English Literature and Film Unit 2: Rear Window

1. English Literature and FilmUnit 2: Rear Window Scott DeWaelsche 3/26-3/28

2. Major Characters • Jeff Jeffries……………………………………James Stewart A successful international news photographer who finds himself stuck for several weeks in his New York City apartment with a broken leg. • Lisa Fremont………………………………………Grace Kelly Jeff’s beautiful, intelligent, sweet and rich girlfriend, who works in the New York fashion industry.

3. Major Characters • Stella……………………………………………………….Thelma Ritter Jeff’s nurse, hired by his insurance company, who helps him to recover during the time his leg is healing. • Thomas Doyle………………………………………Wendell Corey A friend of Jeff’s and a New York City police detective. • Lars Thorwald………………………………………Raymond Burr A mysterious neighbor who lives across the courtyard from Jeff, whose strange behavior is the focus of this movie.

4. Minor Characters: Neighbors • Miss Lonelyhearts – She is obviously very lonely. She makes diner for two and pretends to be having dinner with a man, though she is alone. • Miss Torso – She is a ballerina who is very pretty and has many men come to her apartment to meet her. She is obviously not interested in them, and she welcomes home her boyfriend from the army in the end.

5. Minor Characters: Neighbors • The Newlyweds – a recently married couple who move into the building. They appear to be very happy in the beginning, and they are the only people to keep their shades down blocking Jeff’s view. • The composer – a composer who works on his music and is often frustrated. He appears to be having a hard time creating music.

6. Plot Summary This film is the story of Jeff Jeffries, a New York photographer who finds himself stuck in his apartment for several weeks while recovering from a broken leg. Since he can barely move because of his cast (the hard plaster cover designed to help heal a broken leg or arm), Jeff spends much of his time looking out his rear view window, into the back courtyard and various apartments of his neighbors.

7. Plot Summary One particular apartment that catches his attention is that of a man named Lars Thorwald, whose behavior over the course of several days is so strange that Jeff becomes convinced that he has actually murdered his own wife. He has no real evidence or proof to support this, but he soon becomes obsessed with Thorwald, and because he is a photographer, Jeff begins to secretly look into Thorwald’s world as if he were trying to expose or uncover a major story.

8. Plot Summary The other key people in Jeff’s life slowly but surely decide that Thorwald is in fact a murderer, including his nurse Stella, who always senses trouble, and his beautiful girlfriend Lisa, who is determined to find out what really happened, even if that means secretly sneaking into Thorwald’s apartment.

9. Plot Summary The problem is that nobody has actually seen the murder or even the body of Mrs. Thorwald, and thus police detective Doyle, an old friend of Jeff’s, sees no reason to believe anything illegal or wrong has happened.

10. Plot Summary While its true that Jeff saw Thorwald acting strangely, including using a large knife and saw in behavior that looked like he may have been cutting up a body, Doyle keeps reminding Jeff that people do all kinds of strange things in private that they couldn’t explain in public.

11. Plot Summary Jeff calls Thorwald and tells him to meet him at a hotel as a trick to get him to leave the apartment. Once he is gone, Stella and Lisa look for clues to Mrs. Thorwald’s disappearance. Thorwald comes back and finds Lisa in his apartment.

12. Plot Summary The police arrive to save Lisa just in time. While Lisa is being arrested, she sends a signal to Jeff who is watching from his window. She shows him that she found Mrs. Thorwald’s wedding ring, which they think is proof that Thorwald killed her. Thorwald notices Jeff, and goes to his apartment to kill him. He pushes Jeff from the window but he is saved my the police, Thorwald confesses to the murder.

13. Alfred Hitchcock A Quick Note on Alfred Hitchcock: This movie was directed by the British film maker Alfred Hitchcock, who is considered the best director of suspense movies in the history of the movies. Hitchcock worked from the 1920s to the 1970s, and was so famous that his own face was recognized throughout the world (He in fact often put himself in his own movies for one short scene, including in this one, where he can be seen winding a wall clock in a neighboring apartment). Many people consider Rear Window one of his very best films.

14. Genre A genre is a category of literature, film, or other types of entertainment. The following are commonly known genres of films.

15. Action Action Films: includes films that have tremendous impact, continuous high energy, lots of physical stunts and activity, possibly extended chase scenes, races, rescues, battles, martial arts, mountains and mountaineering, destructive disasters (floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires, etc.), fights, escapes, non-stop motion, spectacular rhythm and pacing, and adventurous heroes. Ex. – GI Joe 3D

16. Adventure Adventure films are usually exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales, very similar to or often paired with the action film genre. They can include historical spectacles (similar to the epics film genre), searches or expeditions for lost continents, "jungle" and "desert" epics, treasure hunts, disaster films, or searches for the unknown. • Ex. – Pirates of the Carribean

17. Comedy Comedies are light-hearted plots consistently and deliberately designed to make people laugh.

18. Drama Dramas are serious, plot-driven movies, portraying realistic characters, settings, life situations, and stories involving intense character development and interaction. Usually, they are not focused on special-effects, comedy, or action, They are probably the largest film genre.

19. Epics / Historical Epics include costume dramas, historical dramas, war films that often cover a large period of time. Epics often share elements of the elaborate adventure films genre. Epics take an historical or imagined event, mythic, legendary, or heroic figure, and add extravagant settings and costumes. They are expensive and have a grand musical score. • Ex. – The Lord of the Rings, Lincoln

20. Horror Horror films are designed to frighten and scare people. They often have a shocking finish, while entertaining us at the same time. Ex. – Dracula, Frankenstein

21. Musical Musical/dance films usually have a musical or dance performance integrated as part of the film narrative, or they are films that are centered on combinations of music, dance, song or choreography. Ex. – Les Miserables

22. Science Fiction Sci-fi films are often scientific and imaginative - complete with heroes, aliens, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, great dark villains, and futuristic technology. Ex. – Star Wars, Prometheus

23. Western Westerns are the major defining genre of the American film industry. They are one of the oldest genres with very recognizable plots, elements, and characters (six-guns, horses, dusty towns and trails, cowboys, Indians, etc.) Ex. – Django Unchained, Unforgiven

24. Genre in Rear Window What genre of film is Rear Window? Does it match with more than one? If you believe it crosses multiple genres, then explain how the film fits each genre type. Take 5 minutes to discuss in your group. Be prepared to give a group response. SPEAK ENGLISH

25. Voyeurism • A voyeur is a person who “peeps” into the private matters of other people. They watch when people don’t know they are looking. Hitchcock invites you to become a voyeur alongside the protagonist Jeff in Rear Window. Voyeurism is a very important subject in the film. Think about what the film says about being a voyeur.

26. Analyze a Scene (9:30) In this scene, Stella says “I can smell trouble right here in this apartment.” • What does she mean by this? • What does she think of his voyeurism? • Do you think you would listen to her warning if you were Jeff? Why or why not? • Does Stella follow her own advice later in the film?

27. Analyze a Scene (10:26) Listen to Jeff’s conversation with Stella about Lisa, then listen to Jeff and Lisa. • What does he think of Lisa? Why? • What does Stella think? • Why do you think Stella and Jeff have such a different opinion of Lisa?

28. Analyze a Scene Jeff says “When I get married it’s going to be with someone who thinks of life not just as a new dress and a lobster dinner…” • What does he mean by this? • When Lisa comes over and has a new dress and lobster, does it prove what Jeff thought? • Is Jeff’s opinion of her true in the end? Explain.

29. Next week: • Watch Rear Window • Understand the elements of fiction in Rear Window -Plot -Setting -Character -Theme -Symbol

30. Elements of Fiction Quiz • DO NOT CHEAT! • This is also a practice test for midterms and final. You should not talk to anyone or look at another’s paper. If you do, I will take the paper and you will get a 0 on the quiz.

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