2022/06/14 by Robert Panners
#Hitchcock #cinematography #film studies. #point-of-view shot
paper · doi:10.5526/esj112
This essay is an exploration of the reasons why Alfred Hitchcock relies on the use of the point-of-view shot in his suspense thriller Rear Window. The essay suggests that Hitchcock uses this particular shot to mimic our own objectifying gazes. It draws on the views of critics including Mulvey, Sallitt and Modleski and discusses some of their ideas in relation to the point-of-view shot, including ideas to do with the pleasure of looking (scopophillia), and psychological subjectivity. A number of extracts from their works are looked at and analyzed to identify possible explanations for Hitchcock’s heavy reliance on the point-of-view shot in the film. The main conclusions of the essay show that the point-of-view shot is often used to obtain maximum emotional impact from the audience and to exploit their fascination with the voyeuristic and the erotic.