Marriage & Voyeurism in Rear Window
All of the characters in Rear Window are described at one point or another in terms of their marital status and in terms of their relationships with the opposite sex. This represents a central theme in the film. The crime on which the plot pivots is the result of a failed marriage. The hero of the film, L.B. Jefferies, tosses the proposal of marriage around throughout the film despite his opposition to commitment.Like other Hitchcock movies, this one gives a gray light to marriage. The viewer sees Jeff's hesitance to get married for no real reason, as well as Thorwald1s miserable marriage to a wife who laughs at him after he brings her dinner in bed with a rose. From the Thorwalds, the institution of marriage looks like entrapment. Even the newlyweds have problems at the end of the movie. The wife says "I wouldn1t have married you if I had known you would quit your job," which seems like the beginning of trouble. Thus, the outlook of marriage is very negative. Examining this theme further, we can look at individual couples and examine the many parallels the film offers. To begin with, there are striking similarities between Jeff and Lisa's relationship and the Thorwalds. However, gender roles are reversed. Lisa
and Lars strive for a peaceful and loving relationship with their partner, and are active and mobile. On the other hand, Jeff and Mrs. Thorwald are constant complainers confined to one place. The viewer is forced to question why Jeff and Lisa won1t end up just like the Thornwalds. Despite the parallels, there are differences. When Lisa climbs into Thorwald's apartment we finally see her do something significantly opposed by Jefferies, but this is when he is really turned on by her spunk and spontaneity. It is the turning point of the movie for their relationship. When caught by both Thorwald and the police, she offers a wedding ring on her finger to Jeff1s admiring gaze. It is the audience that is put in the role of an unpunished criminal (a voyeur) and of symbolic impotence (stuck in a chair while Lisa does her thing). If we are all directors then Hitchcock is offering a trenchant criticism of his own profession. At the very least, he is calling attention to what every movie relies on, for whenever we watch a film, we are voyeurs confined to a chair!
Some common words found in the essay are:
Lars Thorwald, Lisa Stella, LB Jefferies, Miss Lonelyhearts, Tom Doyle, Thornwalds Despite, Jeff1s Jeff, Rear Window, Jeff Lisa, Hollywood Cinema, jeff lisa, miss lonelyhearts, rear window, lisa stella, gender roles, jeff1s desire, parallels film, wedding ring, jeff1s desire spy, desire spy,
Approximate Word count = 1200
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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