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
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Elster, Scottie is almost immediately intrigued. “As Jeff gazes across the courtyard…he is watching a kaleidoscope prophecy of his future, a catalog of the number of ways love can go wrong. The final shot shows Scottie standing at the top of the tower, looking down to where Judy has fallen below. Jeff’s resolution occurs as he is risking his life to save the woman he has just realized his love for, Lisa. 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. Scottie, similarly, has no mental aim. Both films show that it is possible to overcome one’s obstacles, but nothing comes without a price. Also, Lisa provides intelligence, beauty, true love and loyalty to Jeff, who rejects her because of his need for supremacy. When an old high school friend, Gavin Elster appears and asks the aimless Scottie to put his private detective skills to use by spying on Mrs. Madeleine is surrounded by an aura of mystery; entering and disappearing from buildings mysteriously, she is ghostlike in and of herself. Like Jeff in Rear Window, Scottie is confused by matters of the heart. Jeff has problems committing to the woman who loves him, Lisa. This is inevitably linked to Jeff’s problem with voyeurism. Jeff’s handicap is physical, whereas Scottie’s is mental.
Approximate Word count =
1420
Approximate Pages =
6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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