Sep 22, 2010 rear window, which was shot on a single studio set and starred stewart, grace kelly and raymond burr, is widely regarded as one of hitchcocks most assured and provocative thrillers. Set design the set is designed to give you an easy map to follow of their surroundings. Currently, hes recuperating from a broken leg he received. The importance of set design in hitchcocks rear window ksa. Every open window in the blistering apartment complex that hitchcocks camera resides in leads to another character, another emotion, another scene, and another mystery. Confined to his new york apartment, he spends his time looking out of the rear window observing the. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of rear window by cornell woolrich. Raymond burr in rear window 1954 grace kelly and thelma ritter in rear. After breaking his leg running out on a racetrack to get an action shot, photographer l. Universal pictures home entertainment uphe rear window is the tale of a sad, impotent man named l.
Rear window was remade as a television movie of the same name in 1998, with an updated storyline in which the lead. John michael hayes screenplay, cornell woolrich based on the short story by. Because our viewpoint stays with jeff for the whole movie, we get to see. It was broadcast in the us by abc on november 22, 1998. The voiceover borrowed partly from the wikipedias plot summary. He is going stir crazy, having been stuck inside for the past six weeks. As a successful photographer, hes known for taking difficult pictures no one else can get, including the one of an outofcontrol race car which smashed his camera and broke his leg an. Rear window study guide contains a biography of alfred hitchcock, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Remember that the central personal conflict between jeff jefferies, james stewart, and lisa fremont, grace kelly, is about their relationship. Jeff jefferies james stewart has been stuck in a wheelchair in his greenwich village apartment. Alfred hitchcocks rear window in 5 minutes youtube. Rear window was hitchcocks favorite film next to shadow of a doubt 1943, and the great director was very happy with the films stars. Grace kelly lisa carol fremont every mans ready to get married when the right girl comes along. These two films contain many similar themes which are a part of the movies plot but are slightly different.
Jan, 20 rear window is said to be a metaphor for cinema as a whole. Rear window is a 1954 american technicolor mystery thriller film directed by alfred hitchcock and written by john michael hayes based on cornell woolrichs 1942 short story it had to be murder. For all intents and purposes, rear window is a film about voyeurism, so it makes sense that hitchcocks approach to the film would be to force audiences to become voyeurs. Movie spoiler alerts is a channel where we take movies and condense them down into short, to the point summaries. Jeff is the audience and the other apartment is the movie screen. The code was mostly prohibitive of sexual themes and images. In alfred hitchcocks rear window, the protagonist jeffs love life is depicted to be complicated, yet intriguing issue in the development of the movies plot. The concept of marriage through staging in hitchcocks rear. In rear window, jeff is not a moralist, a policeman or a dogooder, but a man who likes to look. Disturbia did not steal rear window plot, judge rules film. Jeffries james stewart is confined to his tiny, sweltering courtyard apartment. Rear window 1954 is an intriguing, brilliant, macabre hitchcockian visual study of obsessive human curiosity and voyeurism.
Movie spoiler alerts rear window 1954 video summary youtube. In as much as we, the spectators in the movie theater, identify with jeff, who occupies the position of a spectator within the film, we participate in his voyeurism and partake of the pleasures it provides. Woolrich, who had promised to renew the movie rights when the term expired, died in 1968 before he could do so. Rear window study guide contains a biography of alfred hitchcock, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full. The hero of alfred hitchcocks rear window is trapped in a wheelchair, and were trapped, tootrapped inside his point of view, inside his. To pass the time between visits from his nurse thelma ritter and his fashion model girlfriend lisa grace kelly, the binocularwielding jeffries stares through the rear window of his apartment at the goingson in the other apartments around his. Disturbia did not steal rear window plot, judge rules.
The concept of marriage through staging in hitchcocks. Rear window is a 1998 american madefortelevision crimedrama thriller film directed by jeff bleckner. Now sir alfred has passed away, the estate has been settled, and the movie is back in. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Lisa wants to continue, even taking things to that next level whereas jeff thinks that she is a ho. Jeff, stella, and lisa are mostly in his apartment the whole time, with all the other characters except doyle being watched by them. Jul 25, 2012 watching rear window recently, i realised stewarts voyeurism yielded another reward. Stewart performed superbly for him in the remake of the man who knew too much 1956, rope 1948, and, later, in vertigo 1958. Unlike most of the analysis found herewhich simply lists the unique individual story appreciationsthis indepth study details the actual encoding for each structural item. Jeff jefferies is confined to his small apartment with a broken leg. Read the full synopsis of rear window, 1954, directed by alfred hitchcock, with james stewart, grace kelly, wendell corey, at turner classic movies.
Plot summary for rear window 1954, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. Originally released by paramount pictures, the film stars james stewart, grace kelly, wendell corey, thelma ritter, and raymond burr. This scene is not part of the movie in any of the subsequent tv broadcasts as. Rear windows a plot is a harrowing mystery thriller that we watch unfold with a systematic unraveling thats unnerving in part because hitchcock has orchestrated it all in a limited space. This setting is a description a scenes in the plot of the films, rear window by alfred hitchcock 1954 and disturbia by d. The teleplay by larry gross and eric overmyer is an updated adaptation of the classic 1954 film of the same name directed by alfred hitchcock which was based on the short story it had to be murder by cornell woolrich. The voiceover borrowed partly from the wikipedias plot.
To pass the time, he watches the goingson of his motley assortment of neighbors a frustrated yet funloving composer, a middleaged couple with a small dog, a dancer who seems to enjoy practicing her routines while scantily clad, a pair of reclusive newlyweds, a lonely woman who seems to live in a. Sitting alone, trapped inside my home watching my neighbors movements day by day. At the same time, however, were talking about a murder. The entirety of rear window takes place in and around the back courtyard connecting apartments in the west village of new york city.
Rear window 1954 is the first of the current package of hitchcock rereleases. I will be investigating why it is seen as such an aesthetically significant film even to this day. At the end of the movie, when jimmy stewart is hanging in the window, we can see that its a stunt double. Rear window, one of alfred hitchcocks finest works, is an utterly incredible tale of voyeurism in miniature. Rear window is a classic 1954 thriller, directed by alfred hitchcock, starring jimmy stewart and grace kelly l. Jun 04, 2019 this video is a summary for rear window 1954.
It has a murder mystery plot but its also very inventive and wry. Inside the real greenwich village apartment that inspired. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Rear window 1954 is an intriguing, brilliant, macabre hitchcockian visual study of. A short, 5 and a half minutes summary of alfred hitchcocks masterpiece classic, rear window 1954.
Rear window 1954 movie mistakes, goofs and bloopers. One of alfred hitchcocks very best efforts, rear window is a crackling suspense film that also ranks with michael powells peeping tom 1960 as one of the movies most trenchant dissections of. He is going stir crazy, having been stuck inside for the past. This remake of alfred hitchcocks classic tale of suspense stars christopher reeve as a wheelchairbound shutin with a proclivity for watching the world through binoculars and making up stories about the lives of the people he observes. Raymond burr in rear window 1954 grace kelly and james stewart in rear. The following analysis reveals a comprehensive look at the storyform for rear window. In between playing jeffs gal friday and trying to get him into the sack, she and jeff talk about the differences between them, the challenges to being together, and the fact that they really do make a great couple.
Nov 02, 2008 a short, 5 and a half minutes summary of alfred hitchcocks masterpiece classic, rear window 1954. The film rear window was added to the united states national film registry in the library of congress as being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant. Rear window 1954 is a film that not only understands the voyeuristic nature of film as a medium, but makes the viewer participate in jeffs james stewart voyeuristic behavior as he spends the film watching the actions of his neighbors. Top 14 quotes of rear window movie a murderer would never parade his crime in front of an open window. May 21, 2019 the mhm podcast network movie synopsis and film summary of rear window 1954 starring james stewart, grace kelly, and raymond burr. Watching rear window recently, i realised stewarts voyeurism yielded another reward. Hes in a full leg cast thats definitely cramping his style. Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at. He is confined to his small greenwich village apartment while recuperating and, out of boredom, begins to spy on his various neighbors across the courtyard.
The importance of set design in hitchcocks rear window. Thelma ritter stella a woman never goes anywhere but the hospital without packing makeup, clothes, and jewelry. Jeffries james stewart, the resident of one of the secondfloor apartments, is a photojournalist who recently broke his leg while on the job. Rear window is a really simple story when you think about it, a man.
And there are a lot of cinematic elements at play in rear window that help put audiences into the role. The result was rear window, costarring grace kelly. With james stewart, grace kelly, wendell corey, thelma ritter. Confined to his new york apartment, he spends his time looking out of the rear window. Final twist in rear window case the new york times. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing rear window 1998 near you. Theme of rear window and disturbia 779 words 4 pages. Rear window, which was shot on a single studio set and starred stewart, grace kelly and raymond burr, is widely regarded as one of hitchcocks most. What stood out for me this time was the films panoramic view of romantic attachment and its pitfalls.
Rear window flirts with the romance genre as well, in the person of the lovely lisa. Thats where the drive of the story comes from, but hitchcocks got so much more to say here. Rear window is a really simple story when you think about it, a man spying on the neighbors decides to become a detective when he thinks hes observed a crime. Jeff jeffries stewart is a photojournalist who broke his leg during a dangerous assignment. A wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of. There are crucial moments in the film where he is clearly required to act, and he delays, not because he doesnt care what happens, but because he forgets he can be an active player. What is the meaning of the ending of rear window, the. Jeff jeffries james stewart recuperates from a broken leg during a sweltering new york summer. The hero of alfred hitchcocks rear window is trapped in a wheelchair, and we re trapped, tootrapped inside his point of view, inside his. Jeff jefferies breaks his leg while getting an action shot at an auto race. Rear window lovingly invests in suspense all through the film, banking it in our memory, so that when the final payoff arrives, the whole film has been the thriller equivalent of. Rear window lovingly invests in suspense all through the film, banking it in our memory, so that when the final payoff arrives, the whole film has been the thriller equivalent of foreplay. The final cut ending ad astra trivia encino man quotes message in a bottle plot oceans eleven mistake. Dec 08, 2015 the film rear window was added to the united states national film registry in the library of congress as being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant.
It hasnt been seen anywhere in the world legally, at least in more than 10 years, because hitchcock pulled it off the market to increase its eventual value to his estate. He makes some observations on relationships and the act of observing, and then weaves them into the story. The 1950s were the days of the hays code, which dictated everything a movie could show us. Being described to have an affair with lisathe sophisticated, near perfect lady, he does not seem to intend to marry her because of his simply saying his being unready for that. This also means it has been incorporated into the dramatica story expert application itself as an easily referenced contextual example. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing rear window 1954 near you. Rear window, originally published in 1942 in dime detective magazine under the. Rear window is rich in statements of isolation and crime.
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