Rear Window and the Representation of Gender

             For this piece I intend to look at the representation of gender within the film Rear Window (Hitchcock, USA,1954) and how this relates to moral and social ethics of both the present day and when the film was made.
             In Rear Window, the representation of femininity, is a traditionally misogynist point of view for the bulk of the film. From the opening scenes, it is instantly apparent that Hitchcock is indulging in a typical male fantasy of voyeurism. One of the first shots we see, is that of Miss Torso, aptly named by Stewart's character due to her constant dancing and parading around in her apartment in little clothing. The very moniker itself, Miss Torso, can be perceived as a metaphor for Hitchcock's allegedly misogynist nature, alluding to an underlying meaning that can be interpreted as a woman is no more than a body, and is only there for the pleasure of men. The voyeur element is again apparent very early on, when two women are seen to be removing their tops to sunbathe, and a helicopter looms above, giving the pilot the perfect view of what is below.
             From this, the camera pans across a array of photograph's, obviously taken by Stewart's character, Jefferies, immediately conjuring up images of Jeffries action man-esque lifestyle, which becomes an important factor later in the film. After seeing the Jeffries action photo's, a negative image in a picture frame, is seen, followed by the colour equivalent, on the cover of a magazine. The negative and magazine cover are both pictures of Jeffries girlfriend, Lisa Fremont (Grace Kelly). The negative image that Jeffries chooses to have on his desk, is again a comment on femininity. Rather than having the colour photograph of Lisa in a frame, which would show off her beauty to its full extent, he instead decides to have an image of her that dampens down her visually stunning looks. The reasons for this unusual way of portraying a loved one, are three...

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Rear Window and the Representation of Gender. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 09:30, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/98018.html