Rear Window’s cinematic interest primarily concerns distance: the physical distance Jeffries cannot walk, the visual distance he supplements using his camera lens, and the emotional distance between him and Lisa at the outset. The film’s technical elements are no different. Rather than use traditional “scary music” in accordance with shocking visual cues to heighten tension, Rear Window uses soothing or peppy music at key dramatic scenes to further exemplify the script’s tension in making the film’s reassuring contradict with the camera’s tense scenes of action and intrigue. In doing so, the audience shares Jeffries’ sense of unease and frustration in getting to the truth despite other elements- be it the music or characters like Doyle- trying to convince him to leave it alone.
Though demonstrated in other scenes, this post will focus on the first scene in which the audience sees Thorwald’s face in closeup shortly after the one-hour mark. Before Thorwald enters the frame, all of Jeffries’ neighbors appear to be improving their lives in some fashion. Miss Lonely Hearts- now also seen in her first close-up- gets ready for a date (Rear Window, 01:01:40). The dancer receives lessons, the instructor heard saying she’s “much better.” (Window, 01:02:41). Even Jeffries arguably faintly smiles (Window, 01:02:51). Amidst this, soft and sweet romantic music plays, complementing the characters’ emotional ease. Yet, as the music crescendos, Thorwald enters the close-up frame, punctuated by a brief diegetic traffic honking horn (Window, 01:03:17). The soft romantic song continues on, nevertheless. Thorwald’s face appears grim and unfriendly, but maybe not murderous. Even so, his forbidding expression deeply contrasts against the characters happiness and the score’s hopefulness. Like Jeffries, we, the audience, have no way to actually tell if anything else seems off about Thorwald besides the visuals seen by the camera- the score won’t help. Even as the closer angle prominently shows Thorwald’s laundry- perhaps after cleaning bloody clothes- the music gives no stereotypical screech to associate menace with the action (Window, 01:03:43). The audience is not thrilled, but tense, for like Jeffries, we are sure something bad has happened (if only because something not to would be a great anticlimax). But our observations are tenuous just like Jeffries,’ for the normal music assigns a certain normalcy to Thorwald’s action of merely taking his laundry home, so we don’t quite know what to think. This is not the only time this discord happens in the film- Lisa’s later high stakes infiltration of the apartment occurs alongside a calm, somewhat jazzy tune seemingly inappropriate for the apprehension Jeffries, Stella, and the audience feel for her (Window, 01:37:30-01:38:40). Rather than ratchet up the tension with nondiegetic music to accompany scenes of horror, Rear Window creates distance between the camera lens and the music to put us in Jeffries’ shoes. Something is wrong, but can we really trust only the camera lens to tell us so?
MLA Citation
Rear Window. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, performances by Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly. Thelma Ritter, and Wendell Corey, Paramount Pictures, 1954.
I completely agree with your analysis of the dichotomy of the score and the action occurring in the movie. I think there is once scene that I can think that truly follows the classic horror movie route where the music and tension seem to come together as one. That scene is when the neighbors dog is found dead on the sidewalk. Jefferies even at one point states “the music’s stopped”. This is also the only time where a dead body is shown on screen, though the murder still is left to the viewers imagination.