An Analysis Of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

In an attempt to define Auteurism, critics have introduced various interpretations of authorship making it a highly polemical matter. Ever since the French journal Cahiers du Cinéma’s first publication in April 1951, la politique des auteurs has been controversially analysed through diverse approaches. Although these interpretations complement each other, covering the basic idea of the theory, the differences remain evident. This essay seeks to demonstrate not only that Rear Window (1954) is a clear example of auteur cinema but also that Alfred Hitchcock himself should be considered as an indisputable auteur. Firstly, it will define an auteur as a film director whose cinema is conceived as an art form that allows him to express his personal thoughts and views using exclusively cinematographic language. Thus creating a personal style adopted as a signature, while having literary sources as mere inspiration. It will then take into consideration the ways in which Hitchcock created his own style in Rear Window, examining the main features which …show more content…
Therefore, Hitchcock uses recurrent stylistic features in many films, reinforcing the value of individuality. As a true auteur he mingles the creation of a personal signature in cinema with a particular eagerness to experiment. This is reflected by impromptu appearances in his films. For instance, in Rear Window when fixing the clock in the songwriter’s flat. He also experiments by using the rolling camera technique in Rope, the montage of Psycho and the frequent use of the Kuleshov Effect throughout his films, usually used with an extreme close up of the camera into a character’s face, emphasizing the actor’s facial expressions (Peter Wollen, 2004). This is often exemplified in Rear Window when Jeff is staring at his neighbours in his room, mainly when observing Miss Torso or Mr