The Rear Window: Film Analysis and Audio Study

In this scene from Alfred Hitchcock's film, The Rear Window, some audio effects we can hear are the sounds of distant music from the composer's house, children shouting and playing in the background, and cars driving by on the street.

This particular scene is showing how this neighborhood is small and secluded, yet everyone in it stays secluded themselves, given from the visual information that everyone stays in their house. No one engages with their neighbors, who are in close proximity to where they live. Also, this scene answers the question as to how he's able to explain the basic plot line in this one shot. He shows everyone's individual lives and how they don't necessarily care about their neighbors, which leads to the almost-too-easy murder that one of the neighbors eventually commits.




This analysis clip explains a lot of different perspectives when analyzing this particular movie. What I've noticed is that the person who made this video points out that almost immediately, the main characters are introduced, which allows you to get to know their personalities and how they play a role in the overall story.

My Own Analysis: The Rear Window definitely captures the lifestyle of someone who is bound to one location for a long amount of time. Without following one's day-to-day routine, one can become very lonesome, bored, and even morbidly curious about his new surroundings, since one may have nothing else to do while bound to one place. Alfred Hitchcock does an excellent job of portraying someone in this scenario. I also like how extended amounts of time is used to build suspense. If the scare came instantaneously, it wouldn't be as satisfying as if key elements to the story built up and culminated in the big scare near the end.