Mise en Scene in ‘Rear Window’

Mise en Scene in ‘Rear Window’ ‘Rear Window’ by Alfred Hitchcock is a film adaptation of Cornell Woolrich’s short story, ‘It had to be Murder’. The short story and the film share a similar plot, however, the mise en scene in the film contributes to making it more comprehensive and powerful. In both the story and the film, Jefferies is an invalid who is confined to his apartment and has been spending his time observing the neighbors through his window. He notices some disturbing activity through one of his neighbors the Thorwalds window which leads him to conclude that the husband murdered his wife. The short story does not elaborate on what his medical condition was, but the film makes it clear that had a leg problem (Renzi, 2015). This paper provides a comparison between the film and the short story.

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The movie gives the story more depth through its visuals of what Jefferies sees from his window. The mise-en-scene of the film is captured from Jefferies’ apartment. Being confined to his room due to illness, the viewers are restricted to only what Jefferies can see, therefore, the mise-en-scene of the film evokes feelings of loneliness and isolation. Woolrich heightens the personalities and actions of his characters through a thorough descriptive detail while Hitchcock uses long shots and deep focus to highlight the character’s emotions, movements and body language. The film adaptation, therefore, complements the short story by following the same storyline and through its effective use of mise-en-scene.

Reference Renzi, T. (2015). Cornell Woolrich from Pulp Noir to Film Noir. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co.