Download Once Upon a Feminine Intuition: Rear Window by Haley Martens

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Haley Martens
Professor Reed
English Seminar
17 January 2006
Once Upon a Feminine Intuition: Rear Window
In the fires of jeeps, combat boots, and three-day beards, female roles rise through the
ashes. Painted as dangerous figures, the women of Rear Window play on their strong point,
which is not so much their sexuality, but their knowledge. A response to Alfred Hitchcock’s
Rear Window written by an unknown author on Epionions.com supports the idea of dominant
females, which with I agree. The women in Rear Window prove to be “sexually intelligent,”
displaying that knowledge and feminine intuition are not so much a fairy tale.
Alfred Hitchcock’s psychological thriller commences with L.B. Jeffries (James Stewart),
a stationary by wheelchair man who broke his leg in the line of duty: photography that is.
Confined to his wheelchair during a city heat wave, Jeffries has nothing to do but stare of the
rear window of his apartment all day. He later begins to believe that across the way, Lars
Thorwald (Raymond Burr) has murdered his wife, Mrs. Thorwald. With the help of his female
counterpart, Jeffries’ beautiful girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly), he pursues a case bigger than he
imagines.
In “Subverting Traditional Gender Roles and the Noir: Hitchcock’s Rear Window,”1 the
author discusses in great detail the roles of Lisa Carol Freemont and Stella, the care giver to Jeff.
First is Lisa, the amazingly, angelic beauty. She is the epitome of a woman with her silky,
blonde hair, red rose lips, snow white skin, and a necklace of pearls. Second is Stella, not so
much the beauty, but rather the brains when she predicts trouble, advising Jeff to keep his eyes
1
This article can be found at <http://www.epinions.com/content_11398975108>.
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from wandering. Together, the two “feminine fatales” achieve the traditional masculine role in
noir films. It is truly the feminine intuition, which Jeffries refers to as a fairy tale that solves the
mystery of Mrs. Thorwald’s death and saves Jeff from a similar fate. As stated in “Subverting
Gender Roles,” the author makes the point that, “…she [Lisa] has robbed noir of its masculine
problem solver/white knight by being the active solver, and savior” (par 7).
Throughout Rear Window, the reoccurring theme of that intelligence, which women seem
to have and which men do not, seems to threaten the “light” in which males are portrayed.
Alfred Hitchcock, as noted by the Epinions articles, plays with light substantially with regards to
gender roles. Light, often a symbol of the truth and knowledge is associated with Lisa. She is
the one who is always turning the lights on in Jeff’s apartment, opposed to Jeff who always
moves into the shadow, symbolizing ignorance. The play on light helps to exemplify the female
intuitive dominance regarding re-gendering noir roles.
The finale of Rear Window really displays the re-gendering of noir roles, and the idea of
women being “sexually intelligent.” Despite her feminine dress throughout the film, we find
Lisa Freemont in the final scene of the picture in masculine clothing. The concept of Lisa being
sexually attractive throughout Rear Window is not lost on viewers because of the drastic change
in wardrobe because she is not so much physically appealing, but rather mentally aware. Lisa
Freemont, as described by the author as, “Realistically, it is not that the female is sexually
attractive to the male, but that the female is aware of her sexuality, and intelligence and brazen
enough to use that knowledge to her advantage tat makes her a threat” (par 5). This final scene
proves that Lisa has become aware of her sexuality confirming the belief that she is “sexually
intelligent.”
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Rear Window is truly one of many of Alfred Hitchcock’s classics, and this has always
been one of my favorites. Although the predominating plot of the movie is the mysterious
murder of Mrs. Thorwald, the underlying implications of gender portrayed by Jeff, Lisa, and
Stella are fascinating. Alfred Hitchcock is of course the “Master of Suspense,” and the story of
Rear Window is no exception. With its gendered theme, he accurately portrays the “sexually
intelligent” aspect of women. Hitchcock shows that the feminine intuition of fairy tales is still
very much a reality.