Rear Window

     Alright so, here is my review from Rear Window that I wrote last year. I breaifly scanned it and it seems fine to me.

     In this film, half of the shots have fuzzy corners, as to mimmic the vision that the main character is seeing. Since this film was made in 1954, the film is grainy. However, with the plot and setting, it works completely. The main character is constricted to a wheelchair because he broke his leg. He is a newspaper photographer so he has a lot of film equipment in his apartment. So, he uses this to spy on his neighbors. The fuzzy corners, are to show what he sees through the camera lens as he watches his neighbors.

     With these corners, it gives the film a feel like reality. Like you actually there, watching them. Since the entire film is from his apartment, you only see the changes of night and day. And what is outside in others' private worlds. A lot of the movie is at dawn/dusk or night time so, the lighting that was chosen is very interesting. They have no background lights, when showing the main character, played by Jimmy Stuart. Which gives him an important look because the lights cut off half way down in his body in some of the medium shots they have of him.

     In the lighter scenes, but not daylight scenes, they have yellow/orange filters that were placed over the lights. Which helps set the mood because when it is dusk or dawn, the main character, R. T. Jeffers, is with his girlfriend. These are more romantic scenes, but he becomes obsessed with watching the neighbors. When they show the other apartments, they have different lighting. The 'struggling musicians' studio apartment is constantly brightly lit up, the ballerina's apartment usually has shadowed lighting, and so on and so forth. The lighting seems to match the characters in the movie.

     A theme in this film is that of which, one should not stick your nose in other people's business. Jeffers ends up breaking his other leg because he got into someone's business. But, a crime was solved. However, everyone in the vicinity of this apartment complex is now well aware that they should not bother other people. This is also a lesson for life. In showing the different people, with the different types of lighting, it is their own private life, and how their lifestyles are completely different.

     Because this film was made in 1954, the costumes are the clothing that people would wear in the 50's/ Boppsie type of clothing. Because the only outfit that Jeffers wears is his pajama’s, it seems a bit strange that everyone else is always constantly in different clothing. However, the clothing seems to go with the lighting of the scenes. Plus, the grainy texture of the film puts forth a drawl to the film, that is really nice.

     It forces you to concentrate on what is going on at the exact moment. However, you can get easily diverted because you hear other things going on at the same time. A lot of the shots are pans of the area that Jeffers can see. It is nice with these pan shots because you can see a full overview of what he sees. It is a bit annoying because it is only at eye level. When the shots do change to look down or he is looking around, it looks fake because it is going so fast. And the angle is changing so quickly that the shots get even grainier.

     With the final scene, this is really visable and it is slightly annoying because you realize that some of it was done in front of a green screen, which ruins the film and effect for you.

     Well, there it is.

     So, until next time--