Movies

Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest film makers, especially when it came to suspense-filled horror flicks. Hitchcock always felt that it was good luck to appear in his own films. He also was a genius at taking the mundane and turn it to something that was truly frightening. A great example of this was  The Birds . Hitchcock films usually left the audience to interpret the moral of the story. To understand the true genius behind Hitchcock s work it is important to look at it from a cinematic perspective. In class we viewed one of Hitchcock's greatest works,  The Rear Window.  For purposes of the essay, the framing, bird eye view, and mis-en-scene will be examined.

The framing of Hitchcock s  Rear View  is crucial because the bulk of movie takes place in L. B. Jeffries New York City apartment. Jeffries is confined to a wheelchair so Hitchcock frames the movie, so the audience will see what he sees. It is as if the audience is sitting in the wheelchair along with Jeffries. Jeffries is also a photographer, and uses the camera lens to spy on his neighbors. So when Jeffries looks though the camera lens, so does the audience.

When considering the bird eye view of  Rear View  it is important to understand the framing mentioned before. Because Hitchcock sets the movie in Jeffries apartment. Jeffries looks out his window onto the courtyard below, very much like a bird sitting on the ledge. Hitchcock gives the audience a birds eye view of the courtyard, and Jeffries perspective of his neighbors lives.

Hitchcock blends music with typical city sounds like sirens, and cars. This is all heard within the confines of the courtyard.  The result is that both the music and the noise help integrate the sense of space in the courtyard. This integration counteracts the effect of the films editing and mis-en-scene, both of which tend to isolate the neighbors from one another (Weis 1982). Hitchcock treats music and background noises as if they were another character in the movie. They are just as important to add to the mood of the picture.

The  Rear View  was no doubt a cinematic masterpiece. The movie was Hitchcock s first attempt at staging an entire movie in one room. The movie won four academy awards and continues to inspire directors today. There are many reasons why  Rear View  was a huge success. However the masterful framing, birds eye view, and mis-en-scene are three important ones when looking at it from a cinematic point of view.