The reason for this is that the fact that Jeffries has only been able to stare at the other flats for the last few weeks, and this gives Jeffries a valid reason for being very inquisitive about his neighbour’s activities, and this triggers the plot of the film.
The small gap which enables Jeffries to look at a small section of the main street is used so that Jeffries sees various events (e.g Thorwald going and coming out of his flat with his suitcase at two o’clock in the morning) and so that people can communicate with him (e.g Stella using hand gestures to tell Jeffries that she didn’t manage to catch up with the van) However Hitchcock has used several details such as Jeffries camera, the gap and the distance from his flat to the gap to disable from Jeffries communicating to anyone, and he can only be signalled to and has little control over the situation.
The Director has even inserted little details in the layout of the flat, such as the stairs, which prohibit him from going out.
In the film Jeffries is a magazine photographer (He broke his leg by taking a photo of a moving racing car while standing right in front of it) this means that he has equipment such as cameras that can zoom in. This is Hitchcock’s way of showing the audience only what he wants to. Jeffries only zooms in on Thorwald when Hitchcock wants to, which means that he can gradually give the audience more and more clues regarding Thorwald and his motives, which is how the majority of “whodunits” are written or produced.
Hitchcock also creates a neighbourhood of people, each with their own personalities and situations. An obvious reason for these neighbours is that it gives the film a few minor storylines, and diverts the audience’s attention so that Hitchcock can achieve a “cooling-off period” at his will. However it is also feasible that most of the characters reflect his view on love, and that the one of the main themes of the film is love.
By looking at Miss lonelyhearts, the composer, the newly wed couple and the Thorwalds, L.B Jeffries and Lisa all at the same time we can say that Hitchcock believes that love is a con: It entrances you at the beginning, one has the most pleasure out of love with the same partner at the start of a relationship (The newly weds), but it gradually goes sour and can go down many paths. The love can be up kept, but if it does then only a fraction of the original passion remains (L.B Jeffries and Lisa), however it can also lead to arguments (The newly wed couple after a few weeks) or it can lead to attraction or affairs with other people (Lieutenant Doyle) but can also lead to outright hatred and the love can be destroyed completely (The Thorwalds) but even then humans still crave for love (Miss Lonelyhearts) and they eventually find a partner (The composer) and then the chain starts all over again
Hitchcock also uses sex appeal to an extent. He uses effects, such as close ups and slow motion (Lisa kissing Jeffries scene) This is used as an effective introduction to her character, and Hitchcock even puts in the detail that Lisa is a model, therefore she always wears glamorous clothes to emphasise her beauty. He also uses the character of Miss torso to add brief erotic moments when the audience least expect it. The reason for these moments is so that Hitchcock can grab the attention of the audience for the next part of the scene, however he doesn’t show Miss torso for long amounts of time so that the audience isn’t distracted by her too much, and remains focused on the film instead. However we have to remember that the film was made in the 1950s therefore any form of erotica was heavily limited compared to the amount of erotica used in films at present, therefore the film would have been seen as very daring when it was first released, and the reason for Hitchcock’s boldness was that he wanted to stir the audience, not only by casting beautiful women but also by introducing new concepts to the audience as new ideas often give films a reputation.
Hitchcock also adds light humour, which can also contribute to the “cooling-off period” and keep the viewers entertained, but it can also be used to surprise the audience. Hitchcock shows the couple who sleep out in the open being caught unawares by the rain at around midnight, therefore they have to frantically scramble inside to avoid being soaked, however this means that the audience don’t expect what happens next: Thorwald leaving his apartment with his suitcase, which instantly leaves the audience suspicious regarding his motives.
Hitchcock often insinuates, rather than making a character state what is happening. A blatant example of this is when Lisa is wearing traveller’s clothes at the end and is seen reading a traveller’s book, but quietly starts reading a fashion magazine when she is sure that Jeffries is asleep. These insinuations hold the public’s attention, and it means that they have to focus on the film in order to understand what is happening, and use their imagination. This has lead to many interpretations of his film and has sparked great interest in his films, especially amongst many of the French film critics.
Thus I conclude that Hitchcock uses the camera, the characters personalities and situations, and often only shows us what is happening using only what is being shown on the camera instead of making a character state it, and controls the feelings of the audience by using parts of the film (the emotion it creates can be almost anything from tense to erotic, which gives rear window an unpredictable feel to it) so that he can keep the audience’s attention, give messages to the public and control the climax and storyline of the film with great ease.
