Editorials
‘Rear Window’: A Classic Murder Mystery and Strangely Timeless Exploration of Isolation
It’s a weird time to be alive right now.
Remarks on the supposed “crumbling” state of the world at any given moment often feel hyperbolic, as things tend to be with people growing up in the digital age that allows us access to culture, news, and events happening all around the globe. But with the COVID-19 pandemic reshaping the world around us, those hyperbolic statements become household terms, with people (preferably) staying indoors in an effort to beat the situation we’re in.
As is expected, the world of streaming has boosted to the forefront of entertainment in the wake of national theater closings (unless you’re willing to venture out for a drive-in feature) and streaming services have done their part in scooping up and promoting the various exclusives for people stuck at home to watch. Hulu, in an attempt to market themselves to viewers old and new, diversified their content with popular shows like Rick and Morty and South Park while snatching up some of the newest releases to hit the market, like Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Booksmart.
It was on a regular day of stream surfing for me when I came across a surprising Hulu addition that caught my eye: Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic murder mystery thriller, Rear Window, available with a Starz subscription. It being a classic and obviously not having the choice to go to a theater, I figured it would be a nice chance to finally watch and see what the hype was about. A murder mystery involving a man solving a murder while in the comfort of his own home? It sounded quite fitting given the situation.
Turns out, it was much more fitting than I had anticipated.
Spoilers ahead for Rear Window.
Rear Window, released in 1954, went on to become one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most acclaimed films, being rendered a timeless classic with its twisty mystery unraveling so meticulously and without much fluff to pad. James Stewart’s strong lead performance as our crippled main protagonist, L.B. Jeffries, confined to his apartment after an accident during his job as a photographer, puts the audience in Jeff’s shoes, tying our viewing of the film’s story with his voyeuristic tendency of observing his neighbors through his open window. He may not get a sexual thrill, but it still instills a jolt of life into his mundane routine of simply sitting. He’s just as much of an observer as the audience, leading to a stronger connection with him that has helped the film age like a fine wine over half a century.
Rear Window manages to accomplish much in spite of only taking place in one fleshed out location, that being Jeff’s stuffy apartment, by giving the audience a realistic look at the various apartments Jeff spies on with the use of his binoculars and camera scope. Much has been said about the “male gaze” on display with Jeff’s nosy tendencies, but Rear Window goes above and beyond when tackling Jeff’s, and ultimately our own voyeurism when we try to peek into the lives of strangers and friends behind closed doors.
Humans are naturally curious creatures, observing life around them and looking for anything remotely off to catch our attention. It’s no wonder that true crime stories, such as the recent Netflix sensation, Tiger King, fascinate us as viewers looking into a different and occasionally unbelievable world in an effort to fulfill a certain purpose within each of us. Jeff is the embodiment of that concept in Rear Window, digging into people’s personal lives out of sheer boredom and coincidentally coming across a murder in hiding.
But that’s just what happens to people who feel isolated, right? When a person is essentially cut off from the majority of the outside world without it being their choice, there are only so many ways to spend their time in isolation. Isolation drives us to find interest in the unexpected, with our usual luxuries of life temporarily out of use. The case of Jeff is an example of isolation’s effect on the human mind, with Jeff’s elongated home experience leading to conflict with his socialite girlfriend, Lisa Fremont, over his insecurity as a loving spouse to her.
This isolation drives Jeff to the point of spying on his neighbors, substituting or maybe even just blocking his insecurities by basking in the lives of others, even giving some of the neighbors their own nicknames, like Miss Torso and Miss Lonelyhearts. Despite not knowing them, Jeff forms a strange distant bond with these unsuspecting people, often taking the time to observe them even when Lisa and his nurse, Stella, converse with him. An innate desire for intimacy? He may have Lisa, but his high-thrill life as a photographer aches for action of any sort.
Therefore, catching what appears to be a murder in one of the apartments across from his gives Jeff the spark of life he was craving while sitting in his apartment. He may not move much, but his keen observational skills as a photographer help him deduce breadcrumbs of a crime that could’ve easily gone unsolved had he decided to mind his own business. But isolation drove Jeff to live his usual daredevil life from the comfort of his apartment. He didn’t need to and he would’ve stooped to a lower level on the morality scale for doing so, but Jeff, being human, just couldn’t help himself.
Hitchcock’s “film-esque” framing of Rear Window turns that notion towards ourselves, reflecting our own desires for something potentially dangerous. As audience members, we are likely to project a piece of ourselves into the narrative, wondering aloud how we as individuals would approach the situation. We do the same outside of the theater, casually observing our surroundings and secretly hoping for something unexpected. Why else would we direct our attention to a burning car on the side of the road when it most likely isn’t directly related to our lives?
Rear Window had already made its point regarding humans as natural voyeurs of the lives around us, but in 2020, the film has somehow managed to maintain even stronger relevancy thanks to the events rocking our world right now. Millions worldwide are now in the same position as Jeff, sitting in the confines of their homes while musing on the various luxuries of life previously taken for granted like walking outside and even just shaking somebody’s hand.
Isolation is now part of the norm, even being forcefully integrated into some people’s lives around the world and the results have been fascinating, to say the least. While there’s a whole group of people insisting on living life like nothing has happened, isolation has also inspired creative ways for people to stay connected with one another. You have likely seen the viral video of the people in Italy singing from the balcony of their apartments in an effort to lift spirits or the video of apartment neighbors playing a high-risk game of tennis from their respective windows.
Situations like these are but few of the many different manners isolated people have taken to make something out of their lives for the time being, and while the situation wasn’t quite as serious with Jeff breaking his leg, it’s interesting to note just how closely Rear Window ties into the lives we’re currently experiencing. Jeff finds a way to keep a connection to the outside world through observation and in 2020, we employ a similar tactic with how we now communicate, whether it be through text, call, video chat, or just a casual look through social media.
Like Jeff, we are in a state of meditation instead of actively moving forward, so our manner in staying connected involves our own observation of the world around us. It’s not encouraged to drive and go to parties, so we observe those who defy the rules and party hard (and perhaps harshly judge them too, depending on your stance). Maybe we watch YouTube videos of our favorite creators adapting to the situation at hand. Perhaps we even watch a classic Hitchcock thriller about a man doing the exact same thing we are right now.
While the idea of modern observation maintains relevancy regardless of the pandemic with the very existence of the internet, it just feels a little more close-to-home given the circumstances. In essence, Rear Window is one of the prime examples of an “isolation movie,” making use of limited and stuffy space to enhance the narrative and comment on an aspect of isolation as it pertains to humanity. Rear Window uses isolation to make a point about humans’ relationship with each other and the hoops we’ll jump through in order to maintain that connection, ironically in the same way that the coronavirus pandemic is currently testing us.
It may feel like a downer to talk about the pandemic in such detail, but I mention it to make a point on how even the most dire situations can end peacefully. At the epilogue of Rear Window, the ending doesn’t come with Jeff happily roaming about the city. His fight with Thorwald leaves him in arguably worse condition than before, yet he’s sleeping with a smile on his face, knowing that he solved a crime; it’s almost a reflection of his surroundings as his neighbors continue to live their lives accordingly, some even happier with new developments.
This ending is hopeful, implying that connections can remain even as you’re cooped up in your home. Jeff is still crippled, but his connection to Lisa, Stella, and the outside world remains strong. And if he was able to maintain this back in the mid-50s, it shouldn’t be an issue to try it out in 2020. Isolation can be a true pain, but it’s important to keep our connections strong and healthy without making foolish decisions in the face of the pandemic. Rear Window knew this way back then and it’s something for all of us to consider right now.
You could even say that Rear Window is the ultimate social distancing movie.
Editorials
Before ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘Alien Autopsy’ Showed How Real Found Footage Could Feel
The line separating artist from con man is a lot thinner than you might initially believe. While I think we can all agree that lying for the sake of profit is actively malicious behavior, isn’t it also true that the faux documentary aspect of The Blair Witch Project is half the reason why that film became such a cultural phenomenon? After all, if there’s one thing filmmakers have in common with stage magicians, it’s that misleading and misdirecting audiences is simply part of the job.
That’s why I’ve developed a habit of mostly ignoring the moral quandaries behind many of film and television’s biggest “hoaxes” in favor of appreciating the narrative elements that drive productions like Mermaids: The Body Found and even Animal Planet’s highly underrated The Cannibal in the Jungle. However, if there’s a definitive case of a highly publicized broadcast fooling the world into taking it seriously, it has to be Fox’s infamous 1995 TV special Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction.
It’s been over three decades since that eerie footage first haunted television screens right at the peak of the ’90s ufology craze, and in that time, the video has taken on a life of its own. From countless parodies and references in everything from The X-Files to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (as well as John Dower’s recently released tell-all documentary The Alien Autopsy Scandal, which I’d highly recommend to genre fans everywhere), there’s no denying the legacy of the Alien Autopsy video. However, I rarely see the tape discussed as what it truly is: a highly convincing found footage film directed by a passionate stage magician and brought to life by masterful practical effects work.
That’s why I’d like to invite readers to join me on a deep dive into one of the most infamous broadcasts of all time in an attempt to reevaluate the footage as a fascinating narrative experience rather than a complete hoax.
The TV Special That Convinced Millions It Was Real
Ray Santilli next to Extraterrestrial replica in ‘The Alien Autopsy Scandal’
For starters, regardless of whether or not you believe that there was in fact an extraterrestrial crash in Roswell during the summer of 1947 and that some form of autopsy was performed on the victims, the producers behind the black & white recordings, Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, insist that their video was a “restoration.” Though I’d argue that the proper word is “remake”of genuine footage that was too damaged to air on television. That’s why the duo went on to recruit filmmaker and eccentric magician Spyros Melaris and sculptor/monster designer John Humphreys to bring their version of the autopsy to life and sell it to the highest bidder.
This is where the story of the Alien Autopsy as a narrative experience really begins. Melaris claims that his approach to the faux recording consisted of striving for extreme period accuracy in both shooting equipment and setting while also planting subtle details that would initially seem like mistakes but could later be revealed to actually fit the time period. That being said, the filmmaker was under the impression that the short would be released for free as a PR stunt, with the team later producing and selling an informative documentary chronicling exactly how the footage was faked and commenting on how easy it is to manipulate public perception with a good old-fashioned magic trick.
This obviously isn’t how things went down, and that’s likely the reason why Melaris has since distanced himself from everyone else involved with the project. Yet, no amount of behind-the-scenes drama can undermine the genuine effort that went into making the short as impressive as it is. From the sourcing of real animal organs from a local butcher to make the organic part of the creature more lifelike to the highly detailed sculpt that made use of a hollowed-out underlayer that could be filled with fake blood and assorted viscera, there’s a reason why so many Hollywood specialists are still impressed with the artistry on display here.
Of course, the believability is only half the story, as I think that the best part of the autopsy is how Melaris builds on the existing tension by obscuring certain details and often embracing the chaos of what a real examination of extraterrestrial life could feel like. The camera often goes out of focus at just the right time to make certain effects hit even harder, and we can only speculate as to what the hazmat-suited doctors are gesticulating about during the operation. There’s a real air of mystery to the whole thing that almost makes it feel like a cosmically terrifying, cursed film containing forbidden knowledge that civilians were never meant to see.
So when Fox’s Fact or Fiction brings in the specialists to comment on the film and its otherworldly subject, it’s no surprise that we end up with one of the most memorable mockumentaries of all time – albeit one where the participants are unaware that the footage they’re commenting on is basically a large-scale practical joke. A joke that the network was obviously in on, as many participants claim that the TV special cut out significant portions where guests point out that they believe the footage to be an elaborate hoax.
The Lasting Impact of the Hoax Turned Cultural Event
Regardless, I remember going to bed terrified after watching reruns of the special and thinking about the respected pathologist who claimed that the body was almost certainly inhuman, with even effects maestro Stan Winston commenting on how difficult it would be to recreate some of these visuals through practical puppetry. That’s not even mentioning Jonathan Frakes’ dramatic hyping up of the disturbing imagery as if he was talking about the tape from The Ring, with his spooky demeanor here likely being responsible for his later role as the host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction a few years later.
Personally, I’d argue that the Alien Autopsy phenomenon had just as much of an impact on me as a horror fan as The Blair Witch Project, a film that was almost certainly influenced by the success of this immensely popular hoax (to the point where they even produced their own TV special commenting on Heather’s found footage). Even if Fox didn’t intend to produce a narrative feature about the aftermath of the Roswell crash, the end product still holds up remarkably well as a highly entertaining mockumentary exploring the idea that we may not be alone in the universe.
While neither Santilli nor the rest of the production team has ever commented on this, I also think it’s very likely that the idea of a faux Alien Autopsy could have been influenced by Dean Alioto’s The McPherson Tape/UFO Abduction. I’ve already written about how this granddaddy of found footage was co-opted by rogue ufologists who began selling bootlegs of the tape at conventions as if it were real evidence of a close encounter, so it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that Santilli and company could have heard about this phenomenon and been inspired to come up with their own highly profitable hoax.
At the end of the day, it’s unlikely that the Alien Autopsy film is recreating any real footage from Roswell, but I can still appreciate the short and the accompanying television event as a standalone horror story that still influences the way we see found footage to this very day.
After all, the possibility that something could be real is often much scarier than finding out for sure – and that’s why I think Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction is still worth revisiting three decades down the line.
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