Rear Window (1954) - Film screening as part of 'Built Upon Bodies'

About

Due to a broken leg, the newspaper photographer Jeff (James Stewart), used to travelling the world in search of adventure, is bound to the confines of his small apartment. Lucky for him, his rear window provides ample views into his neighbours’ apartments, and he begins to obsessively observe the scenes that unfold on the other side of the courtyard. Even his stunning, “too perfect” girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) is unable to distract him. But when the pair witness a series of events pointing to a brutal crime, their relationship is re-ignited as they attempt to solve a mystery they themselves become entangled with. Set entirely inside of Jeff’s apartment, ‘Rear Window’ is an expression of the voyeuristic power of the male gaze -- and has been called a metaphor for cinema itself.

Part of 'Built Upon Bodies', a season showcasing a selection of films that explore the relationship between the human body and the built environment. Taking as a starting point the infamous scene in Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Contempt’ of Brigitte Bardot sunbathing on the roof terrace of the Villa Malaparte in Capri, the season draws attention to how filmmakers across different genres have staged interactions between architecture and gendered bodies to iconic and haunting effect.