As Alfred Hitchcock’s film Rear Window has been out since 1954, there have been many reviews and speculations about the film as a whole. The reviews are both positive and negative, some going in depth about the plotline and others giving the basics of the plotline as a reason for their opinion. This film is one that has a very good story, but seemingly questionable ethics and standards. In 1983, Vincent Canby wrote a review about Rear Window for the New York Times. He praised the movie that was in his opinion, “…the most elegantly entertaining American film…” to run in New York (Canby para. 1). He writes about how this is one of his favorite Hitchcock’s films, but never truly does progress past the story. He doesn’t look deeper into what elements
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He discussed the sexism that he saw as being presented in the film and also the ethics of the film. One thing that Thomson states is that “to argue that the women in Hitchcock’s film are only passive objects of a sexist male gaze is too simplistic.” (Thomson 103). This meaning that the author believes that the sexism displayed in this film isn’t basic or simple to understand. He gives the example of how Lisa’s “desirability to men [is] certainly emphasized throughout the film” (104). In many, many films women are only placed into the plot line to add a sexual element to the film. Whether anything of a sexual nature is seen or implied in these films doesn’t matter because, for the most part, the women are there to be looked at. While Lisa did have a more significant role in the film than just being eye candy, Miss Torso really had no purpose to be in the film besides to supply the men’s pleasure. Another thing addressed in this review is ethics. Thomson states that while the viewers may scoff at the ethics of the film thinking that it is wrong for Jeff to spy on his neighbors, we as viewers “have watched the same ‘private’ neighborhood activities that Jeffries has watched” (103). And yes it is true that we spied with Jeff as he spied on his neighbors but the question of ethics come in when we consider whether or not Hitchcock is
He discussed the sexism that he saw as being presented in the film and also the ethics of the film. One thing that Thomson states is that “to argue that the women in Hitchcock’s film are only passive objects of a sexist male gaze is too simplistic.” (Thomson 103). This meaning that the author believes that the sexism displayed in this film isn’t basic or simple to understand. He gives the example of how Lisa’s “desirability to men [is] certainly emphasized throughout the film” (104). In many, many films women are only placed into the plot line to add a sexual element to the film. Whether anything of a sexual nature is seen or implied in these films doesn’t matter because, for the most part, the women are there to be looked at. While Lisa did have a more significant role in the film than just being eye candy, Miss Torso really had no purpose to be in the film besides to supply the men’s pleasure. Another thing addressed in this review is ethics. Thomson states that while the viewers may scoff at the ethics of the film thinking that it is wrong for Jeff to spy on his neighbors, we as viewers “have watched the same ‘private’ neighborhood activities that Jeffries has watched” (103). And yes it is true that we spied with Jeff as he spied on his neighbors but the question of ethics come in when we consider whether or not Hitchcock is