Rear Window

Rear Window (1954) is a motion picture directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on Cornell Woolrich's short story "It Had to Be Murder" (1942). It is considered by critics, scholars, and film historians to be one of Hitchcock's best and most thrilling pictures.

Analysis

There has been avid discussion among scholars of film about Rear Window

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

and the way it examines the relationship between the characters played by

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stewart and Kelly: most notably, how their relationship can be compared to the lives of the neighbors they are spying upon. There are:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• The newlywed couple who think they are perfect for each other (they spend the almost entire movie in their apartment, in the bedroom with the blinds drawn), but eventually their sexual appetites begin to wane and we see that their marriage will not last. (L.B. Jeffries is afraid that he and Lisa will have that kind of relationship, and he doesn't want to be tied down by it...at first.)
• The beautiful blond dancer "Miss Torso" who entertains a lot of men, but at the end she remains faithful to her boyfriend who returns from the army. (Is Lisa that faithful to L.B.?)
• The content middle-aged couple...too content, in fact. They're happy living at home, doing nothing exciting (a lifestyle that L.B. is appalled by) and sleep on the fire escape to beat the summer heat. They're the couple with the nosy little dog.
• Miss Lonelyhearts and the music composer, two people leading empty lives who want to find that special someone...and by the end of the movie, they finally do. (A subtle hint that Lisa and L.B. are meant for each other, despite his stubbornness). The piece the composer creates is called "Lisa's Theme".
• Finally, the salesman with the nagging wife, who has apparently lost all of his love for her...Lars Thorwald.

The movie invites speculation as to which of these paths Jeffries and Lisa will follow.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~