Rear Window

Rear Window is set in the apartment of Jeff Jeffreies, is restricted the view from his window out into the courtyard of his neighborhood. By restricting view of the world to only what Jeff sees, the film takes on his point of view, and what the audience gets out of the story is what Jeff sees develop in front of him.  Seeing the world from Jeff’s point of view allows the audience to experience the characters around him as he sees them.

The information about each of his neighbors stems from the limited view that is shown as Jeff looks their way, and it is the few instances in which they are on screen that lets the audience get a picture of who they are. The characters are also developed with the use of their costuming. What they wear and how they act in the moments they are in frame reveal a lot about who they are. For example, Lisa, who is one of the characters who is given a lengthy exposure, has her character developed with the dresses she wears, and the clothes which she transitions to as the mystery progresses. We see both sides of her with how she dresses. We see her more glamorous side, which has a dress for every occasion, and her adventurous side with the more casual clothing which she possesses.

Lighting is also a way to advance the plot. When the scene is well lit, and everything is going nicely, there is nothing much to fear. There is no sense of suspense when the area is well lit, and much of the time, nothing is happening with the neighbors that is cause for alarm. The audience gets to witness things like Mrs. Torso dancing, and the old married couple getting up from their bed on the balcony. Much of it is light hearted and the lighting reflects that. When things get darker, that is the audience’s queue that things are becoming more nefarious. Shadows signal that things aren’t quite right with things around the neighborhood. For example, when the dog is killed, it is during the night. The lack of light makes it difficult to see what is going on, but it is clear that something is amiss. Everyone rushes to see what has happened except for Mr. Thorwald who sits in absolute darkness smoking his pipe, showing the audience what a shady character he really is.

The lighting gives the audience an idea of what is going on, acts as a mechanism to reveal the characters and their inner lives. The lighting even serves as a tool for developing suspense. When Lisa breaks into Mr. Thorwald’s apartment for example, the shutting off of the light acts as a tool to building concern and suspense for her well being. The view is obscured by the lighting, and it isn’t clear if she is going to be okay. 

Lighting also helps to build suspense when Mr. Thorwald comes after Jeff. When Thorwald arrives, Jeff hides in the shadows as a way to protect himself. Each time the flashbulb goes off, Thorwald’s progression towards Jeff is revealed more clearly, and the red fading from Thorwald’s point of view can be taken as his state of mind. Thorwald is literally seeing red, which reflects how he feels about Jeff, and lets the audience know the danger Jeff is in. Both of these lighting techniques help convey the urgency and suspense which is being felt in that particular scene.

These are some of the elements of mise-en-sene which help to build and develop Rear Window.