Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Rear Window Dressing

This entry is for JUNIORS ONLY.


Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window and Rose's 12 Angry Men have something in common: they both explore the idea of looking out the window and seeing a crime and not being positive just what it was you saw.



L.B. Jeffries asks himself, "He might have gotten ahold of something when he said that was pretty private stuff going on out there. I wonder if it is ethical to watch a man with binoculars and a long-focus lens. Do you, do you suppose it's ethical even if you prove that he didn't commit a crime?"

So, is it "ethical" to watch people through the window? Why or why not? If one does see something through the window of a private residence, is it fair and ethical to make a judgement call regarding what you just might have or have not seen?

In a thoughtful, thorough paragraph, answer the question. Be sure to use specific examples to prove your claim, either from the film or from other sources.


Extra Credit!

In the comments below, discuss whether or not you enjoyed the movie. What aspects did you like best? The music? The characters? The acting? The cinematography? The story? Does the movie still hold up? If not, why? Do you want to see more Hitchcock, or have you had enough?

Please write grammatically and thoughtfully. Remember to post your name so you can get credit.

Also, feel free to comment on your peers' comments. Do you agree or disagree with them? Why?

70 comments:

  1. well the movie was okay,to me it kinda drag a little bit with the suspense ut it was still a good movie

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  2. I really liked the movie. The reason I liked it was because it was set in the apartment the whole time. It really reminded me of a Seinfeld episode where the whole episode is set in a chinese restaurant. It seems really hard to keep it in one set the whole time. There has to be great dialogue for that to happen. Overall, it was a great movie

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  3. I thought that The Rear Window was a great movie. What I liked most about it, was how the whole movie was filmed out of the man's apartment because it shows us the crime through his eyes.

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  4. I thought Rear Window was a great movie because it had very intresting characters and reminded me of the movie Disturbia. I also liked how the whole movie was shot in one place because it made the movie intresting to see how one person could see into everyone elses window.

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  5. I thouoght the movie was good only for the reason that it was good compared to the other movie of its time.

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  6. I agree with Erica this movie reminded me of Disturbia. I thought it was a great movie. At first I thought it was a wierd movie, but as the movie kept going I ended up really liking how it caught my attention. This movie is really good at geting people's attention, which is why it is such a great movie because it was from a while ago, but still managed to get teenagers attention. But then again I did not really like the ending. I feel like the ending could have been a lot better than it was. I would not mind watchinga another movie by Mr. Hitchcock, I would like to see more of his work.

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  7. I really liked this movie. What was intersting was that the movie took place only in the apartment, yet you were able to see everyhthing going on outside. I also liked it because I like watching old movies.

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  8. I thought that Rear Window was a pretty good movie. The acting was great and it was just really interesting how he suspected all of that just by looking out his window and he ended up being right the whole time and the story was good. What i didn't like so much was some of the music and that the movie took place in only an apartment room. So overall i think that it was a good movie.

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  9. I thought the movie was very interesting and good. I also thought it was cool watching the movie that Disturbia made a remake to. I liked this movie because I think the story is really cool and if that were to really happen I think it would be a really cool, scary, and sad thing to happen.

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  10. I think that the moive was boring in the begining but when there was more action near the end I was really paying attention. I liked the actors. Their acting was better than I expected. I thought it was going to be a dumb movie but I was wrong. i really liked how the setting was in the apartment because it showed me how so much can happen in such a small place.

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  11. I really liked this movie because it also reminded me of disturbia and thats one of my favorite movies. Although this movie is old, it has great acting. The characters were awesome and the set was cool. Today we are used to movie sets being huge and a variety of sets but in this movie it all took place in the apartment. I thought that was very cool. I think the movie got my most attention near the end. Overall it was a good movie and i would recommend it for other people to watch.

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  12. I actually really liked it, i think its because i really like disturbia and this is basicly the same movie, but i also liked seeing an older version of a movie i like because you can see how much technology has advance in movies since then.

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  13. I thought that Rear Window was a great movie because it had crime, romance, mystery, and thriller all in one. This movie really got the whole classes attention during the end. We all didnt know what was going to happen to Jeff, Lisa, and the nurse. I thought the ending was pretty funny when both of his legs are in a cast now. I would not mind watching another movie by Mr. Hitchcock. I think this movie was great and I wouldnt doubt his other movies would not good.

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  14. I really enjoyed the movie. It wasn’t like the old movies I’ve seen. The other old movies were kind of dull but this one was suspenseful. The acting was very good in some ways it is better than some acting modern day acting. The story was creative. I would like to see some more Hitchcock movies.

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  15. I have never seen Rear Window before, but I really enjoyed it. I don't watch much old movies, but this was a nice change. I think that the movie holds up still today because there is nothing like a classic. I have watched Disturbia and thought it was ok, but this was way better. Grace Kelly is probably my favorite character she is so glamorous. The movie was filled with suspense, and I love a mystery. I would love to see more movies by Hitchcock. It is good for people to appreciate some of the amazing work created in our past. Not many people from my generation know a lot of his work it is good to expand our horizons.

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  16. I enjoyed watching this movie. It has good thesis, shown above. Also, the movie was good even though it was really old.

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  17. I enjoyed the movie to an extent. I rarely enjoy movies that were made in the 1950's but I think this one was good. The part the I enjoyed the best was at the end where the killer walked into the room and you could only see his body figure. That was actually very suspenseful and was better than most scary movies today. I also liked the view he had on all the neighbors how it panned from window to window. Another thing I liked was the actors, it wasn't bad acting it seemed like it was a real situation with people's reactions. Overall I really liked the movie and I would recommend it to people.

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  18. i really liked the movie it was pretty intresting i liked the part where the guy was trying to kill him and fell out of the window and ended up with 2 broken legs. also the part where the lady who dances alot his boyfrined came and he ended being some short military guy and she was a tall pretty blond lady i thought that was pretty funny

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  19. I really thought this movie was interesting and funny at times. The main reason why I enjoyed it so much was because the whole time I watched it I thought about the movie Disturbia and how it connected to Rear Window. At times the woman who took care of the man would crack a few jokes once and awhile. I thought that was pretty funny. I am usually not a fan of older movies like that but I really enjoyed the plot. It had all kinds of twists and turns.

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  20. I thought the movie was great from beginning to end. I thought it was neat to get to know about the neighbors in the movie

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  21. i liked this movie
    it was a good movie.
    but i only saw like the first 40 minutes of the movie and at first it was a little boring but then toward the middle the movie got better and ti got my attention

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  22. i think it was a good movie it reminded me of the movie disturbia. the part i like was when instead of shooting or hitting the guy he was taking pictures of him. lol

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  23. The movie was boaring at first but if you keep watching it you get into it

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  24. I enjoyed the movie. My first oppinion to the movie was that it is going to be very boring, but as the film progressed i found it very interesting and entertaining to watch. Although i though it was very creepy how L.B. would stare out his window at his neighbors it set up a very good story line and i enjoyed it very much.

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  25. I THOUGHT THIS MOVIE WAS REALLY NOT MY TYPE OF MOVIE I WATCHED THE FIRST COUPLE MINUTES OF IT AND I THOUGH IT WAS BORING. I WILL NEVER RECOMEND THIS MOVIE TO ANY OF MY FRIENDS. I THINK I SHOULD'VE WATCHED THE REST AND MAYBE IT WOULD'VE CHANGE MY THOUGHT.

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  26. this movie kind of reminds me of perfect stranger with Halle Berry and Bruce Willis in a senses thats someone is all ways watching you. Rear window is a movie that i couldn't watch to much. I kept wondering how jeffries and the rich lady met. i also wish it wasn't just focused on jeffries but it was ok.

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  27. I thought the movie started out a little slow. As time progressed it became more interesting. I liked the actors and plot of the story. It was similiar to the movie Disturbia. Suspenseful movies are very interesting which is what I liked about the movie "Rear Window".

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  28. I thought this movie was really good. It was a lot better then i thought because when I think of old movies I think of bad acting with no plot. However this one had really good acting and a good plot. It had a little bit of everything which was great. The only thing was that it took a while to take off and get going. Other than that great movie!

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  29. i agree with luis its speed is kinda slow.Luis watch the rest of the moie

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  30. i thought that the movie was going to be really bad because it took a while to start out in the main point of the movie. i didnt really like the beging of the movie but i mostly liked the ending when most of the excitment and drama was going on. it was a really good movie and i would like to see more movies like the "Rear window".

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  31. This was a good movie. The only part that annoyed me about it was that the setting stayed the same the whole time.

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  32. i think you would have liked it luis if you saw the whole movie especially when the main charecter used a camera as a weapon

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  33. i'm bad at typinng i hvave 2 mistakes

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  34. Eli was right ths was like the movie perfect stranger because they both had a murder that accured and someone saw it through the window.

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  35. I like the movie because was full of mystery and excitement. It reminded me of the movie Disturbia because they had a similar set up. Over all the movie was good because it was very entraining seeing how all the different characters end up. I like the ending because it concluded how all the characters were, also how in the end they all ended up being happy. The ending also kind of reminded me of how Disturbia ended and I like both of the ending of the movies.

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  36. all of these comments are saying that if you keep watching it i starts to get better i think now i should end all the movies i start watching.for example roy and horacio and some other students said it gets better.

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  37. David Blau says "It reminded me of the Seinfold episode of when they are in the Chinese restaurant, it is filmed in one scene." I saw that episode too and I didn't even think about how it was filmed only in the appartment. I thought that was interesting as well.

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  38. I agree with julie even that the movie took place in one building you could still see everything that was happenning outside

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  39. I agree with Michael Americus in the beginning of the movie I thought it went very slow. I thought that it was kind of boring at first. By the end after the dog was killed it started to become good.

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  40. I thought the movie was alright. It wasn't a movie that I would want to watch. The movie wasn't boring or that interesting. However, it had a good ending. It was funny and not expected. I didn't really see him ending up with two broken legs.

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  41. I thought the movie was a pretty good movie. I am not a big fan of old movies but this one was good. I agree with the people that say it started off boring because it did to me but towards the middle it got better. I like how at the end when the neighbor was trying to push the other one out this window, he fell all slow motion about it. That was the best part of the movie and funniest. I would like to watch another Hitchcock movie! (:

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  42. I agree with Suzie it reminded me a lot a Disturbia which might be why i liked it because Disturbia is one of my favorite movies

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  43. David said, "The reason I liked it was because it was set in the apartment the whole time. It really reminded me of a Seinfeld episode where the whole episode is set in a chinese restaurant." I agree. In fact, I think that sometimes such restrictions - like a whole movie has to take place in one location - can actually make an author MORE creative.

    It reminds me of a movie entitled Cube. AFive strangers wake up in a room they've never seen before. They don't know how they got there. There are six doors in the room - one on each wall and one on the floor and the ceiling. Each door leads to an identical room. Only some rooms are death traps. They have no food or water, so they have to get out. They whole movie was thus filmed in one room.

    It also reminds me of the new movie Burried, about the guy burried alive in a coffin. They say the whole movie takes place in the coffin, although I haven't seen it yet. Anybody?

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  44. Daniella said, "I have watched Disturbia and thought it was ok, but this was way better." I agree, but I'm curious who else agrees. And, most importantly, why?

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  45. Robert said, " I rarely enjoy movies that were made in the 1950's." What other old movies have you guys seen, and which ones did you like and dislike?

    What is your favorite movie made before 1980?

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  46. i thought the movie was really good. i liked how there was some action in the movie but it would have been better if it wasnt just in the apartments like evan said also the music was a little too old. but overall it was a REALLY good moviee that ive seen in an english class.i alos like how some of us can relate to the movie.

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  47. i agree with michelle when someone watches the movie, it kinda boring in the beginning but it gets really interesting in the middle and mostly all the movies are like that now a days.

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  48. i disagree with david. like who would like a movie to be just in one place ?
    i think it would be alot more interesting if it was in different place and not just one but they did a good job getting our attention.
    & yeah i agree with ericka i think it was really interesting how you could see what everyone else was doing in just one apartment

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  49. This movie was very good in my thought. I loved all the dramtically suspense and the music and how they linked in with each other. i enjoyed the actors. i would love to see more movies like this. i also enjoyed how the who movie was based on on area. i have become a hithcock fan.

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  50. I agree with everyone who said the movie was good. I thought it was a good movie. I want to see it again or even get the movie on blu-ray. I liked the part when he fell of the building.

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  51. I agree with Drew Gibson. I really loved the suspense in the movie. The acting was decent. The only scene that bothered me was when he fell out the window. Disturbia is also one of my favorite movies, so I was happy I could compare the two movies against one another. I would love to see more Hitchcock movies in the future. The only thing I wished was more exciting is everything that led up to the very end. The last ten minutes was the most agonizing.

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  52. I THINK THAT THE MOVIE STARTS OFF VERY VERY BORING AND SOME WHAT GETS BETTER.. I THINK I WOULD WANNA WATCH MORE MOVIES LIKE THIS BUT ONLY IF ITS REQUIRED TO WATCH FOR CLASS.

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  53. I thought that the movie was very good. I liked the suspense of it. I reminded me of the movie Disturbia too, because both of the main characters were stuck in a their houses and had to find a way to amuse theirselves. I'd definitely like to watch another Alfred Hitchcock movie to see what other types of movies he does.

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  54. I personally enjoyed the movie very much. Mostly because of the older aspects of the film. One of the things I liked most about the movie was that the tension in the end of the movie was so heightened that I could barely stand to sit in my seat .I definatly plan to watch more of this directors movies. he surly turned out to be the master of sespence. however, one thing i feel compeled to mention was the slow pace of story during the begining but becides that i enjoyed it.

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  55. i liked the movie a lot. The suspence and the acting was very well done. Its cool that eventhough the whole story took place in one room,it still made it very interesting.

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  56. Agreed with Michael Americus. Overall I really enjoy suspenful movies. One of my all time favorite movies was " Disturbia " and "Rear Window" has alot of similarities. One of my favorite things about this movie was when Jeff was trying to keep the murderer away from him with the flash. I thought it was really funny and smart.

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  57. i thought the movie was great it had so much suspense without alot of moving just a plain guy with nothing to do but watch his neighbors as this innocent act started it became an obession in matter of days. i loved how his theories became more unbelievable it made the viewer think and plus no shaky camera it can cause so much headache's to be honest. but either way great movie and yes Mr.Cowlin the lady was gorgeous.

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  58. I thought the movie was kind of cool in the sense of the camera angles and lighting, like how you just kind of see what everyone is doing all the time and they all have unique personalities and behaviours. It is just interesting in that way that there is character development in the other apartments but is all visual I thought it made it a unique movie

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  59. I thought the movie was pretty good, I defiantly wouldnt watch it at home. But a pretty solid school movie I would say.

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  60. I AGREE WITH DAVID DELOYA THAT MR. COWLINS LADY WAS VERY GORGEOUS

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  61. I AGREE WITH BILLY THAT THE WAS MOVIE WAS GOOD

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  62. I was curious of the plot before the movie ended so I checked out the IMDB and the wiki for Rear Window and it listed some interesting facts such as all that the whole dialog for the movie was recorded directly from the camera.This I found amazing for it was crisp and clear to hear. I also enjoyed this movie because it reminded me of The Andy Griffith show, because of th styling in which the movie was done.
    Dan Nocek

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  63. I think the movie was preety cool. The movie had alot of points about life. I think the movie can teach you a little about how to act to your neighbors and how you could become a good friend to them.

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  64. @jasmin Del Rio: yeah i loved how the killer kept walking towards Jeff getting blinded by flashes i call Cheap Defense haha

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  65. I thought the movie was very interesting. i liked the actors, especially Grace Kelly. I would want to watch more Hitchcock movies

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  66. Towards the end the movie it really kept me on the edge of my seat, literally. Sitting in class trying to figure out what was going to happen next was torture. I understand that the whole fast forwarding thing was to have a bigger affect and make it more interesting, but it was funny to because I havn't seen that before.Other than it seeming like it dragged out a little bit I would like to see more Hitchcock movies.

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  67. This movie was pretty good. I thought that story itself was good. Also, I liked the part where Jeff was trying to defend himself by using flash lights

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  68. I really liked the movie. I dont usually like older movies, but this one was different. I liked how it was a murder mystery, how there were so many characters and how they were all so differnt. Most old movies, in my opinion at least, seem pretty cheesey.

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