The Role of Anonymity and the Justification of Voyeurism in the Apartment-Dwelling World of Rear Window voyeurism noun | voy•eur•ism | \ vwä-ˈyər-ˌi-zəm , vȯi-ˈər- \ a: the practice of obtaining sexual gratification from observing others b: the practice of taking pleasure in observing something private, sordid, or scandalous
Do you know the person who lives next door to you? You probably saw them a couple of times in the elevator or the parking lot, maybe even chatted with them. What was their name again? Neither of you care enough to remember, thus, forming the notion of paradoxical anonymity of the 21st century. With the proliferation of technology and the internet, our curiosity in the details of our neighbors’ lives can be satisfied …show more content…
This is the point where voyeurism entwines with a detective story, and Rear Window transforms into a typical Hitchcock film category, namely, the investigation of a murder committed by a madman. We dip into the atmosphere of a classic static crime thriller, where the action takes place in a confined space, and the mystery is unraveled primarily through certain logical deductions.
Hitchcock and Burks – the cameraman – pay great attention to the daily living in the world of Rear Window, thus, increasing the spectators’ interest and enhancing identification with the movie’s characters. Throughout the film, the camera draws the viewer’s attention to the small and often overlooked details such as the interior features of Jeff’s apartment, and facial expressions, gestures and behavior of the supporting role characters. All these features combined with masterful camera shots and angles provide the participation effect and engagement with the film …show more content…
The uncanny aspect of the film is that not a single character, except for Stella, who occasionally scolds Jeff for being too nosey (“The New York State sentence for a peeping Tom is six months in the workhouse!”, “Years ago, they used to put out your eyes with a hot poker” (Hayes 14)), is bothered by the idea of a grown man spending hours in front of his window simply for the sake of knowing what others are doing at this given moment. Put yourself in the shoes of the other tenants of the courtyard-facing apartments and experience the chills of feeling someone’s eyes on you, despite clearly the neighbors don’t mind being watched, thus exhibit and “broadcast” themselves through the frame of their own open windows similar to the modern day Periscope live streams. After all, it’s always a personal choice to either leave the blinds up, or down; and to pick the right moment to look away. The only justification for Jeff’s addiction is that it became an unconventional method of uncovering a crime. But after every crime there follows punishment – and here we see Jeff with two broken
Do you know the person who lives next door to you? You probably saw them a couple of times in the elevator or the parking lot, maybe even chatted with them. What was their name again? Neither of you care enough to remember, thus, forming the notion of paradoxical anonymity of the 21st century. With the proliferation of technology and the internet, our curiosity in the details of our neighbors’ lives can be satisfied …show more content…
This is the point where voyeurism entwines with a detective story, and Rear Window transforms into a typical Hitchcock film category, namely, the investigation of a murder committed by a madman. We dip into the atmosphere of a classic static crime thriller, where the action takes place in a confined space, and the mystery is unraveled primarily through certain logical deductions.
Hitchcock and Burks – the cameraman – pay great attention to the daily living in the world of Rear Window, thus, increasing the spectators’ interest and enhancing identification with the movie’s characters. Throughout the film, the camera draws the viewer’s attention to the small and often overlooked details such as the interior features of Jeff’s apartment, and facial expressions, gestures and behavior of the supporting role characters. All these features combined with masterful camera shots and angles provide the participation effect and engagement with the film …show more content…
The uncanny aspect of the film is that not a single character, except for Stella, who occasionally scolds Jeff for being too nosey (“The New York State sentence for a peeping Tom is six months in the workhouse!”, “Years ago, they used to put out your eyes with a hot poker” (Hayes 14)), is bothered by the idea of a grown man spending hours in front of his window simply for the sake of knowing what others are doing at this given moment. Put yourself in the shoes of the other tenants of the courtyard-facing apartments and experience the chills of feeling someone’s eyes on you, despite clearly the neighbors don’t mind being watched, thus exhibit and “broadcast” themselves through the frame of their own open windows similar to the modern day Periscope live streams. After all, it’s always a personal choice to either leave the blinds up, or down; and to pick the right moment to look away. The only justification for Jeff’s addiction is that it became an unconventional method of uncovering a crime. But after every crime there follows punishment – and here we see Jeff with two broken