Isolation, Foreign Policy, and Punishment: Historical Contexts in 'Rear Window' Kai Henderson 12th Grade

Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’ depicts a microcosmic society in which each member is somehow isolated despite their proximity to others. Hitchcock uses the setting and the camera angles with which he shows the characters to convey loneliness and isolation. The fundamental underlying idea of ‘Rear Window’ is that everyone is isolated and yearning for something this condition bars them from. Similarly to the isolation of the tightly packed neighbours, Jeff and Lisa’s relationship shows how two people so close can still be isolated from one another. This concept of sometimes voluntary loneliness and separation from others reflects the socio-political conflicts of 1950’s America and isolationist policies.

The opening shot of ‘Rear Window’ introduces us to Jeff’s environment, panning across a dense apartment complex in a style reminiscent of a documentary, linking Jeff’s career as a photojournalist to his observing of his neighbours. In this scene, the audience is introduced to a variety of characters and they are all framed within the confines of their windows, boxed in and separated from each other by harsh lines and hostile architecture, evoking comparison to a prison, the environment presented as a restrictive panopticon....