Classical Editing Paper: "Rear Window"

Essay by lax4ever3000High School, 12th gradeA-, April 2006

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The film "Rear Window", directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is a psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat throughout it. L.B. Jefferies has an immobilizing plaster cast, which leaves him stuck in his apartment peering at the neighbors. He sees one neighbor, Lars Thorwald, up to no good and is on to him for the rest of the movie. Just after Lisa drops the letter off at Thorwalds apartment, she comes running back to L.B.'s room to meet L.B. and Stella. She proceeds to ask what his reaction was and continues to show interest in helping solve this tribulation. L.B.'s idea of a perfect girl is someone who is rugged, willing to travel, and would eat sordid food in freezing weather. Lisa doesn't exactly fit this profile and is much more of a "perfect" girl who's into expensive dinners and much more glamorous things.

This impression that L.B. has slowly begins to change when Lisa delivers the letter to Thorwald. He sees that she is willing to take a risk and go out on a limb in order to help L.B. with his theory of murder. When Lisa gets back to the room we have a close-up of L.B.'s face, showing his joy in seeing Lisa in action and the satisfaction of his "girlfriend" taking a huge risk for him. In showing the change of the two's relationship, Hitchcock does a wonderful job portraying Lisa's interest in the murder and L.B.'s contentment in the new Lisa. Just by the editing done in this scene we can tell that Lisa has found a new inquisitive side to her. There are also two, three shots of L.B., Lisa, and Stella. This shows that the three of them finally agree that there is something going on...