Rear Window

         I think the apartment can indeed take on a life of its own in this film. We notice that the apartments are organized around this central courtyard, and also notice that it is bordered by a busy street, however the apartment itself is characterized as a quiet calm place. In the beginning it seems to be your quiet, average apartment complex, with nothing terribly interesting. It is so flawless, at first we can instinctually tell it’s a set, but at the same time it adds to the character of the apartment as being pristine. However, it is a typical pristine. There’s a newlywed couple, Ms. Lonelyhearts, a grown single woman, Ms. Torso, a young single woman, the musician, the childless couple with the dog, who appear to be rather happy, and the Thorwald couple; this adds a bit of verisimilitude, with every-day characters in the apartment. The flowers in the courtyard and the balconies off the apartments add a feeling that the apartment is in a decent area of town, not where you would expect to find a crime.

         Jefferies’ position in the apartment adds to the Mise-en-scene. He is placed in what feels like a vulnerable position. We’re introduced to him in his apartment, confined to a wheelchair and an ankle to hip cast. When we’re viewing the apartments from his perspective, we feel confined by the vignettes, and that adds to the vulnerable feeling, especially when the plot is introduced, and we realize we can only see so much. This also adds to the suspense, knowing we can’t see everything at one time when Jefferies is looking through his camera lens. Most of the lighting in the film infers the action takes place at night. Naturally, our reaction is to feel more vulnerable at night, so this also piles on the suspense and unease.

         Finally, I will discuss costuming in the film Rear Window. Each of the characters’ individuality is expressed by their costume. Jefferies is usually dressed in his pajamas. This is an allusion to his laid-back personality on topics such as marriage. Stella’s costuming characterizes her as a workingwoman. Her dress is an older, plain pattern, plain cut, very functional for her job. Her hair is always pulled tightly up. In contrast, Lisa’s costuming shows she is a dynamic character. She comes in as high class, and lady-like. Her dresses are very gown like, though they are often tea length, in the beginning. When we see her climbing into Thorwald’s apartment, we notice her dress is dressed down some. By the end, she doesn’t loose her classy air, but we see her much more casual, in her jeans, blouse and close-toed shoes. When it comes to Thorwald, he isn’t often seen without his hat, which makes him a more mysterious character. The newly weds are dressed in the style of the time, not to the level of Lisa, but their dress shows their youth. Ms. Lonelyhearts’ costuming shows her often in her pale green nightgown. Perhaps we could stretch this color to anxiety, because green connects to envy, and the pale color could indicate a powerless feeling, which would fit with her suicide attempt. However, this may be a stretch, it may be a case of attempting to make too much meaning of the details.