Disturbia

Jonathan Hernandez Period 1 In August of 1954, Alfred Hitchcock released the classic Rear Window. Fifty-three years later, D.J. Caruso released Disturbia. Some say this could be a modern Rear Window. These two movies can be compared and contrasted in order to show how society has been altered and remained the same in relation to issues like: marriage and love, individual experience, and entertainment via voyeurism. These mystery thrillers depict how humans react to these issues without outside stimuli and limited interaction with others. Both of the films are from the heroes point of view. In both films the character is believed by friends but not by the police. Both use technology coherent with the time periods. Both films are not very enigmatic as we know all the protagonist does, which is a lot. There are dead animals in both, a dear in Disturbia and Dog in Rear Window. In both films there is also a case of mistaken identity. A party is also in each , which detracts form the killer. Disturbia has multiple murders where as in Rear Window there is only one. Rear window is an urban based film, and is mainly in one setting. Disturbia is suburban and there is use of more than one setting like the inside of the killers house. There is also more action and a faster moving plot in Disturbia compared to Rear Window. Both films are based on entrapment. There are also themes of suspense, murder, fear, suspicion, claustrophobia, voyeurism, technology, right and wrong, good and evil, sexual attractions and justice, and police. In Rear Window the reason for being housebound is a broken leg, but in Disturbia it is house arrest. In Disturbia the characters believe and are trusting of the protagonists beliefs from the start, but in Rear Window he has to persuade and provide evidence for them. There is also parental relationships shown in Disturbia with the death of his father and a single widow mother. In both films, artificial lightin is used, like street lamps, house lights etc. There are also a lot of frame within frame shots, for example through binoculars. The settings are also normal places, and therefore tap into societies fears of what happens behind closed doors. Knives are also in both films as murder weapons. Different dress codes in each film are clear, due to different time periods. The set is larger for Disturbia and uses the villains house, and multi rooms within a house, Rear Window is based in one room of a flat. Rear Window is urban, Disturbia is Suburban. The main character in Disturbia is a slacker, who is to blame for his housebound ness, whereas in Rear Window the lead has a job and is unfortunate to be in the situation.