An Introduction to Film

Impressive mise-en-scène for Hitchcock’s Rear

WindowIn Rear Window, director Alfred Hitchcock literally

sets the stage by raising three bamboo window blinds one by

one as the credits roll [1]. The principal mise-en-scène of the

movie looks very much like a stage set; in fact, the single set

was built to actual size——rising five stories——and filled

one of the biggest soundstages on the studio lot. When

completed, it included thirty-one individual apartments,

twelve of them fully furnished, around a central courtyard

[2], creating a memorable likeness of Greenwich Village in

the early 1950s. The scope of this wonderful set permits the

main character——Jeff Jefferies (James Stewart), who is

temporarily immobilized in a wheelchair——to observe the

activities of most of his neighbors. Indeed, there is little else

he can do with his time. What we see is what he sees. Jeff

becomes particularly interested in a married couple, seen

here in their large apartment [3]. Lars Thorwald is in the

kitchen (left) preparing a meal for his wife, a nagging invalid,

who is in the bedroom (right). Over the next few days, Jeff

will become preoccupied with Thorwald’s behavior. His

suspicions eventually lead to the police arresting Thorwald

for the murder of his wife. There are also less suspenseful

things to occupy Jeff’s voyeurism. Part of this courtyard

complex is a small house with a terrace [4], where Jeff sees

a young woman——Miss Torso, a dancer——entertaining several

male friends. At the same time, the expansive set enables

him to look through a passageway (far left) at people walking

on a street. The street lamp and the human activity not only

add the illusion of spatial depth, but also confirm that there

is a world outside the courtyard.

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of quadrilles, mazurkas, and waltzes. Visconti’s care

with the minute details of the decor, costumes, and

characters’ relationship to this environment is true

to the time, space, and rhythm of life in the period.

The prince wanders from room to room, greeting

old friends, reflecting on change. His only moment

of real engagement in this sweepingly romantic

ball is the powerful moment when he dances a waltz

with Angelica (Claudia Cardinale), the fiancée of

Tancredi (Alain Delon), the prince’s nephew. The

daughter of a crude but wealthy bourgeois, Angelica

is unquestionably the most beautiful woman in the

WHAT IS MISE-EN-SCÈNE? 175