Rear Window - Amber Merrell

One aspect of Rear Window’s sound that I find interesting is the use of music. Even though there is no non-diegetic background music, there is an emphasis on music in the film. For instance, towards the beginning of the movie, just before we are introduced to Lisa for the first time, there is a scene of the courtyard in which the residents are just beginning to wake up for the morning. In the mix of noises from the city and people’s voices, we hear a woman warming up her voice to the tune of a piano. In addition, there are multiple moments in the film that highlight the pianist’s apartment and his music. The sound of his song even stops Miss Lonelyhearts from committing suicide. In this way, Hitchcock is able to keep music in the film even though it was entirely diegetic. To me, this seems to suggest that life itself has music enough for its own soundtrack and that additional background music is not needed. Sometimes the sounds of life itself are the best to convey meaning.

Hitchcock also uses a lack of background music to enhance the suspense of the film. Many movies use music to set the tone and feeling for each scene. Very scary or suspenseful scenes use dramatic, sometimes creepy music to make the audience feel on edge or uncomfortable. In Rear Window, however Hitchcock uses natural sound that is heard by the audience and characters alike to build suspense and curiosity. Towards the end of the movie, for instance, there is music coming from the pianist’s apartment as Lisa breaks into Thorwald’s flat. This music is not at all the kind of tempo and style that we would expect from typical background music in a dramatic scene such as this. The music is more light-hearted and slower than the actions taking place. This unmatched music seems to mask the frightening and violent interactions between Lisa and Thorwald. It shows how something in plain view, since the blinds are open, can go unnoticed because the “soundtrack” that is playing in each individuals’ own life drowns out other things.

Near silence also helps to build suspense in a natural way. After Jeff gets off of the phone with Doyle, there is no noise besides that of traffic in the streets. The silence is eerie and makes the audience and the characters paranoid and frightened. Footsteps are heard soon after in the stairwell. No background music is needed to build suspense as we wait for an appearance at the door.