Viewing From Afar

Rating: 8/10 (17 October 2012)

Knowing whether to act out in a dire moment could be a matter of life or death. In the film "Rear Window" (1954), the main character, L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart) tries to determine if he has witnessed a murder or not. Times like these are where making quick decisions are crucial. The plot of this film introduced itself after a wheelchair bound photographer spots unusual actions going on across from his apartment. During his confined stay in his apartment, L.B. watched the lives of his courtyard neighbors outside of his rear window. What L.B. possibly discovers later is a man murdering his wife. Certain clues keep arising that may lead to a definite murder, but nothing exact can prove the man culpable of murder. Throughout the movie, L.B. uses different resources to find the truth since he is unable to leave his apartment. Once Jefferies finds out the real truth, he could not have been more surprised. The intention that the director (Alfred Hitchcock) was trying to prove was that it was impossible to know everything about someone. L.B. had occasionally seen his neighbors, but did not really stop to think what they were really about. I'm sure he even walked passed them on the street, but never thought what happened behind closed doors in their homes. As soon as L.B. became bound to his apartment due to an accident, he began to learn new things about all of them.
The viewing technique that was unique to this film was the camera L.B. used to watch all of his neighbors with. The majority of the film was viewed through the lens of L.B.'s camera. So in a sense, it was like looking through the eyes of L.B. Jefferies himself. This way of filming is different than the conventional third person view. The idea to film through a first person point of view helped me feel as if I was in L.B Jefferies's position. During the moments where third person filming was re-introduced, it was possible to step back from the movie and look over was transpiring. First person viewing had definitely enhanced the quality of the film.