Hitchcock Voyeurism Analysis

Hitchcock utilised the theme of voyeurism in many of his works e.g. Rear Window, Psycho, Vertigo, and North by Northwest, in his endless pursuit to engage the audience. The use of the gaze invites the viewer into the character’s world and become a part of the scene via relatability. Whilst watching a Hitchcock movie, we almost feel responsible when we see an act of violence being imposed on a character in an act of passion boiling over, as if the blade were in our own hand. There is an element of sadism in the cinematic technique of voyeurism. Considering the movie’s cinematic execution and prudent use of architectural devices, it is unsurprisingly one of Hitchcock’s most widely praised and analysed works. It is currently listed as number 42 in the ‘100 Greatest American Movies’ by the American Film Institute. The persistent theme of voyeurism also makes it the perfect example to examine for the purposes …show more content…
B. ‘Jeff’ Jeffries, played by James Stewart, finds himself in the middle of an electrifying and tense series of situations when he suspects his neighbour, Lars Thorwald, a travelling custom jewellery salesman portrayed by actor Raymond Burr, of murdering his missing wife, Anna Thorwald. Jeff solves the murder case with the help of his fashion forward girlfriend, Lisa Fremont, and his witty nurse Stella, played by Grace Kelly and Thelma Ritter respectively. Jeff’s first clue of the murder is when he sees Thorwald suspiciously leaving his apartment three times in one night at 3 o’clock in the morning. However, it is important to bear in mind that this is just Jeff’s interpretation of the situation so