, but the masterpiece does not want to be written.
You are also introduced to the movies protagonist, one LB Jefferies, who lives in a second story apartment, and has a broken leg. He is also sweaty and asleep in his wheelchair by the window the two times we see Jeff during the scene. The angle at which Hitchcock has chosen to film the panning shots of the courtyard and courtyard dwellers during this scene is as if Jefferies is looking down on them, even though we know he’s asleep. This angle quickly identifies for the viewer that Jeff is the voyeur of the courtyard and its many distinctly different inhabitants inhabitants. You can tell that it’s from Jeff’s apartment because the camera zooms and pans from a focus area that is LB Jefferies apartment.
The way Hitchcock shows off some of the characters introduces them to the plot like only Hitchcock can. Each character who is introduced has a unique character that is easily shown off, especially from the POV of Jeff’s apartment. Hitchcock is a genius at introducing the characters, and their habits, so much so that you can easily tell who the main character is, what his occupation is, why his leg is broken, and his newest hobby, voyeurism.
i like how you concentrate so much on the movement of the camera and how it helps establish Jeff as a character. I also like how you mention that everything that you know about the characters of the courtyard is from a single pan of their homes from one view.
DeleteI think you have a way with words in this. i enjoyed reading your blog post because it had an great balance between complementing the characters and letting us know there down falls as it were. it was nice how you gave enough detail to try and grasp each character.
DeleteI like how you noticed that Hitchcock made sure to have the characters have their different quirks and hobbies. It is also interesting that you realized that because of the way the opening was filmed, that LB Jefferies was definitely the main character.
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ReplyDeleteEric, You are a delight.
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ReplyDeleteThe scene opens with Stella and Lisa standing next to Jeff who is obscured. He has the phone on his lap and is holding the receiver, muttering numbers as he dials. In Thorwald’s apartment the phone rings and he goes to stand in front of it. At this point, even though the camera is at a considerable distance it is obvious that Thorwald is having some kind of internal struggle. Jeff then explains it by saying “Come on Thorwald, I know you’re curious. You’re wondering if it’s your girlfriend, the one you killed for. Go on.” But even without Jeff’s narration it’s clear that Thorwald is nervous by the way he clenches his hands and hesitates before picking up the phone. This is further shown when Jeff, trying to disguise his voice, tells Thorwald he knows what he did and Thorwald is speechless and just stammers a bit. His guild is even further proven in the hurried way that Thorwald gathers his hat and leaves the apartment, urgent to get it over with and put his wife behind him. Jeff tricks Thorwald into leaving the apartment giving Lisa and Stella time to sneak into his garden to dig up his flowers. For the most part the camera is stationary. When in Jeff’s apartment the camera usually focuses on Jeff while on the phone, and flicks to the view of Thorwald's apartment, showing the viewer how Jeff sees the other apartments. When Lisa and Stella go down to the courtyard with a shovel they are followed by the camera in a crane shot. It follows them as they clamber over a wall into Thorwald’s garden but is looking down at them the whole time. My theory is that Hitchcock chose this camera angle to give the impression that the viewer was seeing from Jeff’s perspective, looking down from the apartment. This scene, even though it is far into the movie, is a good recap of the personalities of the main characters. For example, the dresses that Lisa and Stella wear each tell the viewer about the character. Stella’s dress is a brown print house dress, nice but very practical. While Lisa’s dress is very fashionable and pretty but more of a summer party dress than a working dress. Meanwhile Jeff’s clothes and activities also tell you about him. He is in rumpled blue pjs while everyone else is in day clothes, the fact that he is confined to the chair gives the viewer an explanation how his voyeurism came about. This scene is right on the edge of the climax of the plot, right before suspicions are confirmed and it all comes crashing down. Because of this, this scene is very crucial to the whole plot, if they didn’t get Thorwald out of the apartment they couldn’t have confirmed their suspicions and all the excitement after would have never happened. Hitchcock is brilliant in the way he uses the camera, mixing Jeff’s point of view and a third person view.
ReplyDeleteSarah! so inquisitive
DeleteThere are several incredibly important pieces to this scene that make it the most frightening clip in the movie. Both costumes and set are not as important mainly because both are barely visible scene. The lighting in this sscene is what sets the mood. In most of the shots you could barely see Thorwald or Jeff's faces. The dialogue in the beginning is sparse with Thorwald doing most of the talking. I felt this was because Jeff was stalling for time trying to wait as long as possible for Lisa to come back with the police. However the bits of dialogue are very important because its the 1st and last time every year will speaking. In my case I felt surprised at the way Thorwald handled the confrontation. I thought that during the scene Thorwald would be the aggressor making threats against Jeffs loved ones but instead Thorwald seemed to be begging for Jeff to save him. It's only when Thorwald realizes that Jeff can't do anything that he moves to attack. Hitchcock uses several very interesting techniques to make this scene work. The 1st are the sudden flashes of light that Jeff creates the slowdown Thorwald. The previous darkness of the scene suddenly has a new purpose as it's broken by Jeff's flashes of light which have a similar effect on the audience as they do on Thorwald. The audience becomes accustomed to the darkness of the screen and when lights up it briefly takes away our night vision. Another interesting technique is that each shot of Thorwald walking towards Jeff the camera is from Jeff's point of view and each time Thorwald becomes bigger in the frame. This makes Thorwald appear to be looking down on Jeff and in a way the audience. That feeling gives the impression that Thorwald has the power over Jeff. One question I had about this scene was why Thorwald advance so slowly I think even if he couldn't really see Jeffrey he would be able to attack especially since Jeffrey is in a wheelchair. I think mainly it enhances the overall suspense of the scene. Jeffrey finally spots Lisa and Doyle and yells for them to come quickly. This results in Thorwald finally beginning the attack. I think the most important thing to note this fight scene is that the camera stays relatively still well the fight is going on and only picks up flashes of Thorwald and Jeffrey. Thorwald Finally get the better of Jeffrey and pushes out the window. at this point the camera focuses On Jeffrey's hand which started its grip and then Jeffries terrified face. The scene ends with him falling from the window. I still wonder how Hitchcock did he's fall seems but I think you probably shot Jeffrey that zoomed out then spliced it over a 2nd shot of the court. Overall this is very cut and dry and the most important elements in it are the lights and use of camera.
ReplyDeleteSeamus: That was a very good analysis. I like how you really dug into the lightning of the scene. And I also liked how you made nice character analysis with Thorwald and how he was more begging than aggressive. Very good point, and I agree with it also. Overall, nice job!
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ReplyDeleteKatherine,
DeleteI like how you mention Hitchcocks use of night time and shadows. It makes me think, if a scene were put into a different time of day and the lights change, it would change the mood of the scene drastically. I also like how you mention Doyle and his analyzation of Lisa and Jeffs behaviors. Great job!
~~Alexandra
CAUGHT SNOOPING
ReplyDeleteSo this scene begins with Lisa(grace kelly) in Thorwald (Raymond Burr)’s house holding up a necklace.As Thorwald is walking toward his home Lisa has no idea that he is there but Jeff and Stella (including the audience) have a heads up. The camera flashes back to show you Stella and Jeff’s reaction is one of panic and distress. Jeff tries to tell Lisa that he is coming but that is simply not possible. Lisa is walking to the door when she stops and listens she hears what could only be Thorwalds footsteps in the hallway almost home. As she races to find a hiding stop we see Jeff and Stella a little relieved that she heard him coming but still distressed to say the least.Thorwald enters his home almost none the wiser, all the while Jeff is calling the police,until he goes to the bedroom and finds the purse with no necklace inside. He looks startled as he turns around to find Lisa and you get a medium close-up at Jeff gasping at the very moment he knows Lisa has been caught. Lisa begins walking backward away from a rather irritated Thorwald and toward the living room trying to talk her way out of it or explain why she is there while hiding the necklace behind her back.Thorwald throws Lisa to the ground and is trying to get the necklace back but Lisa refuses. Jeff and Stella are on edge but at a loss of what to do.Lisa tries to leave but Thorwald has her and there is a bit of a conflict she is yelling Jeff’s name and you can see of Jeff’s face the pain because there is nothing he can do.Finally the police arrive and you can see the relief on jeff’s face from a high angle that Hitchcock uses.The police enter the house and Stella and Jeff watch as Lisa shows them the wedding ring that she found but in doing that Lisa also attracted Thorwald’s attention and he sees Stella and Jeff watching. The music in the beginning of this scene starts as low pitch but as the conflict ensues it goes up in pitch.I think it is when Jeff she’s she is in trouble you know he loves her. When you see the pain in his eyes you know that there is not anything he would give to go over there and save her.
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ReplyDeleteA Closer Look At The Salesman
ReplyDeleteAt this point in the film, Jeff has seen a few suspicious things happening with one of his neighbors across the courtyard. Jeff has become more suspicious and starts to watch his neighbor, Mr. Thorwald, a lot more closely. In the opening shot it is a medium shot since it shows Jeff from the waist up. It is also a panning shot because as Jeff moves around the room slightly the frame is moved so that he is always in the center of of the frame. The apartment is full of furniture and items like books and knick knacks. The walls are hung with photographs, presumably taken by Jeff himself. The way the apartment is kept shows the audience Jeff’s work and lifestyle. In the shot, Jeff moves back into his apartment away from the window to grab his camera and a large lens. Up to this point Jeff had been using binoculars but the camera is more familiar to him and will have better definition. Hitchcock may have had him switch to camera to show to the audience Jeff’s seriousness about watching his neighbors and how over the top Jeff is getting about his voyeurism. As he is adjusting the lens onto his camera he looks up every so often, suspiciously, keeping an eye on his neighbor. When he returns to the window, during the same shot, he props the large camera lens onto his uninjured leg and looks through it.
The next shot is a subjective shot, it’s also a reverse angle shot. It is what Jeff is seeing through his camera lens. In the shot is Mr. Thorwald, his back to the the open window, being viewed through his window. He is wrapping up a large knife in newspaper at his kitchen sink, as though he may have just rinsed it off. The kitchen is not decorated, its colors are plain; grey and white. After Mr. Thorwald is finished wrapping up the knife he turns and leaves the room that is in view.
The third shot is back in Jeff’s apartment. It is a reaction shot. Jeff seems to be surprised and a big confused by what he has seen and removes the camera slightly away from his face so the camera filming gets a better look at his reaction. Even with the camera away from his face he keeps his eyes on Mr. Thorwald’s apartment. It is also a medium close-up since it focuses on Jeff’s head and shoulders.
The shot succeeding Jeff’s reaction shot is again of Mr. Thorwald and is again a subjective shot, looking through Jeff’s camera lens. It shows Mr. Thorwald yawning and stretching in the room next to what seems to be his kitchen. Mr. Thorwald goes on to lay down on his couch. The knife wrapped in newspaper is not with Mr. Thorwald and is not seen after this.
The last shot of this scene is a lot like the third shot, seeming to be a reaction shot of Jeff. This shot is a bit more closer than the third shot though. The expression on his face is like the one in the third shot only more because of the closeness it is more intense to the viewer. This way the fear and suspicion is portrayed without any additional music or dialogue.
The audio in this scene is minimal. There is no sound from Jeff or his neighbor across the way. The sounds are from the piano man playing his piece. There is also what sounds like children yelling and sounds from the street like cars and sirens.
In both apartments the lighting seems very natural. The light on Jeff’s face seems to be only from the light from outside his window. The light in Mr. Thorwald’s apartment seems to be coming from outside the window as well since his shadow is casted in front of him when he is wrapping up the knife.
The outfit on Jeff is very casual, he wears it throughout the movie. It is blue pajamas. Mr. Thorwald is also wearing what he seems to wear throughout the film. It is a white shirt and grey dress pants. His outfit supports the idea he may be some kind of businessman. Jeff’s outfit shows the fact that he is very carefree about how he dresses in the day since his accident.
The Conflict/ Fall Scene
ReplyDeleteThis scene begins with Thorwald entering Jeff’s apartment with a shadowed face. Jeff, who is sitting next to the window in his wheelchair, also surrounded by shadow, has just been discovered by Thorwal. Jeff allows Thorwald entry, but once Thorwald has entered the scene, Jeff remains quiet for the next few shots, leaving a stuttering Thorwald playing twenty questions with no response. This silence, which is amplified by the dark shroud surrounding the room, creates the feeling that Jeff is holding all the power in the room. This in turn makes the situation tense, and once that tension is broken when Jeff promptly replied, “No” when asked about persuading Lisa to return the ring to Thorwald. Shortly after, Thorwald begins moving towards Jeff and his wheelchair. Meanwhile, Jeff is scrambling to flash his camera to distract Thorwald for just a little longer. Due to the camera angle in the scene, every step Thorwald takes actually brings him closer to us as an audience, not only to Jeff. This adds urgency and adrenaline to the audience, making the audience scared for Jeff. Jeff is quick to flash the camera, which distracts Thorwald for a split second. This gives time for Jeff to glance out the window to see if help has arrived at Thorwald's apartment across the courtyard. These glances give the audience hope, and a realization that Jeff can be saved. The exchange between walking and the camera flashes go on for a little while, Jeff glancing out the window each time Thorwald is blinded. Finally, Thorwald reaches for Jeff and grabs him by the neck. Help has arrived across the courtyard, and Jeff’s shrieks for help get their attention. The shot sequence in this part of the scene is much faster. The shots cut out after a split second, and move to a different shot. This gives the action sense of Jeff getting strangled and pushed out the window a very fast paced, action like feel to it. This action is ended abruptly when the police reach Jeff’s apartment, and Jeff is dropped from the window by Thorwald. We get a first person view of Jeff falling down to the courtyard. This shot really makes you feel like Jeff is actually falling, making the audiences’ heart drop right when Jeff’s does in the scene.
Added component-
DeleteDuring the part where Jeff is flashing Thorwald with his camera, Hitchcock uses overexposure to show the audience what Thorwald sees when he is blinded. This directly connects the audience to Thorwald, making the scene feel more realistic. In turn, it gives you a sense of how Thorwald is reacting to the situation, and how he is feeling during this interaction. It shows you how human Thorwald is, and makes you realize Thorwald is just as vulnerable as Jeff in this situation.
I love all the detail you have in this. I liked the part where you said "leaving a stuttering Thorwald playing twenty questions with no response." i also like how you picked up on the glances and how it gave the audience hope .
DeleteRear Window - The Conflict/Fight Scene
ReplyDeleteThe scene starts out with the sound of footsteps slowly coming up the apartment stairs. Looking for a defensive tool, Jeff grabs a box of flashbulbs. Looking under his door, Jeff watches the hall lights turn off. His apartment door slowly opens, revealing an angry Thorwald stands in the dark. Looking at Jeff, Thorwald asks, "Who are you? What do you want from me?" Jeffries doesn't answer, which further enrages Thorwald, who lunges at Jeff.
Jeff repeatedly blinds Thorwald with flashes. It dramatically slows Thorwald’s approach but ultimately Thorwald starts grabbing Jeff by the neck and attempts to throw him out of the open window. Jeff is struggling to stay clung to the window while screaming for help. At the last moment, Thorwald is subdued by the police and detectives who have made their way up into Jeff's apartment. However, Jeff does lose his grip and fall, fortunately into the hands of other law enforcement individuals.
This scene is very different from the other scenes of this film. This is because is one of the few fast-paced scenes that includes a moving camera shot. Throughout the struggle between Thorwald and Jeff, all of the involved characters bear strong facial gestures. Hitchcock knew it would be best to use close up shots to show these gestures because it would easily illustrate how intense the fight was. Because of this technique, it is fairly easy for the individual watching the film to understand what kind of emotions the characters are feeling.
Another technique used regarding the camera was how it would follow a character from shot to shot. There was a long shot that captured numerous detectives running through the courtyard towards Jeff's apartment. The next shot, a medium close-up, followed two of the detectives as they armed themselves. The following shot, also a medium close up, continued to show one of the detectives aim his revolver at Thorwald, only to determine that it was not a safe shot to take. Going from shot to shot in a quick manner like such builds suspense. Hitchcock had planned for this effect long before the film was made. The shot sequence in this scene really helps illustrate a clear but suspenseful focus.
All in all, the camera work throughout the whole film,"Rear Window", was extraordinary. In particular, the changed shot dynamic in the conflict scene was very well done. It is clear that hours and hours of time were put into this scene alone, a scene that was merely 30 seconds of running time.
My scene starts where Jeff is drinking his wine while waiting for Lisa to come out of the bathroom from changing. Once she is done changing Lisa and Jeff hear a scream and rush to look out their window and see what has happened. The camera shows each of the courtyard characters coming to their windows and then shows the old married couple. The old married woman is sobbing her dog has just been murdered. She continues by yelling at everyone saying what horrible neighbors they all are and wanting to know who it was that killed her dog. Everyone looks very surprised and concerned. Then the camera cuts to Mr. Thorwald's apartment where he is smoking a cigarette in the dark. Just before this scene the detective is over at Jeff’s apartment with him and Lisa. They are talking about the murder. The detective seems to be less interested in the murder and more interested in analysing the way that Lisa and Jeff act together. He keeps looking over at the suitcase with Lisa’s nightgown. Both scenes take place in Jeff’s apartment where there is dim lighting, of course this is because it is at night. Hitchcock used the night time to get across the feeling of mystery. It is easy to hide among the shadows when it is nighttime and visual details become less obvious. Everything that Hitchcock has on the set of this movie is there for a reason every single detail is meant to be that way, but this scene is an exception. By dimming the lights he is making details that would be more noticeable in the daytime less noticeable so that you focus on what he wants you to focus on. Night time was the perfect setting for Thornwald to kill the dog and hide in his room without having all the courtyard characters realize. This scene is very important because it changes the viewer's opinion. In the beginning of the movie you want to believe Jeff that there was a murder, and that he’s not crazy, but up until this scene there is no solid evidence that Thornwald has murdered his wife. This scene changes you from wanting to believe in Jeffs theory to believing in Jeff’s theory. This is the scene is the building point for the rest of the movie.
ReplyDeleteI was a little bit confused because you talked about two scenes but you did a nice job describing the different shots. You have a very good point about the lighting, which is very important. I agree that this is a very important scene in the movie and that the rest of the movie builds off of it.
DeleteI like your ideas about this scene. I think you touched on some very interesting techniques in chart uses and explain them very clearly. But I think you missed out a little bit on the beginning of the scene. I think it would've been interesting to talk about the doubt in Lisa and Jeff's minds after Lieut. Doyle leaves. Other than that I thought it was a very interesting take on this seen.
DeleteCaught Snooping
ReplyDeleteIn the opening shot of the scene “Caught Snooping”, we see the dark façade of the building across from Jeff (James Stewart) with the apartment below semi-illuminated, and Miss Lonelyhearts standing in front of her living room window. In a direct vertical line, Lisa (Grace Kelly) is standing above her, in the fully illuminated living room of Mr. Thorwald. The entrance and the outside corridor are dark. Lisa knows that Jeff is watching and holds up an object for him to see. There is no dialog in this scene but the audience can understand perfectly what Lisa is thinking, and that’s what makes the film so great. At the end of this shot, we see Mr. Thorwald approaching his apartment door, about to walk in. Jeff and Stella see that Mr. Thorwald is about to catch Lisa in his apartment; they are frightened for Lisa and very agitated and Jeff picks up the phone to call for help. Lisa realizes that Mr. Thorwald is about to walk in, runs through the apartment to the bedroom, puts an object down and tries to hide. In the next shot, Jeff calls the police still very terrified for Lisa, saying that a man has assaulted a woman in the apartment across from him, although this has not happened yet. As his talking on the phone, the camera goes back to Mr. Thorwald, and we watch him move to the bedroom where he picks up a purse, and abruptly turns around. We understand that Lisa is right there. The shot returns to Jeff as he catches his breath, in reaction to her being caught. We then see her walking backwards with her hand behind her back, until both Lisa and Mr. Thorwald are framed in the living room window. You see that she’s trying to explain why she is there. Then there is another close up of Jeff’s face and we see the acute distress that he feels watching this scene helplessly. At that point, Mr. Thorwald grabs Lisa, and throws her down. Jeff is almost in tears and we see that Mr. Thorwald aggressively demands something from Lisa, and she hands him something we cannot see, and stands up. At that point he grabs her again, and camera cuts back to Jeff and Stella watching the assault. These jump cuts and repetition of images emphasize the editorial choices intended to create suspense and interest in the audience. Hitchcock uses point of view editing throughout the film, for example when we see a close up of Jeff’s face, then across to the assault of Lisa, and back to his facial expression in order to get the feel for what is happening and witness his reaction.
She cries out Jeff’s name several times, and Mr. Thorwald turns off the living room lights so that they can’t be seen. The camera returns to Jeff and Stella watching the police and a neighbor arrive. The lights go on in the living room. Stella wisely gets herself arrested by the police so that she can leave the apartment safely. Jeff explains that this is a smart move to Stella, who comments on her arrest. Then, the key moment of the scene occurs. Lisa wiggles her ring finger behind her back, there in the midst of everyone in the living room, to show Jeff that she has Mr. Thorwald’s wife’s ring. At that moment, he sees that Lisa is gesturing to someone, looks up, and sees the camera and binoculars in Jeff’s apartment. Jeff and Stella have been caught snooping and Mr. Thorwald now knows that people are watching him.
This scene is key to the plot and to the theme of the Rear Window because a “peeping Tom” always gets caught and gets into trouble for peeping. Jeff has been caught snooping and this accelerates the tension and drama of the murderer being caught and how he will now react to that. We realize that Jeff is in danger.
In Alfred Hitchcock’s film Rear Window, there is a scene where LB “Jeff” Jeffries, played by James Stewart, phones Lars Thorwald, Raymond Burr, to meet him in a nearby bar. The scene takes place mainly in Jeff’s apartment, however it flits back and forth between the three characters in the apartment; Jeff, Lisa (Grace Kelly), and Stella (Thelma Ritter), and the Thorwald's apartment, which is seen through the window. The scene is important because it gets Thorwald out of the apartment. It really shows the mentalities of Jeff, Lisa, and Stella as they react to the conversation between Jeff and Thorwald. Hitchcock makes sure to bring out these reactions by bringing in a number of quick shots of the three of them.
ReplyDeleteThe establishing shot of the scene is a medium close-up of Lisa and Stella. It establishes that they are standing by Jeff, who is sitting in his wheelchair. It shows how nervous the two of them are, which gives the viewer a sense of how dangerous the phone call and the resulting adventure could be. They can’t see Jeff because of the angle of the shot but they can see his hands frantically calling the number, which gives the scene and the phone call a sense of urgency. The following shot is of Thorwald in his apartment as the phone is ringing. He is wearing a blue suit and looks very nice. However, despite his nice appearance he is very hesitant to answer the ringing phone. The movie shows Jeff watching Thorwald through the window and then shows what he sees as he waits for Thorwald to pick up the phone. Hitchcock continues to use this technique throughout the scene showing Jeff watching Thorwald and then showing what he sees. This gives the viewer the sense that they are right there with Jeff because they can see what he sees. Hitchcock again flits to Lisa and Stella in order to show how they are reacting to the situation. The viewer sees Thorwald put his hat on very slowly before leaving slowly. Thorwald hesitating before leaving builds tension for the viewer. Lisa and Stella then hurriedly rush out, again building a sense of urgency and danger in the situation. Jeff tells Lisa and Stella that he will signal to them if he sees Thorwald coming back and watches him leave using his telephoto. Hitchcock shows the viewer Thorwald the viewer from the telephoto giving them the sense that they are part of the action and allowing them to see things from Jeff’s point of view. The next shots show Jeff setting up his signal and Lisa and Stella running through the courtyard to the garden. Once the camera goes to Lisa and Stella it stays on them because their action is the most important thing.
Hitchcock doesn’t only use angles and camera shots to intensify the action. He also tells the audience the story using sound, costumes, and lighting. For the majority of the scene there is no background music. There is no music during the phone call between Jeff and Thorwald, and little other sound other than the conversation and the phone. This gives it a little bit of a creepy affect. As soon as Lisa and Stella are shown running through the courtyard music starts. The music is relatively quick. The faster music works well with the running and makes the viewer understand how quickly the two of them have to go in order to not get caught. The use of costumes in the scene also serves a purpose. For example, Jeff is wearing pajamas. This reminds the audience that he is unable to go check out the garden with Lisa and Stella because he has a broken leg. The costumes also give the viewer a sense of what type of person the different characters are. Lisa wears a dress that is beautiful and looks very sophisticated wearing a pearl necklace. These are gentle reminders of the high-class life that Lisa leads and the conflict between her and Jeff. Lighting is also used to make the scene more intense. The whole scene is very dark, both in Jeff’s apartment and in the courtyard. The darkness gives the movie a sense of gloom appropriate for a movie about a murderer. Hitchcock does a very nice job of making Rear Window the best possible experience for the viewer and strengthening it using camera shots, sound, music, costumes, and lighting.
ReplyDeleteI think you have a good grasp of Hitchcock. I agree with you that he is normally understated, yet as you pointed out his understatement makes this film more dramatic.
DeleteYou can go to this link for my analysis:
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1jNvXamJ-oCwDztr53Niyy-S3iDORmBYKBtbthHaIzlY/edit
This part starts from 00:58:53,after the sherif visited Jeff the first time, somewhere around the part when Jeff finished scratching his toe with a stick, and after he picked up his sandwich and took a bite.
ReplyDeleteThe section I chose is generally about showing us what Jeff saw and what are his reactions, it is almost entirely a shot what he sees, coming with a shot of his face, where we can tell what are his reactions.
This part starts with Jeff casually looking around the court yard. The scene did not shot from far away with the entire courtyard, instead, the shot is a medium shot, with not much things in the frame, clearly we can tell that he is looking around by focusing on small details. The camera then follows Ms Lonelyheart as she walks around, when she sat down, you can see that the camera is not just standing there, but is adjusting a bit every time Ms Lonelyheart moves, even though she won't be out of the shot if the camera does not move, for example, when Ms Lonelyheart is just leaning down a bit to be close to the mirror to see if her lipstick was well enough, the camera follows her, as if she is always in the center of the camera. There are few parts that I think is a bit flawed. When Ms Lonelyheart walks around her room, the camera was following her, even though we can't see her since she is behind the wall. In fact, people would move to the next window and stand by till she appears.
Ms Lonelyheart then walks into the restaurant, and Mr Thorwald then shows up. I think it is a great set up, the whole part of this section is actually like this, casually looking around, and then something more interesting shows up, Jeff moves his attention to the more interesting one, and so on. It is like something I studied from literature, a technique that you describe something, and then something shows up, and found it more interesting, and so on. In literature, this makes the thing like, better than what was the best, like so many layers on a picture, like a flower shooting from the top, with a leaf over a leaf, and over another, and then the flower, the center of attention.
This is the scene where Thorwald enters Jeff's apartment, but it is before Jeff is attacked by Thorwald.
ReplyDeleteThe scene opens with a an upper body shot of Jeff, wearing a contemplative expression the camera shifts immediately to a view of Thorwald’s apparently empty apartment, and back to another medium close up of Jeff still looking at the apartment, the short sequence of switches demonstrate the interest Jeff has in his view. The camera stays at the same angle as Jeff picks up the phone, the lack of room view focuses the audience on his face, allowing for a view of the phone, but also his changes of expression as he realizes that he is not talking to Doil but to Thorwald, and that Thorwald, now knows Jeff is alone.
After Jeff replaces the phone, the camera slowly zooms in for a close up, as his expression slowly becomes more terrified, creating an intensifying effect. The camera then shoots a view of the bottom of Jeff’s door, and flickers back to a medium close up of his face. This sequence shows Jeff’s shifted attention from courtyard to door. The camera remains in medium close up as Jeff wheels himself around to face the door, the camera then shows the door again, and indicating Jeff is facing directly to it.
The camera the changes to a full body shot of Jeff, desperately wheeling around his apartment, as the Thorwald’s foot falls come up the stairs. The full body shot allows the audience to see all of Jeff’s motions and the physically venerable position he is in. Jeff begins to raise himself to a standing position, leaning on the arms of his chair, at which point the camera show and upper body shot. The upper body shot allows for focus on Jeff’s shoulders and arms, as he sinks back into his chair, apparently unable to raise himself out of it.
Just before Thorwald enters the camera gives view of the bottom of Jeff’s door, suddenly there is silence, as the hall light goes out. Hitchcock uses the sudden hush switching off the light gives the feeling that Jeff has been cut of from any escape he may have had and the silence is more terrify than sound because of the uncertainty. Sound can tell and audience much about what is coming, but silence leaves it all to our minds. The darkness also serves to give the impression that Thorwald is in control of the situation, he is concealed, but Jeff is in a vulnerable position, the camera gives medium close up of his terrified face. A car honks getting Jeff’s attention; he begins scuttling backwards in his wheel chair, like a crab trying to hide under a rock. The camera then zooms out to a full body shot as he moves. This vantage point was chosen because the audience can see the panicked look on Jeff’s face, but also his frantic grasping of the wheelchair as he roles himself around, trying to get as far from the door as possible. The shot shows how badly Jeff is concealed and his motions as he grabs roles of film and his camera flashbulb. The angle of the shot, places the door, behind, which Thorwald lurks in an audience blind spot, create far more suspense, because not only is there the suspense of not knowing when Thorwald will enter, but now he will entered unexpectedly and unseen.
The camera the switches to a lower body shot of Jeff’s lap drawing more audience attention to the equipment Jeff grabbed, and so signally that the equipment will be important to the scene. The camera the zooms to full body as Jeff wheels back onto the porch. Then there is a view of the door, but the outline of the door is completely hidden, therefore still keeping Thorwald in the shadows, before switching again to Jeff in the patter that indicates where is attention is.
The screen then goes black before a crack of light shows the door is opening. The camera starts with upper body on Thorwald, but zooms to close up on his face. Most of Thorwald’s face is hidden, but his eyes are light, drawing attention to their intensity of expression as the scene ends.
Scene analysis
ReplyDeleteHitchcock cuts between Lisa’s action shot, and Jeff’s reaction shot, to show how Leff is taking lisa being in such danger. In Jeff’s reaction shots Stella and Jeff move quickly and frantically to show their agitation. They know that Thorwald is about to walk in on Lisa, but there is nothing they can do about the situation. While Lisa is obviously hunting through the apartment, Jeff is calling the police, he reports a fight in the Thorwald's apartment. Hitchcock uses many medium close up shots of Jeff’s face to show his emotion and reaction when Lisa and Thorwald are fighting.
Jefferies is an adventures and rugged photographer, while for the first film, Lisa did not want to get involved in his investigation. She is an intelligent and sophisticated character that was more concerned with fashion than Jefferies snooping. This scene illustrates the change in Lisa, when she starts to become more daring, and when these two characters start to work with one another to solve the murder.
This scene is when Jefferies realizes how much lisas matters to him, when he sees her in danger, and through his facial expressions it can be seen how hard it is for him to deal with the stress of the situation, his movements are short and he constantly clenches and unclenches his fists, and fiddles with his fingers. This scene builds a lot of suspense because Jefferies and the audience and see thorwald approaching but Lisa is oblivious to the approaching danger.