Throwing Gender Roles Out of the Rear Window

     This film takes place in the 50’s. There are two classes predominantly shown in the film. Jeff demonstrates the middle class society being a photographer in a small town and Lisa represents the high class society being an expert in fashion, on great terms with important people, and being very wealthy.

     The values and beliefs derive from the role of women, clichés, and stereotypes of the 1950’s. Lisa is thought to be the image of perfection, being pretty, smart, and giving up her lifestyle to settle down with Jeff. In present day, the standards have changed, gender has been redefined, and gender roles have almost been eliminated. In the 1950’s women were expected to focus on domestic duties and assist in homemaking, where as now we much much more freedom, rights and this role is not expected any longer. We have advanced and come a long way from that decade.

    The social expectation of the 50’s revolves around gender roles. Men were expected to be masculine, but also be able to settle down and start a family. Jeff as a photographer must go out in harsh climates and sleep in rough conditions, and argues with Lisa how she could never do his job because she is too feminine and fragile. There were set cookie cutter standards that were followed and almost never questioned. Women were expected to cater to a man’s every will, while also keeping their femininity. The nurse in this film seems to depict this sort of standard, but Lisa, however, almost breaks the role by jumping into Jeff’s life and getting involved in his adventures.

    This work does convey notions of power and dominance and this is portrayed through the murderer and his wife. In the film, it seems as if the wife is gaining power over her husband because she is sick and he must tend to her every need. It is clear that this frustrates the husband, getting in many disputes with his wife. We never actually ever hear the conversation, but it is implied in their actions. In the end, the man ends up murdering his wife and it seems as if this was an quick act to regain his dominance and almost prove his masculinity.


    I identify as a feminist,

so having feminist views definitely affected my interpretation of this movie. I think being aware of the oppression of women today and in the past helped pick out the gender roles in the film, and helped me easily identify the gender interpretive framework.

...............................The Fragile Juice Box............................

Isolation
(ELS: The camera is very far away from our subject, and this establishes our scene)

Pondering

(LS: The camera begins to zoom, but
there is still a considerable distance from the subject.)

Uncomfort
(MS: The shot is waist-up, background is visible)

Quick Thinking
(CU: The camera is quite close to the subject,
it shows the expression of the subject clearly)

Rumble
(Torso: The shot only shows the torso of the subject)

A Feel of The Place
(4 Panel Sequence: Showing rhe scene around the room without
using words gives the whole picture a certain mood and feel) 

I C U
(Over-The-Shoulder: This shot shows the perspective
from the shoulder of the subject,
its used to frame the image
 the camera is pointing towards)

 Warm Welcome

(Eye Level: Located at normal eye level of the subject, 

shows the perspective of the subject)

Seething Stare
(ECU: Much closer than a close-up, shows much detail)

This is also a cutaway shot, cutting and alternating from the perspectives of the subjects.


Come And Get It
(HA: Camera is positioned above the subject, looking down,.
It gives the picture a dramatic appeal)

What Are You Waiting For?
(LA: Camera is positioned below the subject, looking up)

Together, We Are One
(Head & Shoulder Shot: Shows the shoulders up to the head)

We are all rosebuds! *rainbow*

     Citizen Kane was a good film. It prodded at our mind through the whole film to get you thinking about what “rosebud” meant. That got me searching for clues and made me pay more attention to the little details in the movie to see if I could figure out what rosebud meant before the movie ended.

    The whole film seemed to be based on light and dark. There were many scenes where the character’s face were only lit by a tiny bit of light or they were completely in the dark, just a mere silhouette. This definitely helps how the mood of the film progresses and switches, it also helps set the scene. When there is darkness and silhouettes there is an ominous tone which the film sort of revolves around. Other than light/dark, there was negative space, shape, and line that helped give the film’s mood.

    It was a good film, I think what the artist was trying to portray worked out fantastically. There were many memorable scenes, and it was very enjoyable. The beginning dragged a little, but it caught my attention in no time at all. It got me thinking about money and how people think they can buy happiness with dollars, it seemed Mr. Kane tried to do this. It also got me thinking about power, dominance, and childhood innocence. What age do we lose our innocence? Do most of us try to hold onto it? When we find out what Rosebud is, it sort of touches on your heart and  gives you sympathy for Kane because most of us have something from our childhood that we will always keep near and dear to us, something that we never want to lose because we never want to lose our innocence. I think that was what the film was all about.

An Unnecessary Over-Emotional Story Using Elements of Art

Yellow Nostalgia

(In this photograph the yellow is vibrant and 

the pallete is very bright and fluorescent)

Lonely and lost, Taylor remembers her love and how 

they used to pick flowers together in the courtyard.

                Lost & Insecure               

     (Chelsea takes the form of an oval accompanied

     by the shape of the buckets behind her)

Chelsea begins thinking of Taylor, her soulmate,

and suddenly feels lonely and vulnerable without her presence.

Brushed Off

(Chelsea and Taylor are in unison, facing the same direction)

They had gotten in a fight earlier,

which left them both torn and distant.

Too Late To Apologize

(Our eyes fall all over this picture)

Chelsea begged for forgiveness, but Taylor

turned her apology down and demanded for space.

Far Far Away

(Outside being very light, inside being so 

dark Chelsea is just a silhouette)

Chelsea waited for hours for Taylor

 to come running back to her.

    Cold Shoulder

        (Same as above, however Eric is outside and still dark)

Eric has waited so long for this day to come,

for he has been in love with Chelsea for many months. 

                                                           

    Vengeance

   (The three are ordered tallest to shortest)

Eric always watched, so envious of Taylor.

 Open The Doors

(Chelsea is what our eyes fall on first in this photo)

Chelsea walked and walked,

hopelessly searching for Taylor.

      Mirror On The Wall

       (Chelsea and Taylor being the subject

        and negative space surrounding them)

Chelsea is losing her mind without Taylor,

even beginning imagining her beside her.

   Walls Apart

 (You could split this image in half and

    it would be the same on both sides, 

therefore this photo is balanced)

They finally cross paths, and they agree to disagree.

   Reunited

      (The brick wall and Taylor's flannel gives this photo texture)

They come together again, wondering why they ever parted.

Hanging By A Thread

(This photo was taken using the grid of the rule of thirds)

Eric, outraged that they didn't end up breaking apart,

tries to physically tear them apart himself.

       Connected

        (The lockers, the stairs, and the lights all show a different line path)

After a great fight with Eric, he realized they will never ever part.