Bring on the tough stuff. There’s not just one right answer.
- Why do Jeff and Lisa have so many problems in their relationship? How do their respective attitudes contribute to them?
- Why is Jeff so bored being stuck in a wheelchair? What kind of guy was he before that, and what does that say about his actions in this film?
- Why is it so important that we see the other little stories going on in the courtyard behind Jeff's apartment? What do they do in terms of the plot?
- What tips Jeff off to the possibility that Lars Thorwald has committed murder? How many of those clues are circumstantial, and how many would be admissible as evidence?
- What purpose do the other neighbors serve in the story? How do they both hide and reveal the specifics of the plot?
- In what ways does Jeff's position in the film match that of an audience watching the movie? What does that say about us and our desire to watch the movie like Jeff watches his neighbors?
- Why are so many people so skeptical of Jeff's suspicions? How does that serve as a counterbalance to the film's ideas about voyeurism?
- How does Jeff's position in his apartment empower him? How does it leave him helpless?
- Does Hitchcock take a stance on the ethics of Jeff's voyeurism?
- How does Hitchcock create suspense while never leaving the confines of Jeff's apartment?
- Is marriage really as bad as this film makes it seem—which is as a prison or a death sentence?