In Alfred Hitchcock’s film, Rear Window, a proverb that arguably symbolizes one of the major emotions within the film is “Misery Loves Company”. Jeff (James Stewart) is a photographer who can’t work for the time being due to a broken leg he received that put him out of work for seven weeks. Being chair-ridden Jeff spends the bulk of his time observing his fellow neighbors in the open apartment block. As time progress Jeff becomes an expert at memorizing his neighbors’ routines and patterns and eventually he begin to read their emotions and feel a sense of bliss when he realizes that he was not the only person who was unhappy with the situation that he is in. An example of this can be seen with Jeffs reaction to seeing the lonely woman at the bottom floor across from his apartment. Despite being alone she prepares a candle lit dinner and wine for two people. As she prepares the table, she happily sits down and holds her wine glass up in cheers to an imaginary person and then bursts into tears. Jeff, seeing all this from his window bids her cheers with his cup despite that she can’t see him. In a way, Jeff’s emotional expression represent his attitude of “I know how you feel” and it arguably seems to give him degree of comfort someone else is suffering in a way that is similar to his. Another example of Jeff expressing emotions that show he’s glad others are as discontent with their lives as himself is on the same night when he stares at the young woman across from him and sees that she is entertaining three men at the same time. When Lisa (Grace Kelly) looks on as well, she tells him that the woman doesn’t love any of the men that she has over. Hearing this realization seems to give Jeff a bit of conciliation because, like him, the young woman is also quite lonely which is why she invites as many people over as she does. This shows how the proverb “Misery Loves Company” can arguably describe one of the major recurring feelings that Jeff and sometimes Lisa and Stella (Thelma Ritter) express throughout the film.
There are several noticeable aspects of Mis-En-Scene that occur throughout the film. One of the most noticeable ones is the use of a prosthetic cast on Jeff’s leg. The cast reveals Jeff’s incapacitation and, in a way, it fuels his lonesome emotions because it is the primary reason that he can’t resume his work of being a photographer. Another aspect of Mis-En-Scene that is quite noticeable in the film is the props like the wheelchair, Jeff’s binoculars and the dog lever. They all show how the neighborhood is in a sort of synchronized pattern. A third aspect of Mis-En-Scene is Lisa’s makeup and dresses which show her tastes and expectations for the life she intends to live. Her appearance is almost the exact opposite of Jeff’s who is usually wearing night clothes all the time and has a much more haggard look. The difference between their attire reflects feelings of optimism and pessimism and shows how the are somewhat drawn to each other’s differences in both tastes and attitudes regarding life.
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