Storytelling Output Report

for

"Rear Window"

Comments:

The odd feeling viewers get from watching Rear Window has generally been attributed to the fact that director Hitchcock turns us, like Jeff, into voyeurs--though why that should bother us when it doesn't bother the Main Character, Jeff, is unclear. Our uneasiness may also stem from Jeff's Mental Sex of Female. He tries to make connections between Thorwald's strange actions to see the big picture, in contrast to the cause and effect problem-solving of that plodding policeman, Doyle.

Note: Though Jeff is an action photographer and uses his camera with a telephoto lens to watch Thorwald's activities, never once during the story does he take a photograph. Curiously, the only photo he presents as evidence is a two-weeks old slide of a rather dull flower bed.

ANALYSIS INFORMATION :

Analysis Sources:

• Film, 1954 (MCA Home Video, 1984.)
• Hayes, John Michael. Unpublished 'Final White Script' Screenplay, 12/1/53.
• Truffaut, Francois. Hitchcock. Simon & Schuster. New York, NY. 1983.
• Harris, Robert A., & Lasky, Michael S. The Films of Alfred Hitchcock. Citadel Press. Secausus, NJ. 1976.
• Videohound's Golden Retriever 1995. Visible Ink Press. Detroit, MI.

• General Storytelling: Complete
• Act Order Storytelling: Complete
• Character List: Complete
• Build Characters: Complete

Author: John Michael Hayes

Analysis by: Kevin Hindley

Draft: Final

Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Period: 1954

Setting: In the apartment of photographer Jeff Jefferies, and of those he sees out the rear window: apartments around a courtyard in Greenwich Village, New York City.

Source Material: Based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich.

Brief Synopsis:

"A newspaper photographer with a broken leg passes the time recuperating by observing his neighbors through the window. When he sees what he believes to be a murder, he decides to solve the crime himself. With help from his beautiful girlfriend and his nurse, he tries to catch the murderer without getting killed himself."

(Videohound, p. 768.)

Objective Character Mini-Synopsis:

JEFF, a down-to-earth globetrotting action photographer with a broken leg, seeks distraction from the boredom of his apartment. He finds diversion of the marrying kind in--

LISA, a Park Avenue fashion model type who's besotted with Jeff and will try her best to commit him to marriage, even if it means proving herself to him on his terms. She gets help from--

STELLA, an insurance company nurse who spouts Reader's Digest advice and is fascinated by the gruesome, thinks Lisa's perfect for Jeff and is not shy about saying so. She also helps Jeff's and Lisa's quest to entrap--

THORWALD, a hard-working traveling salesman who's harried by his harridan of a wife, and decides to dispose of her. His activities, watched by the suspecting trio, don't convince--

DOYLE, the old wartime buddy of Jeff and now a seen-it-all police detective. He won't believe Thorwald's a murderer till he sees Mrs. Thorwald--or part of her.

THE OBJECTIVE CHARACTERS:

Name: L.B. "Jeff" Jefferies

Gender: Male

Description:

"A tall, lean, energetic thirty-five, his face long and serious-looking at rest, is in other circumstances capable of humor, passion, naive wonder and the kind of intensity that bespeaks inner convictions of moral strength and basic honesty. [...] THE CAMERA PANS along his right leg. It is encased in a plaster of Paris spica from his waistline to the base of his toes."

(Hayes, p. 3)

Role: Impotent photographer

Characteristics:

Motivation: Consider; Pursuit; Faith; Uncontrolled;

Methodology: Certainty; Nonacceptance; Proaction;

Evaluation: Proven; Effect; Accurate; Hunch;

Purpose: Knowledge; Actuality; Equity;

Name: Lisa Fremont

Gender: Female

Description:

"We see her full facial beauty for the first time. It is a warm, intelligent face. [...] She is now in full figure, beautifully groomed and flawless. Her dress is high-style fashion and dramatic evening wear. [...] She does a professional model's turn in the dress showing off its features."

(Hayes, p.24-25)

Role: Amorous fiancée

Characteristics:

Motivation: Support; Temptation; Hinder; Feeling;

Methodology: Acceptance; Deduction; Production; Protection; Reevaluation; Possibility;

Evaluation: Result; Determination; Test; Unending;

Purpose: Inertia; Order; Self Aware; Speculation; Desire;

Name: Lars Thorwald

Gender: Male

Description:

"He carries a large aluminum sample case common to salesmen. He sets down the case heavily, removes his hat, and slowly wipes his brow with the back of his right hand. He takes off his coat and tie. His shirt is stained with sweat underneath. He rolls up his sleeves, and his well-muscled arms heavy with hair confirm his dark, husky build."

(Hayes, p. 11)

Role: Murderous neighbor

Characteristics:

Motivation: Reconsider; Avoidance; Control;

Methodology: Potentiality; Reaction;

Evaluation: Unproven; Cause;

Purpose: Thought; Perception;

Name: Lt. Doyle

Gender: Male

Description:

"He is an intelligent-appearing, well-dressed modern detective. He has a sense of humor."

(Hayes, p.76)

Role: Detective

Characteristics:

Motivation: Disbelief; Logic; Help;

Methodology: Induction; Reduction; Evaluation;

Evaluation: Process; Trust; Theory;

Purpose: Change; Chaos; Aware; Ability;

Name: Stella McCaffery

Gender: Female

Description:

"She is husky, unhandsome, dark-haired woman who is dressed like a district nurse, with dark coat, dark felt hat, with a white uniform showing underneath the coat. She carries a small black bag. [...] It is worn, and looks as if it belongs more to a fighter than a nurse."

(Hayes, p. 14)

Role: Nurse

Characteristics:

Motivation: Oppose; Conscience;

Methodology: Inaction; Probability;

Evaluation: Non-Accurate; Expectation; Ending;

Purpose: Projection;

AUDIENCE AND STORY DYNAMICS APPRECIATIONS:

• Nature as it relates to Actual Dilemma:

If Jeff's to get proof of suspected murderer Thorwald's guilt and prevent his escape, Jeff must change his passive, observant nature and commit to active participation in events.

• Essence as it relates to Positive Feel:

Jeff's efforts are focused on proving that Thorwald has murdered his wife, and bringing him to justice. As the audience, we experience the story voyeuristically through Jeff's eyes, only seeing what he sees, and becoming involved in his goal.

• Tendency as it relates to Willing:

Jeff Jefferies, a professional photographer, likes to watch things -- not on TV, but out the rear window of his apartment -- including the activities of suspected murderer Thorwald. He has no qualms about being a Peeping Tom.

• Reach as it relates to Female:

Women will identify with Jeff's frustration that his intuition is not being taken seriously by the doubting Thomas Doyle.

• Resolve as it relates to Change:

We first see Jeff's fiancée, Lisa, in a negative light, literally, as a negative image on a slide viewer. This symbolizes the negative feelings Jeff has about the state of matrimony. But as he watches the marriage and courtship rituals of his neighbors, and those who suffer the perils of loneliness, Jeff's distaste for married life dissipates and he grows more amenable toward the issue of marriage.

• Approach as it relates to Do-er:

Though seemingly a passive observer (because of his physical predicament), Jeff will risk his neck (or rather leg) to get the best photo. Eager to go on a big assignment despite his injury, he asks:

JEFF

Okay. When do I leave? Half-hour? Hour?

GUNNISON

With that cast on - you don't.

JEFF

Oh, stop sounding stuffy. I can take pictures

from a jeep or a water buffalo if necessary.

To get the goods on Thorwald, he brings in Doyle, Lisa, and Stella to do his legwork.

• Direction as it relates to Start:

The firmly entrenched bachelor, Jeff, needs to start admitting what he likes about marriage--he obviously enjoys being pampered by his nurse-- and commit to his relationship with Lisa, before he turns into a "lonesome and bitter old man." He also needs to begin a personal involvement with Thorwald if he's to entrap him.

• Mental Sex as it relates to Female:

Jeff tries to hold together his theory of Thorwald as a murderer in the face of opposition from Stella, Lisa, and especially Doyle. He's more interested in the why and when of the murder, leaving the how to Stella and Doyle to consider, and piecing his ideas together to form the big picture.

• Outcome as it relates to Success:

With the help of Lisa and Stella, Jeff's able to lure Thorwald out into the open and expose him as a murderer. Even doubting Doyle has to concede that Jeff's ideas were right when presented with the visual evidence of a head in a hatbox.

• Judgment as it relates to Good:

During Lisa's tussle with Thorwald, Jeff realizes how much he really cares for her. The final scene has Lisa seemingly prepared to adapt to Jeff's globetrotting lifestyle. Jeff's growth towards marriage is alluded to in an earlier draft of the screenplay, where there is a final discussion of Mrs. Thorwald between Doyle and Jeff:

DOYLE

You were right. There was something in that garden.

I just got a signal -- it's in Thorwald's icebox now.

JEFF

That reminds me -- two heads are better than one.

(Hayes, 12/2/53, p.164)

• Work as it relates to Action:

Jeff's running out onto the racetrack put his leg in a cast and made him house bound; Thorwald's going out in the rain at 1:55 a.m. makes Jeff suspicious, as does almost everything he does; Thorwald's packing makes Jeff intensify his efforts; Lisa's waving of the wedding ring alerts Thorwald to the fact he's being watched; etc.

• Limit as it relates to Optionlock:

When digging up the flower bed provides no evidence, (Jeff and) Lisa's last chance to find incriminating evidence is to go inside Thorwald's apartment in search of the wedding ring.

THE OBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE:

Throughline Synopsis:

"A news photographer, confined to a wheelchair by a broken leg, gazes idly at the behavior of the neighbors across the courtyard of his Greenwich Village apartment. His observations lead him to suspect that one of the neighbors has murdered his wife, but he is unable to convince his fiancée and his detective friend that he is right. Eventually, when the fiancée discovers incriminating evidence confirming his suspicions, the killer discovers he is being watched and tries to kill the photographer. The snooper is saved in the nick of time, though his second leg is broken in the course of the rescue operation."

(Truffaut, p. 214.)

Backstory:

Jeff determines what kind of life the Thorwalds lead as he spies the salesman returning home on a sweltering day to tend to his invalid wife, who nags him for not meeting her expectations; Jeff's background as an action photographer is revealed by the camera as it pans over his photos, particularly one of a car crash:

GUNNISON

I didn't ask you to stand in the middle

of that automobile race track.

JEFF

You asked for something dramatically different!

You got it!

GUNNISON

So did you. Goodbye, Jeff.

JEFF

Wait a minute, Gunnison. You've got to get me

out of here! Six weeks - sitting in a two-room apartment

with nothing to do but look out the window at the

neighbors!

• Domain as it relates to Psychology:

The source of the story's troubles stem from attempts to conceptualize what is going on in various personal relationships. Though he lacks tangible evidence, Jeff's convinced that Thorwald has done away with his wife. He spends a lot of time trying to bring Stella, Lisa, and Doyle around to his way of thinking. To manipulate Thorwald into leaving the apartment, Jeff plays mind games with a note and a phone call.

• Concern as it relates to Conceptualizing:

After the final straw of criticism from his wife, Thorwald had to have imagined his elaborate scheme for disposing of her; Jeff, Lisa, and Stella spend their time trying to figure out just how he's carrying that plan out; The jaded detective Doyle lacks the imagination to believe in the crime; Using his photo slides of the garden, Jeff shows how something appears to be buried there; Lisa can't imagine a woman going on a trip without her handbag and jewelry, especially her wedding ring.

• Range as it relates to Situation:

Jeff's stuck in a wheelchair nursing a broken leg; Thorwald's stuck in a marriage to a nagging wife; as it's her job, Stella has to keep visiting and caring for Jeff; etc.

• Counterpoint as it relates to Circumstances:

Jeff's inactivity and boredom is driving him crazy. Thorwald has come to the point where he can't take his ungrateful wife's nagging any more. As he watches Thorwald's suspicious activities, the crusader in Jeff wants to get involved.

• Thematic Conflict as it relates to Situation vs. Circumstances:

Thorwald reaches the breaking point and murders his wife, rather than continue to suffer. When Jeff watches the aftermath, he feels compelled to interfere and bring Thorwald to justice. Circumstances are a stronger influence than Situation.

• Problem as it relates to Perception:

The murderer, Thorwald, takes care to keep things looking normal (a postcard from his wife, etc.) as he moves out. Jeff though, perceives something suspicious about his activities, and sticks to this point of view even when doubted by the other characters. Doyle's perception of how murderers usually operate prevents him from seeing Thorwald as a killer.

• Solution as it relates to Actuality:

Jeff seeks to bring the truth about Thorwald out into the open. Proving to Doyle that a murder actually took place and getting him to apprehend Thorwald will bring the story to an end.

• Focus as it relates to Order:

Lisa's focused on getting into a formalized relationship with Jeff--marriage; Thorwald's marriage is falling apart; As the voice of law and order, Doyle will only investigate according to his established pattern; etc.

• Direction as it relates to Chaos:

Thorwald's response to the chaos of a bad marriage is society's biggest taboo -- murder. Jeff's experiences at the center of chaos -- as seen in his photos of the car crash, a labor strike, war action, and a nuclear bomb test -- qualifies him to recognize and observe Thorwald's chaotic activities.

• Stipulation as it relates to Being:

The more Jeff et al act as if there was a murder, the sooner they can bring Thorwald to justice. For example, to bolster his murder theory, Jeff must act like a night owl to observe Thorwald's nocturnal activities; Lisa and Stella play detective to gather evidence of Mrs. Thorwald's demise; Jeff sets up a bogus meeting with Thorwald to get him out of the house; caught in the act, Lisa pretends to be a burglar in order to get arrested; etc.

• Catalyst as it relates to Sense of Self:

The objective story moves forward when the self image of various characters is attacked. For example, Thorwald's response to his wife's criticism is to kill her, dispose of her body, and flee with a woman who appreciates him more; Jeff's sense of self-righteousness makes him try to stop the murderer, Thorwald; Lisa's feelings of inadequacy compels her to prove to Jeff that she can be adventurous by digging for clues; etc.

• Inhibitor as it relates to Instinct:

Lisa's strong sexual drive is a distraction to Jeff's observations of Thorwald--at one point she holds Jeff's chair, not allowing him to turn back to the window; Jeff's male instincts allow Miss Torso's cavortings to capture his attention instead of watching out for Thorwald's return--at the same time, Stella's protective instincts turns her attention towards the suicidal Miss Lonely Hearts--putting Lisa in danger and her evidence-gathering at risk.

• Goal as it relates to Conceptualizing:

Thorwald has come up with a complicated plan to dispose of his wife's body, and is busy implementing it. From the scant clues he sees from out his window, Jeff tries to imagine what that plan might be so he can interfere with it. Lisa, Stella, and Doyle give their input, and proceed to try and prove their scenario right.

• Consequence as it relates to Understanding:

If Thorwald gets away with murder despite their efforts, Jeff and Lisa should realize that crime investigation is dangerous for amateur dabblers, and is best left to dedicated professionals--and that spying on your neighbors is not the best use of your time.

• Cost as it relates to Memory:

Based on his recollections of other interviews with women, Doyle won't listen to Lisa's wedding ring theory, costing him precious time in the murder investigation:

DOYLE

Look, Miss Fremont - that feminine intuition stuff

sells magazines - but in real life, it's still a fairy tale.

I don't know how many wasted years I've spent

tracking down leads based on female intuitions.

When the dog -- the mongrel who knew too much -- is killed by Thorwald, Jeff remembers his slides of the flower bed. This convinces him there's something buried there, and encourages Lisa and Stella to dig it up--to Thorwald's detriment.

• Dividend as it relates to The Past:

Jeff renews his long-term relationship with his crusty wartime buddy Doyle; Lisa effectively erradicates her image as that of a vapid fashion plate.

• Requirements as it relates to Being:

To bolster his murder theory, Jeff must act like a night owl to observe Thorwald's nocturnal activities. Lisa and Stella play detective to gather evidence of Mrs. Thorwald's demise.

• Prerequisites as it relates to Doing:

Jeff, Lisa, and Stella cannot acquire enough incriminating evidence on Thorwald merely by watching from the rear window. They must leave the apartment, dig in the garden, and enter his apartment.

• Preconditions as it relates to The Preconscious:

Lisa impulsively enters Thorwald's apartment, not thinking of the danger she's risking; Lisa signals with the wedding ring without thinking about how it could alert Thorwald that Jeff's watching him; Jeff answers the phone assuming it's Doyle calling him, not the murderer.

• Forewarnings as it relates to Progress:

As Thorwald moves more and more of his wife's belongings--and more and more of his wife--out of his apartment, he comes closer to getting away with murder.

THE SUBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE:

Throughline Synopsis:

Jeff's having a problem with the too-perfect Lisa, who expects him to marry her:

STELLA

You never going to get married?

JEFF

Oh, probably get married one of these days.

But with what I do, it's going to be with

someone who thinks of life not just as a

new dress, as a lobster dinner, and the latest

scandal. I need a woman who's willing

to go anywhere, do anything, and love it.

Lisa suggests he leave the news magazine and get a job near her, in fashion.

She comes onto him strong, romantically and sexually, but he rebuffs her by pointing to his neighbors' problematic relationships. When Lisa takes an interest in his obsession with Thorwald, she's excited by the danger she gets into. Helpless while she's manipulated by another man--Thorwald--Jeff realizes how much he really does care for her:

JEFF

Lisa, sweetie, if anything had happened

to you... [...] Gee, I'm proud of ya.

At story's end, she makes concessions to his lifestyle, but only while he's watching.

Backstory:

Their problems stem from their differing lifestyles:

JEFF

Well, it's very simple, Stella. She belongs

in that rarefied atmosphere of Park Avenue,

you know, expensive restaurants,

and literary cocktail parties.

STELLA

People with sense can belong wherever t

hey're put.

JEFF

Can you imagine her tramping around the

world with a camera bum who never has

more than a week's salary in the bank?

If only she was ordinary.

• Domain as it relates to Physics:

Jeff and Lisa conflict over their differing activities: his globetrotting vs. her table-hopping in the fashion world. The amorous Lisa is in active pursuit of Jeff: bringing him dinner from "21," smothering him in kisses, moving into his apartment for the night, offering to replace his "old" cigarette case with a new silver one, etc, all of which bother him to no end.

• Concern as it relates to Understanding:

Jeff can't fathom how Lisa expects him to give up his active lifestyle to settle down with her. Lisa doesn't understand how Jeff can turn away from her charms to discuss a neighbor's activities instead.

• Range as it relates to Senses:

Looking through his binoculars and whopping telephoto lens, Jeff's excited by what he sees going on in Thorwald's apartment. The sensual Lisa wishes he'd focus his attention more on her, and satisfy her immediate desires. She tries to entice him by appealing to his senses: the beautiful way she wears clothes and her silky negligée, she brings him fine wine and gourmet food, smothers him in lingering kisses, etc.

• Counterpoint as it relates to Interpretation:

When Jeff prefers to ogle Thorwald instead of her, Lisa interprets it as a failing of hers:

JEFF

Lisa - there's something terribly wrong.

LISA

And I'm afraid it's with me. Then she's afraid

it means something's not right with him:

JEFF

What do you think?

LISA

Something too frightful to utter.

• Thematic Conflict as it relates to Senses vs. Interpretation:

Disagreement over the meaning of what Jeff's seen out the rear window starts to drive a wedge between Jeff and Lisa:

LISA

Sitting around, looking out of the window to kill time,

is one thing -- but doing it the way you are,

with binoculars, and with wild opinions about

every little thing you see - is, is diseased!

But when she interprets the trunk evidence with her own eyes, it brings her and Jeff together as partners in solving the crime. Interpretation is better.

• Problem as it relates to Inequity:

Lisa wants Jeff to marry her, and settle down to a stable life with a regular job--such as a fashion photographer on her newspaper. Jeff prefers the relative instability of his news magazine job, traveling all over the world on short notice, and with an irregular income. The disparity between their approaches creates tension in their relationship.

• Solution as it relates to Equity:

If Lisa can't tame Jeff, she'll prove to him she's his equal--by putting herself at risk like he does, getting her hands dirty in the garden, and dressing down in Levis and a plaid shirt--to win him over.

• Focus as it relates to Order:

Lisa keeps to an organized social and business calendar, and wants Jeff to be part of it:

LISA

What a day I've had!

JEFF

What, are you tired?

LISA

Not a bit. I was all morning in a sales meeting.

Then I had to dash to the Waldorf for a quick drink

with Madame Dufresne - she's just over from Paris,

with some spy reports. And then I had to go to "21"

and have lunch with the Harper's Bazaar people -

that's when I ordered dinner. Then I had two fall

showings - twenty blocks apart. Then I had to have

a cocktail with Leland and Slim Hayward -

we're trying to get his new show. And then

I had to dash back and change.

• Direction as it relates to Chaos:

Jeff doesn't believe Lisa is cut out for the disorganized, chaotic lifestyle his job entails:

JEFF

Lisa, in this job you carry one suitcase. Your home

is the available transportation. You don't sleep

very much, bathe even less, and sometimes the

food you eat is made from things that you

couldn't even look at when they were alive!

• Stipulation as it relates to Doing:

The more Lisa can show Jeff that she's a woman of action, the more their relationship grows closer. For example, she climbs through the window of Thorwald's apartment, taking a dangerous risk to gather the evidence that she and Jeff need against the murderer. This serves to impress Jeff as well as to cause him to have more concern for her.

• Catalyst as it relates to Conditioning:

Based on her previous experience with men, Lisa moves the subjective story forward when she pulls out all the stops to lure Jeff -- fine wining and dining, sexy negligée, physical affection -- in order to convince him she's a perfect marriage partner.

• Inhibitor as it relates to State of Being:

When Jeff doesn't respond to her advances the way she wishes, Lisa turns that inward into self-criticism. She thinks she's just not good enough for him, when in fact Jeff thinks she's too perfect. He also thinks her essential nature can't change, so he resists getting closer to her, slowing down the growth of their relationship.

L.B. "Jeff" Jefferies's THROUGHLINE:

Role:

Impotent photographer

Description:

"A tall, lean, energetic thirty-five, his face long and serious-looking at rest, is in other circumstances capable of humor, passion, naive wonder and the kind of intensity that bespeaks inner convictions of moral strength and basic honesty. [...] THE CAMERA PANS along his right leg. It is encased in a plaster of Paris spica from his waistline to the base of his toes."

(Hayes, p. 3)

Throughline Synopsis:

Laid up and seeking respite from his fiancée, Jeff Jefferies is disturbed by seeing what he believes to be evidence of a murder. Unable to get any serious help from his detective friend, Jeff enlists his fiancée and nurse to entrap the killer. Jeff succeeds in flushing the killer out into the open, but at the expense of another broken leg, and his own probable entrapment into marriage.

Backstory:

"THE CAMERA PANS to a nearby table on which rests a shattered and twisted Speed Graphic Camera, the kind used by fast-action news photographers.

On the same table, the CAMERA PANS to an eight by ten glossy photo print. It shows a dirt track auto racing speedway, taken from a point dangerously near the center of the track. A racing car is skidding toward the camera, out of control, spewing a cloud of dust behind it. A rear wheel has come off the car, and the wheel is bounding at top speed directly into the camera lens."

(Hayes, p. 3)

• Domain as it relates to Universe:

Jeff is house bound because of his broken leg. He's frustrated that he can't get out and explore the world with his camera, so he turns his attention and his lens out of his rear window. His swollen limb seems to make him impotent in more ways than one, and all his activities must be carried out by proxy, using the friends and colleagues who visit him.

• Concern as it relates to The Past:

Cooped up in his apartment, Jeff realizes how much he misses his exciting life before he broke his leg; he becomes concerned with Thorwald's immediate past, specifically what he did with his wife.

• Range as it relates to Prediction:

Jeff has a nose for predicting the next international trouble spots:

GUNNISON

Kashmir. Got a code tip from the

bureau chief this morning. Place

is about to go up in smoke.

JEFF

What'd I tell you? Didn't I tell you

that was the next place to watch?

GUNNISON

You did.

Both Gunnison and Stella predict marriage in Jeff's future, and Stella figures Lisa is the perfect woman for him. Stella claims previous accuracy in her forecasting:

STELLA

You know, I shoulda been a Gypsy fortune

teller, instead of an insurance company nurse.

I got a nose for trouble - can smell it ten

miles away. You heard of that market crash

in '29? I predicted that.

The singles and couples he sees out his window predict the variety of future lifestyles Jeff has to choose from.

• Counterpoint as it relates to Interdiction:

Jeff doesn't see domestic bliss in his future:

JEFF

Yeah, can you just see me - rushing home

to a hot apartment every night to listen to

the automatic laundry and the electric dishwasher

and the garbage disposal and a nagging wife.

He dodges Lisa's every attempt at intimacy, and sees the pursuit of Thorwald as an interesting diversion. Jeff interferes with Thorwald's plans for escape.

• Thematic Conflict as it relates to Prediction vs. Interdiction:

While Jeff sees the Thorwald case as a return to his life of excitement and a way of avoiding the marriage question, it actually forces he and Lisa to work together and develop a closer relationship.

• Problem as it relates to Perception:

Jeff reads Thorwald's activities as criminal, which makes him seem obsessed to everyone else. When he examines the couples outside his window, their troubles reinforce his negative perception of marriage.

• Solution as it relates to Actuality:

Revealing Thorwald's true nature as a wife murderer will get him arrested and allow Jeff to get on with his life.

• Focus as it relates to Inertia:

Jeff feels content in his current state as a bachelor, and focuses on the disadvantages that marriage would present:

LISA

You don't think either one of us could

ever change?

JEFF

Right now, it doesn't seem so.

--and:

JEFF

Couldn't we just, couldn't we just sort of

keep things status quo?

LISA

Without any future?

• Direction as it relates to Change:

Jeff has remained distant from Thorwald, expecting Doyle to apprehend the murderer. As Thorwald gets closer to escaping, Jeff changes his tactics and initiates the personal contact which leads to the final confrontation.

• Stipulation as it relates to Progress:

For each clue to the murder that Jeff comes up with, Doyle has a perfectly innocent, corroborated answer--making it look more and more likely that Thorwald will escape justice.

• Unique Ability as it relates to Destiny:

As the photographer with a nose for trouble and the man on the scene, Jeff seems destined to repeat his success investigating this latest strife-torn scenario -- Thorwald's marriage -- and get another broken leg for his trouble.

• Critical Flaw as it relates to Truth:

Jeff's resolve to keep after Thorwald is challenged by Doyle's "truth" about what's going on:

JEFF

You know, for a minute, that Tom Doyle

almost had me convinced I was wrong.

LISA

But you're not?

His inability to tell Lisa the truth keeps him in the relationship:

JEFF

The only honest thing for me to do

is to call the whole thing off. Let her find

somebody else.

Lisa Fremont's THROUGHLINE:

Role:

Amorous fiancée

Description:

"We see her full facial beauty for the first time. It is a warm, intelligent face. [...] She is now in full figure, beautifully groomed and flawless. Her dress is high-style fashion and dramatic evening wear. [...] She does a professional model's turn in the dress showing off its features."

(Hayes, p.24-25)

Throughline Synopsis:

Lisa wants to marry Jeff. When she realizes he won't change to her style of living, she tries to adapt to his--and one way is by teaming up with him to go after Thorwald. She finds she has a flair for dangerous adventure, and risks her neck unthinkingly. In doing so, she proves to Jeff that she has an adventurous nature, even if she's still interested in high fashion when he's not looking.

Backstory:

Lisa's background is the diametric opposite of Jeff's:

JEFF

It's very simple. She belongs to that

[rarefied] atmosphere of Park Avenue,

expensive restaurants, and literary

cocktail parties.

• Domain as it relates to Mind:

Lisa is dogged in her position that love will find a way to overcome their differences in lifestyle. She seems determined to wear the trousers in her relationship with Jeff--not realizing that this may scare him off.

• Concern as it relates to Memory:

Lisa's determined to make an impact on Jeff:

LISA

Well, I'm going to make this

a week you'll never forget.

When Lisa finally believes Jeff's murder theory, she asks him to recollect the details:

LISA

Let's start from the beginning again, Jeff.

Tell me everything you saw --

and what you think it means.

• Range as it relates to Evidence:

Lisa won't believe Jeff's murder theory unless she see evidence herself. Then she actively collects evidence in partnership with Jeff.

• Counterpoint as it relates to Suspicion:

Initially, Lisa's wary of Jeff's obsession with Thorwald and the possibility of a murder; later, she's suspicious of Mrs. Thorwald's leaving without her jewelry.

• Thematic Conflict as it relates to Evidence vs. Suspicion:

Once Lisa sees Thorwald struggling with the trunk first hand, she's suspicious of him and no longer of Jeff's motivations. She teams up with Jeff and Stella to gather the evidence needed to entrap Thorwald. Evidence serves the Obstacle Character better.

• Problem as it relates to Change:

Lisa is driven to change Jeff's mind about marriage to her, and to persuade him that they can adapt to each other:

LISA

You... I can't fit in here -- You can't fit in there.

According to you, people should be born,

live, and die on the same spot--

JEFF

Shut up!

• Solution as it relates to Inertia:

If Lisa could learn to accept Jeff for who he is, instead of trying to change him into her ideal mate, he'd be more amenable to the ideal of marriage to her.

• Focus as it relates to Order:

Lisa wants to get Jeff into a more structured lifestyle, one that involves him being in one place with regular work--in short, marriage.

• Direction as it relates to Chaos:

Lisa tries to let a little of Jeff's chaotic lifestyle into her life. When she comes to stay over, she brings only one suitcase, even if it is one made by Mark Cross. At story's end, she dresses in uncharacteristic work clothes and reads a book on exploring the Himalayas.

• Stipulation as it relates to The Preconscious:

The more Lisa gives way to her impulses, particularly in solving the crime, the more she will impress Jeff and the less chance of her becoming just a faded memory to him. For example, finding nothing buried in the flower bed, Lisa remembers the wedding ring and unthinkingly rushes up the fire escape to look for it in Thorwald's apartment.

• Unique Ability as it relates to Falsehood:

Lisa's actively investigating a murder case--delivering notes, digging for evidence, entering the apartment, struggling with the murderer Thorwald, etc.--proves Jeff wrong in his determination that she's not cut out for an active, dangerous lifestyle such as his.

• Critical Flaw as it relates to Fate:

Lisa feels she may never marry her quarry, Jeff:

LISA

And besides, you're not up on your

private eye literature. When they're in trouble,

it's always their Girl Friday who gets them

out of it.

JEFF

Is she the girl that saves him from

the clutches of the seductiveshow girls,

and the over-passionate daughters of the rich?

LISA

The same.

JEFF

That's the one. Funny, he never ends up

marrying her, does he?. That is strange.

LISA

Weird.

ACT PROGRESSIONS:

The Objective Throughline Act Order:

• Objective Story Signpost #1 as it relates to Conceiving:

Jeff first gets the idea that Thorwald has evil in mind when he sees him venturing out into the rain with his suitcase at 1:55 a.m., putting his plans into action. Lisa and Stella don't buy into Jeff's theory.

• Objective Story Journey #1 from Conceiving to Being:

Once they buy Jeff's theory, Lisa and Stella's initial worry over Jeff's obsession turns into their volunteering to help him.

• Objective Story Signpost #2 as it relates to Being:

Lisa and Stella start to act like detectives, leaving the apartment to check out Thorwald's apartment and moving truck. Thorwald acts like his wife's still alive.

• Objective Story Journey #2 from Being to Becoming:

Thrilled by their role in the investigation, Lisa and Stella become more proactive and go further out on a limb for Jeff.

• Objective Story Signpost #3 as it relates to Becoming:

Lisa and Stella become active investigators, digging for evidence and searching Thorwald's apartment.

• Objective Story Journey #3 from Becoming to Conceptualizing:

Exposed as a burglar, Lisa desperately alerts Jeff (and Thorwald) to each other's presence, leading to the OS climax.

• Objective Story Signpost #4 as it relates to Conceptualizing:

Off Lisa's signal with the wedding ring, Thorwald scans the neighborhood, imagining somebody watching him. Cornered, Jeff comes up with flashbulbs as a visual warning device, and as a means of defense against Thorwald.

The Subjective Throughline Act Order:

• Subjective Story Signpost #1 as it relates to Understanding:

While Lisa can relate to how terrible it must be for Jeff to be cooped up for so long--

LISA

I couldn't think of anything more boring

and tiresome than what you've been through.

And the last week must be the hardest.

--she can't understand how their differing lifestyles can come between them:

LISA

It doesn't make sense. What's so different

about it here from over there,

or any place you go, that one person couldn't

live in both places just as easily?

• Subjective Story Journey #1 from Understanding to Doing:

Anxious to better understand the lifestyle Jeff inhabits, and appreciating his ideas about Thorwald, Lisa joins in his cause to uncover the truth.

• Subjective Story Signpost #2 as it relates to Doing:

Once Lisa believes Jeff's story, she partners up with him to watch Thorwald's activities.

• Subjective Story Journey #2 from Doing to Obtaining:

Excited by her new abilities, Lisa tries to gain Jeff's respect by taking risks.

• Subjective Story Signpost #3 as it relates to Obtaining:

As Jeff can't get his leg over to Thorwald's apartment, he lets his fiancée do the walking. When she's in danger collecting evidence, Jeff realizes how much he cares for (and needs) Lisa.

• Subjective Story Journey #3 from Obtaining to Learning:

After she experiences the thrill of the chase that Jeff so loves, Lisa seeks to know more.

• Subjective Story Signpost #4 as it relates to Learning:

Lisa now knows that taking an interest in Jeff's activities will bring them closer together. She tries to learn about exotic foreign lands from a book.

The Main Character Throughline Act Order:

• Main Character Signpost #1 as it relates to Progress:

Jeff's stuck in his apartment, not going anywhere. His career's on hold, while assignments pass him by.

• Main Character Journey #1 from Progress to The Future:

Frustrated by his stagnation, Jeff looks forward to what Thorwald will do next.

• Main Character Signpost #2 as it relates to The Future:

Jeff looks like he's going to be suckered into marriage unless he diverts attention elsewhere--such as toward Thorwald, who looks like he will get away with murder scot-free unless Jeff can stop him.

• Main Character Journey #2 from The Future to The Present:

Avoiding the prospect of marriage in his own future, Jeff spends all his hours looking out the rear window at Thorwald and the other neighbors.

• Main Character Signpost #3 as it relates to The Present:

Jeff stays up all night watching, trying to catch Thorwald in the one act that will prove his guilt.

• Main Character Journey #3 from The Present to The Past:

Wrapped up in the moment and concerned with Lisa's current predicament in jail, Jeff's lack of caution allows Thorwald to enter through his unlocked door opening up the possibility of Thorwald committing yet another murder.

• Main Character Signpost #4 as it relates to The Past:

In his life-and-death struggle with Thorwald, Jeff repeats his own past -- endangering himself while using his camera equipment -- by breaking the other leg.

The Obstacle Character Throughline Act Order:

• Obstacle Character Signpost #1 as it relates to Memory:

Lisa's determined to have an impact on Jeff's life:

LISA

Well, I'm going to make this

a week you'll never forget.

She wants to replace Jeff's cigarette box, along with its treasured memories, and bores him with her society calendar:

LISA

What a day I've had!

• Obstacle Character Journey #1 from Memory to The Preconscious:

Lisa moves on from trying to replace Jeff's memories of work with memories of her, to impulsively taking the step of believing in his wild murder theory.

• Obstacle Character Signpost #2 as it relates to The Preconscious:

Lisa tries to talk Jeff out of his "insane" theory about Thorwald, until she reacts to seeing him with the trunk herself:

"Lisa has looked up and out the window. She opens her mouth to answer, but a new look overtakes her face. It is concern, surprise, and a little shock." [...]

LISA

Let's start from the beginning again, Jeff.

Tell me everything you saw -- and what

you think it means.

(Hayes, p.66)

• Obstacle Character Journey #2 from The Preconscious to The Subconscious:

Once she's switched to Jeff's point of view, Lisa is ecstatic over her new adventures.

• Obstacle Character Signpost #3 as it relates to The Subconscious:

After putting on a negligée fails to entice Jeff into romance, Lisa channels her energies into helping Jeff by delivering the note:

"Lisa comes in, panting and flushed. She stands a second at the door, catching her breath, but smiling with the pleasure of sampling danger and escaping unharmed."

(Hayes, p. 130)

• Obstacle Character Journey #3 from The Subconscious to The Conscious:

Turned on by danger, Lisa contemplates more excitement at Jeff's side.

• Obstacle Character Signpost #4 as it relates to The Conscious:

Lisa sits watching over Jeff as he nods off. She considers what becoming part of his lifestyle would be like by reading a book on the Himalayas.

Miscellaneous Other Storytelling Items:

• All Concerns:

Jeff longs for his old active lifestyle. Lisa wants his memories to include her. When Jeff sees Thorwald implementing his murder plan, Lisa (along with Stella) teams up with Jeff to prove his theory correct and Doyle's ideas wrong.

• Master Plot Synopsis:

"L. B. Jeffries, nicknamed Jeff, is a news photographer who has been confined to a wheelchair by a broken leg. A man of action and adventure, Jeff finds he can best pass the time by watching the behavior of the neighbors in the courtyard of his Greenwich Village apartment complex. He becomes fascinated by one particular window until it slowly dawns on him that the man across the way, Lars Thorwald, has murdered his wife. Jeff's fiancée, Lisa Fremont, at first is disbelieving and scoffs that he has to look into other people's windows for excitement. Soon, however, she becomes interested and when she finds incriminating evidence she too believes that Lars has killed his wife. Together, Lisa and Jeff try to convince Tom Doyle, a detective friend, but in the true tradition of Hitchcock policemen, he proves to be pigheaded. Stella, Jeff's nurse, warns the invalid to watch out by relating grisly stories about other murders. Lars finds out he is being watched and comes into Jeff's apartment to kill him. In a cliffhanging climax, Jeff is saved just in time, but not before his other leg is broken."

(Harris & Lasky, p.166.)

• Master Theme Synopsis:

"Hitchcock has always been the voyeur, his camera the Peeping Tom, the audience's eyes. With Rear Window he exploited our weakness for wanting to know our neighbors' business. [...] Hitchcock places us in [Jeff's] shoes and we become just as much a voyeur as he. We relish it. The sharp reality that we are all voyeurs stings us when we realize what we have done. Hitchcock manipulated our emotions, making us sympathize with [Jeff] and designing the film so that his eyes are our eyes."

(Harris & Lasky, p. 166-7.)

• Subjective Character Synopsis:

"Grace Kelly portrays [Lisa] a jet-setter with rich tastes, empty ideals and, underneath, simple human desires. [James] Stewart represents [Jeff] the crusader, the person who helps even if he has to force his help upon you [...]" (Harris & Lasky, p.168) Though seemingly mismatched, they stand every chance of future happiness together, especially in comparison to the individuals and couples seen out of Jeff's rear window.

• Master Character Synopsis:

Jeff's an outdoors type who fears marriage will tame him and make his life routine and dull, so he's resistant to Lisa's advances. She's a city type who's used to high fashion society, and wishes Jeff would join her. But when she realizes that that world's not for Jeff, she's prepared to do anything to get her man. Marriage is seen as the desired state not only by Lisa, but also as expressed by Jeff's boss Gunnison, happily married nurse Stella, and even the ambivalent Doyle. Out of Jeff's rear window, they get to watch a microcosm of the world of romance -- singles dating, a honeymoon couple, a lonely spinster, etc. -- including one particularly unhappy marriage, the Thorwalds, where the husband kills the nagging wife and is escaping with his mistress. This is an unacceptable state of affairs, the story problem that all the characters come together to solve.