Alfred Hitchcocks Rear Window Essay - 1050 Words

Alfred Hitchcocks Rear Window In Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock took a plot-driven short story and transformed it into a character-driven movie. Although differences must exist between text and film, because of the limitations and advantages of the different media, Hitchcock has done more than translate a word-based story into a visual movie. Aside from adding enough details to fill a two-hour movie, Hitchcock has done much to change the perspective of the story, as well as the main character. The novel’s Hal Jeffries, a seemingly hard-boiled and not overly intellectual man contrasts sharply with the photojournalist J.B. Jeffries of the movie. The addition of supporting characters, such as Lisa, diminishes somewhat the†¦show more content†¦Hitchcock uses several devices to help the reader identify more with the character of Jeff. While he obviously desires to be some kind of hero, both in the story and the movie, he as prevented from doing so in both by the restriction of his moveme nt. The story never explains fully the reason Jeffries is bound to his room, merely saying â€Å"my movements were strictly limited†¦I could get from the window to the bed, and from the bed to the window† (5). In the film, Jeff has broken his leg while photographing a car crash. The specificity of the injury not only justifies Jeff’s immobility, but also gives him a more masculine edge, by his actions while being injured. The Jeffries character in the short story appears to be a lone sort of character. He lives alone, with little contact with the outside world. His only human interaction, aside from the imagined connection provided by his watching his neighbors, occurs with Sam, a paid servant. While his suspicions of his neighbor do force him to contact a detective, his thoughts before he calls the detective reveal his isolationist tendencies: â€Å"I didn’t want to be involved any more than I had to. Or at all, if possible† (16). Boyne’s excited response to Jeff’s call shows how long he has been isolated, although the cause of Jeff’s withdrawal, goes, like so much else in the story, unexplained. In the movie, Hitchcock lessens theShow MoreRelated Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window Essay1177 Words   |  5 PagesAlfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window In Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, L.B. Jeffries, played by Jimmy Stewart, becomes completely obsessed with spending all of his waking hours watching his neighbors from his wheelchair. He even uses a camera to better his view and thus enhances his role as both a spectator and a voyeur. This contributes to the creation of a movie being played right outside Jeffries’ window. In this â€Å"movie within the movie† his neighbors’ lives become the subject for the plot. EachRead MoreAlfred Hitchcocks Rear Window: Sound Essay1413 Words   |  6 Pagesbe an aural sense but a visual sense as well and director Alfred Hitchcock knew this and applied it in his movie Rear Window. 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