In Rear Window Hitchcock purposes a process through which people gain more satisfaction from viewing than living. Jeffries is a photographer who landed himself in a leg cast due to an accident. To entertain himself he watches out his rear window the people the surround him and it becomes an obsession. Their lives become more important than his. After all, they are vital and mobile; he is trapped. It is like the camera is trapped within the confines of his room, never venturing outside. Hitchcock tells the story through Jeffries view. We are given peeks into the rooms of many of Jeffries' unknowing neighbors: Miss Torso, Miss Lonelyhearts , Thorwald and his wife, a songwriter, the newlyweds, and a local busybody. Even though many of them never interact with Jeffries, except as an object for him to watch we still become curiously engaged by their personal stories.
Jeffries girlfriend, Lisa is young, beautiful and successful, which seems to intimidate him. They didn’t really have much in common, but it was made clear that she had very strong feelings for him. When she tried to being up taking the relationship further he would change the subject. He fumbles for reasons why she wouldn't make a good wife, the only fault he can find is that she's "too perfect, too talented, too beautiful, and too sophisticated." The newlyweds related to their relationship by possibly reflecting their relationship’s possible future. He was scared of commitment. But then again he notices Miss Lonelyhearts and how lonely she is and that’s not what he wants either. Miss Torso, that dancer, is a beautiful woman that fights off men everywhere she goes trying to find the right person.
One day, Jeffries observes something that forces him to abandon his safe, cocooned role as a spectator and become a participant. Mr. Lars Thorwald and his nagging wife were one of the main characters that Jeffries watched constantly. That was not what he wanted in a relationship. He sees or thinks he sees one of his neighbors, Thorwald, commit a murder. However, with restricted mobility Jeffries can only watch through his rear window as Lisa puts herself in harm's way, and, when danger strikes, he is helpless to go to her rescue. This is when he realizes that she does mean more to him and starts to fall more in love with her.
The second part of the movie is constant to the murderous act. For the most part, we see only what Jeffries sees, but, in one critical scene that determines the issue of whether or not there was a murder, Hitchcock allows us to observe an incident that occurs while Jeffries is asleep. It is when Jefferis and Lisa team up to investigate the murder that Hitchcock increases the tension. Practically the entire film is shown through Jeffries' window, including when Lisa sneaks into the killer's apartment. When the neighbor returns to the apartment the tension multiplies and we can feel the powerlessness because all we can do is watch due to Jeffries’ restricted mobility. In Jeff's rear window world, each story is resolved: Miss Torso is reunited with her boyfriend, Miss Lonelyhearts hooks up with the songwriter, whose music prevents her from committing suicide, Thorwald apartments are being repainted, the newly-weds are beginning to have marital friction.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Glengarry Glen Ross
When I read or watched something with bad language I think that it is an unnecessary accessory and automatically makes you look like a person that doesn’t deserve respect, but when I got into Glengarry Glen Ross I started to understand the strategies and issues that were coming about I though that it’s probably really like that in the real world of sales. I think that Mamet's use of profanity in the play has a reason and it is not just simply gratuitous. I think he used profanity to let the reader know how strongly the men felt about their job and how in depth the job was in the sense of interfering with their lives. The business of sales is a nasty job and I think he did a good job if showing that in the play and the movie. I realized the business was greedy and cruel when I was reading through the play and noticed all the profanity that was being used. These men were ruthless and would do anything to get ahead in the game. During the movie when we got to know these characters they lied, stole, and tried to bribe others. The foul language helped get this point across very quickly. It seemed as if the men would use anything for their excuses to getting ahead. But if you think about it and imagine a world where time is money and its basically sell or no pay. These men had to live on a sell by sell pay check, so they would do what they had to to put food on the table, shelter over their heads, and clothes on their backs.
I think profanity played as a sense of masculinity. They wanted seem like the top dog and act untouchable, it gives them a feeling of empowerment. By doing this it played physiological games with the others. For instance, Roma talked the talked but then he also walked the walk, so when he talked people listened and it gave him a step up. Therefore when Shelly made a sale he began to show out and let the competition know he was there and making a come back. When the men felt superior it gave the confidence that their work would succeed.
I think profanity played as a sense of masculinity. They wanted seem like the top dog and act untouchable, it gives them a feeling of empowerment. By doing this it played physiological games with the others. For instance, Roma talked the talked but then he also walked the walk, so when he talked people listened and it gave him a step up. Therefore when Shelly made a sale he began to show out and let the competition know he was there and making a come back. When the men felt superior it gave the confidence that their work would succeed.
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