Rear Window: A Scene Analysis of Lisa's Introduction - Film Studies

This essay provides a detailed scene analysis of Lisa's introduction in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. The analysis begins by describing the scene, focusing on the cinematography, lighting, and editing techniques employed to establish the characters and setting. It examines the use of close-ups, slow motion, and the removal of ambient sounds to create intimacy. The essay then delves into the thematic elements of the scene, including voyeurism and the portrayal of the male gaze, referencing Mulvey's theory. The essay argues that the scene reinforces the male gaze, with Lisa being presented as an object of visual pleasure. The author suggests that a more balanced representation of female perspectives in cinema is needed, and concludes by calling for more female filmmakers. The essay uses scholarly sources to support its claims.

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Scene Analysis
The Introduction of Lisa from Rear Window directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Part 1.
Description Analysis
1. The scene starts around fifteen
minutes into the movie with the
camera moving across the courtyard
buildings at dusk, showing lighted
windows before moving into Jeffery
Stewart's apartment, showing him fast
asleep. A shadow then slowly moves
across his face. Jeff opens his eyes,
seems briefly concerned before
smiling as he realizes that it is Lisa.
The lighting is a classic technique of the
horror genre. The technique creates a false
impression of Jeff being in trouble. However,
the camera then cuts to his point of view,
showing a beautiful woman who he
recognizes. She moves to a close-up, almost
looking directly into the camera. This is
related to one of the key themes in the film,
voyeurism. Lisa moves towards the camera,
creating the illusion that she is gracefully
descending towards the audience, ensuring
that they are excited by her appearance.

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2. In the next shot, Lisa leans in to kiss
Jeffrey. They then engage in a
whispered conversation that stops
when Jeff makes a joke.
Editing is used to present the kiss in slow
motion. This is a classic convention of the
romance genre, with the shot being very close
up. All noises from outside the apartment
have been cut out to draw the intimacy of the
scene (Kelly 15). Also, Lisa speaks in a husky
voice to maintain the romantic nature of the
situation. This atmosphere is, however,
broken when Jeff makes the joke. This
establishes the two actor’s characters as well
as the quality of their relationship (Schatz
462). The shot also portrays the subplot of
conflict showing Lisa putting effort into their
relationship while Jeff is pulling away.
3. Lisa pulls away from Jeff and starts
turning on the lights while moving
further away in the room.
The camera pulls away to a midshot,
reflecting the emotional distance between the
two characters. It then pans around the room
showing Lisa in darkness before turning on
three lights herself. The sizes of the shot
gradually increase. Lisa is lit by soft side
lighting, with her posture and costume
portraying her as a glamourous person. The
shot selection gives the audience a chance to

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analyze and compare her to how Jeff had
initially described her.
4. Jeff asks Lisa a question which she
answers, smiling.
The audience can see Lisa's whole body from
Jeff's point of view. She is standing in the
middle of the frame and looks out of place
when compared to the surrounding apartment
(Brennan 5). Here, she is objectified to satisfy
the male gaze represented by Jeff, therefore,
supporting Mulvey's theory.
Part 2
According to Mulvey, women are mostly portrayed as objects and sex symbols for the
satisfaction of the male gaze in cinema (Austin 12). Based on the scene from Rear Window, I
agree with Mulvey’s argument that cinema is mainly portrayed through the male gaze.
 In the scene, there is not a single shot that shows Lisa’s point of view, thus reducing her
to an object to be seen only. There should also be more scenes depicting action from the
female point of view.
 Jeff is the character who does almost all of the looking, and according to Mulvey, it is the
character who does the looking as opposed to the one being looked at that holds the
power

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 The audience usually relates to the male character, according to Mulvey. However, this
can be changed by also developing female characters to be easily identifiable with the
audience
 The portrayal of the male gaze as being dominant in cinema is also a direct consequence
of the gaze of the filmmakers who are also predominantly male. Therefore, more women
should take up filmmaking to bring out movies from the female perspective as well.

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Works Cited.
Austin, Guy. "The power of the gaze." Claude Chabrol. Manchester University Press, 2019: 9-16
Brennan, Kevin S. "Can I Have a Look?: A Formal Analysis of Hitchcock and the Art of
Suspense in" Rear Window"." Cinesthesia 8.1 (2018): 5.
Kelly, David. "Alfred hitchcock,'rear window'and American romance." Sydney Studies in
English 43 (2018):10-21
Schatz, Thomas. "Mulvey and Hitchcock." New Review of Film and Television Studies 15.4
(2017): 461-464.