Jeff becomes an investigator with his camera. He is the one in the shadows at first, not the murderer. The murderer is exposed, out in the open. However, the plot evolves in such a way that Jeff becomes from the follower, the one being followed. He becomes the one exposed, as he is the one trapped in his apartment, the murderer passes now into shadow.
We hold our breath in expectation as Franz Waxman's score contributes to the tension sustaining the action and pin pointing to the most intense moments. The introspective, almost intimate, image of the film, the darkness of the movie theatre and the expressive score appeal to our senses and to our curious nature. It is not fear that the viewer feels, it is something more, like anxiousness, which is played upon so well by Hitchcock that you end up feeling disappointed together with the main characters when, at some point, it seems that the murder has not been committed and it was all a mistake.
Suspense peaks when Mr. Thorwald, the murderer, is about to discover the snooping Kelly searching for clues in his apartment. Again we feel like Jeff does, looking through his lens, helpless and guilty, having endangered her, but wanting...
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