The Underlying Theme of the Movie-The Rear Window - Essay Example

Rear window is one of the American movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on his usual theme. The story of this movie was written by John Michael Hayes. Rear window was based on a short’ It had to be murder’’ written by Cornell Woolrich. The movie was released by Paramount Pictures. The film stars James Stewart as L.B. Jeffries, who is a news photographer, became helpless and isolated in his apartment at Greenvich Village due to his broken leg. During his days of misery and loneliness, his only activity was to observe and keep an eye on the activities of his neighbors around his apartment out of his rear window which has become his escape from the dull and boring moments of his life on a wheelchair.

His fiancée Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly) and nurse (Thelma Ritter) being his only visitors and perhaps the only connection with the world outside his rear window. It is a well-scripted and a very well-directed movie which keeps the audience spell bound with a blend of suspense and romance in it for their entertainment. However, a point comes where the story takes a new turn when suddenly Jeff’s observation leads him to a shocking discovery as he watched his neighbor’s suspicious activities, who lived right opposite his apartment’s building. . To observe and to act as a “Peeping Tom” is a natural human trait that has been followed by all of us.

The concept of voyeurism or in other words the act of being a “mute speculator” is also similar like watching movies and enjoying every moment that one can without being suspected for peeping into the lives of others. This led Jeff to discover the crime that was taken place right opposite his apartment. No matter, how much his fiancee and nurse blamed him for turning into “an immoral voyeur” joined him later in his act of speculation. Jeff’s silent speculation helped him to develop his curiosity like a child who observes everything keenly with lots of questions rising in his mind and he is determined to find all the unanswered questions.

Rear window is all about normal humans, their attitudes and behaviors towards other people and how much people value relationships in their life. This movie also highlights the personality conflict between the couple (Jeff and Lisa). Despite the fact that they have been showed madly in love with each other but each one of them tries to dominate the other person. We cannot ignore the Jeff’s cynical attitude towards marriage on Lisa’s demand for tying the knot. This raised the common thought a person’s freedom and his life ends with the marriage.

Jeff’s silent observation made him believed that a marriage can turn down his life and freedom just as in case of Mr. and Mrs. Thorwald, a happily married couple but ended in a murder of Mrs. Thorwald by the hands of her husband due to her nagging habits. It is not a new idea that Hitchcock has come up with. This philosophy can also be seen in his other movies too like Vertigo and The Trouble with Harry. Our lives revolve around our relationships, moods and