Rear Window and Vertigo
Janet Leigh Taking a shower, Tippi Hedren hiding from a flock of crazed fowls in a phone booth; James Stewart and Farley Granger wrestling over a gun; Cary Grant lying low as a crop Duster flies by mere feet overhead; Doris Day singing "Que Sera Sera" at the top of her lungs: these images bring to mind the classic obese silhouette which could belong only to one person-Alfred Hitchcock. For decades, director Alfred Hitchcock has brought the world numerous films of suspense, romance and horror. While some moviegoers wrote him off as just another director looking to cash in on playing with people's emotions, others saw him as an insightful man with a genuine interest in telling a good story that would speak truthfully to his audience. The characters in his films were true to life experiencing problems and emotions to which the audience could relate. Rear Window and Vertigo are two Hitchcock films in which the main character shows voyeuristic behavior, experiences relationship problems and suffers from some sort of a handicap, be it physical or psychological. In both Rear Window and Vertigo, the main character displays voyeuristic behavior. L.B. Jeff Jeffries displays his voyeuristic nature in Rear Window by spying on his neighbors
" Vertigo is accompanied by a wish to fall from the height that terrifies the victim, yet, at the same time, the terror of falling, In essence, vertigo is Scottie's fatal flaw. Jeff has problems committing to the woman who loves him, Lisa. Both films show that it is possible to overcome one's obstacles, but nothing comes without a price. This time, Judy, the woman who was playing the role of Madeleine as a part of a murder plot, accompanies him, Once the stairs are overcome, Judy confesses everything to Scottie, begging for his forgiveness and his love. Vertigo's Scottie suffers from a mental handicap whereas Rear Window's Jeff suffers from an actual physical handicap. Jeff realizes he loves Lisa her from this perspective. Jeff innocently notes his neighbor's actions, while Scottie works as an amateur private eye to spy on one person in particular. Another flaw in these protagonists is that they both experience relationship problems. Elster claims his wife, Madeleine, is possessed by the spirit of one of her relatives who committed suicide by drowning herself in the San Francisco Bay. Madeleine offers an unusual life with a childlike woman who needs to be taken care of by a man. Madeleine likes to wander, according to Elster. Scottie's love problems in Vertigo are not quite as simple because Scottie must choose between the love of two women. His behavior is, more or less, a displacement---Jeff (as he is called) prefers to watch his neighbors from a distance, rather than examine his own life. Elster wants more information on Madeleine's doings before he is willing to commit her to a mental institution.
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Acceptance Essays
