The objectification of women has conjured mass debate within modern media and cinematic theory. Although it is very relevant within contemporary news, theorists have been exploring the portrayal of women in film since the 1970's. Feminist film theorist - Laura Mulvery, in her 1975 analysis of the male gaze, discusses how women are nothing more than objects or possessions for men, whilst she argues that viewers watch the film from a male perspective. Gender theory has been explored extensively and can be exampled as far back to classic Hollywood cinema. It has been investigated within the work of Alfred Hitchcock. I have previously illustrated it in his film, Vertigo. However, this post will analyse another one of his 50's thrillers, Rear Window (1954).
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Mulvey's Male Gaze Broken Down
Rear Window depicts a small chapter in Jeff's life. A newspaper photographer with a broken leg (James Stewart), passes time by observing his neighbours through the window. When eventually he believes he's been watching a murderer, Jeff becomes obsessed and decides to solve the crime with the help of his girlfriend, Lisa (Grace Kelly), and nurse (Thelma Ritter).
Mulvey discusses that women are simply the bearer of visual pleasure, and theorised the spectator as male. Women are to be looked at and displayed, connoting a "to-be-looked-at-ness". In herself, the woman has not the slightest importance, her only role is to provoke the hero. This can already be exampled in Hitchcock's classic as Lisa is the depiction of the perfect woman, which provokes our protagonist. Although he acknowledges her perfection, it irritates him as it threatens his masculinity. While he sits in his wheelchair all day, Lisa goes out to work and returns to his apartment to care for him. She is a beautiful, independent woman which at first, Jeff struggles to accept, believing they would make no perfect match. On the other hand, of course this demonstrates how our hero is provoked by the female's beauty; it also contradicts parts of Mulvey's theory that women can also hold importance, not just visually. A blonde bombshell, holds a very respectable job in the fashion and media industry who helps Jeff unravel the crime.
However; Rear Window still holds many aspects of the male gaze which are worth analysing.
Here Lie the Broken Bones of L.B. Jefferies
Firstly, Jeff's leg cast has commonly been associated in Freudian terms, even by Hitchcock himself, as being a symbolism of a male erection. Jeff watches Miss Torso, the blonde ballerina and of course his girlfriend Lisa and with this interpretation implied it would hint to a typical male perspective especially for watching the beautiful women in Rear Window. However, it has also been symbolised in complete opposite terms - sexual impotence. At the beginning his nurse Stella, makes remarks about Jeff's lack of sexual interest when watching Miss Torso from his window all day and how it hasn't raised his temperature a bit, continuing to joke that he must have a "hormone deficiency".
She continues to wonder why he has not jumped at the chance of marrying Lisa - the cast can symbolism that perhaps something is broken or weak. This theory holds some validity as Lisa does a lot of the initiation for sexual activity. The film ends with both Jeff's legs broken which could hint at a type of castration.
Kelly's Entrance
This iconic shot of Grace Kelly gets unnoticed as one of the most genius. What I like to call, Hitchcock's orgasm shot, it is the perfect example of Mulvey's Male Gaze. Watch closely as she appears on screen, coated in pearls - illuminating her loyalty, generosity and purity offers a nice juxtaposition to the empowering red lips, which can connote a stereotypical attraction for men, but can also allude to feminism and rebellion - and we certainly see Lisa grow in strength and independence as the crime unfolds.
I call this the orgasm shot because of the way the camera captures Kelly's movement towards Stewart. She leans in on Jeff in a role reverse sleeping beauty moment. The camera seems to slightly jitter, in a slow motion as if freezing and it feeds off her beauty. In this small shot, it has been said Hitchcock wanted it to appear as though the camera itself was having an orgasm from her beauty in the frame. Consequently illuminating her sex appeal.
High-Key Lighting
Another way her beauty is illuminated is by lighting. Lisa spends a lot of her time standing by lamps whilst talking to Jeff in his apartment. His apartment is dimly lit, and Lisa tends to move into high-key lit spaces, or by a lamp which she has stylishly turned on. (Perhaps it is not only the light that she turns on...)
This of course generically adds a glow and warmth to her image; but Hitchcock always manages to use imagery or symbols to talk in cinema, therefore I feel an urge to delve deeper. The idea of lamps conjures to mind the tale of Aladdin, is Lisa almost a fragment of a genie? Genie's centre around desires and enchantment with a sultry charm, something men would associate with Grace Kelly I am sure. Although not of Arabic aesthetics, her lavish gowns and expensive jewels mimic those which genie's tend to possess - she also grants what he wishes and that is to reveal the murderous neighbour; far fetched but I like to think it holds some validity.
Miss Torso and the Face
Torso is a pivotal character within the film, if you pay attention to her. She is a ballerina, who can be seen dancing day to day in her apartment. Her name alone hints at how she is sexualised, as a character, because torso is a body part. Commonly named the trunk of the body, its instant connotation is fairly masculine and has been known to represent Hercules. On the other hand, the torso is twisted in relation to the hips and she twists and turns for her dancing. It also puts emphasis on hips, a female body part that can often be sexualised. There is a part during the film where Muvley's male gaze is most profound.
Here the camera flickers to Miss Torso's apartment where she lies alone in her nightwear. At this moment in the film Jeff and Lisa are in deep conversation about if he is really watching a murderer through his window - consequently his attention is else where, not on young Miss Torso. Therefore, if you look closely at the wall paper and lamp you can just about make out a face.
Two eyes, found embedded in the wallpaper, and a set of lips from the lamp's stand. Thus illuminating possibly a male spectator once more and how they are to be looked at and displayed, although Jimmy Stewart's character isn't paying attention, Miss Torso is still being watched - essentially a male gaze within a male gaze (audience to screen, and wall to character).
Overall it is clear that the male gaze is constructed in Rear Window. It is also clearly gendered in a male perspective as we gain little depth in other female characters, only their actions. The male gaze, or gender theory enhances understanding for the film because it crafts more underlying layers of depth to what appears on the surface from the first watch.
References:
Mulvey, L. (2000; 1975) |"Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema", in Sam and Miller (eds.), Film and Theory. Oxford: Blackwell, pp.483-494.
