Disturbia vs Rear Window

Rear window has been used and remade so many times and Disturbia is the most recent of these (released: 14th September). Here is an in depth comparison of the 2, similarities + differences:

Characters

Similarities
Look/Dress: The male lead is quite scruffy and messy, and very unconcerned with his appearance, where as the girl is glamorous/sexy/proud of her appearance.
Roles/Types: Male leads - attractive but the outsider type The female lead is quite brave + active, she is not the typical 'damsel in distress' despite needing saving in both at some point The main character has a sidekick type person
Behaviours: All the characters seem quite courageous - particularly villains who realise they are being watched and come straight round to the other house
Characteristics: The sidekicks are very chatty and quite dopey

Differences
Look/Dress: The films are obvioulsy from different time periods so there is different meaning to glamorous for example.
Roles/Types: In disturbia the sidekick is his best friend, where as in rear window it is his cleaner each has a diff type of victim, disturbia has many good looking females, and rear window has one bed-ridden wife the villain in disturbia is charming + we know lots about him, but in rear window we know hardly anything
Behaviours: In disturbia the girl is encouraging the spying with ' a steak out', where as in rear window the girl discourages it In Rear Window the girl does the snooping, where as it is his friend in Disturbia
Characteristics: In rear window the main character has to prove his ideas, but in disturbia his friends believe straight away - trust issues in rear window (possibly teenagers want to believe it more - scandal?)

Iconography

Similarities
Setting/Lighting: Normal on the outside mostly natural, majority is in day time, then important/scarier scenes in the night
Mise-en-scene: fashionable clothing for that time average setting - just normal houses
Props: knives/saws lenses - cameras/binoculars technology(for that time period) - computers/flash bulbs
Camera: Frames within frames - binoculars/windows/ computer screens ALOT of p.o.v. shots - through the windows and binoculars etc - all from protagonists, NEVER from villain - makes them seem more mysterious
Colours: n/a - rear window is black and white

Differences
Setting/Lighting: Rear window has an urban setting where as Disturbia has a rural setting Disturbia is set in a big house with lots of rooms where as Rear window is small flat with one multi-functional room
Mise-en-Scene: Rear window also has quite an urban/city lifestyle to it - glamorous dresses etc, where as Disturbia is centered around a quiet rural life - kids playing in the street, big family cars etc Dress codes are very different because of the different time period, and the large age gao in the characters
Camera: I think Disturbia has less p.o.v. shots because there are more scenes going on outside the house, and Rear Window is centered entirely in one room so he has nothign to do except look through binoculars every single shot is from one room in Rear window - expect at end when he falls out of window
Props: More modern in Disturbia - Xbox 360, mobiles, computers, video cameras
Colours: n/a - rear window is black and white

Narratives

Similiarities
Point of view: Always the point of view of male lead (most of time quite literally with camera shots) - so we know as much as the characters no, not much more
Structure: It takes a lot of time for the film to get properly started - lots of background/watching etc
Dialogue: Mostly character driven although some events are crucial (about 60/40)
Events: Mistaken identity seen as proof of identity (girl leaves - him in wig, wife leaves - another woman instead) There is a party in both - distraction use of technocolgy as a defence (camera flash + live video camera for help) Villains kill animals - show they will stop at nothing someone breaks into house on mission
Enigma: We only know what the characters know so it's only a slow release of information as they disciver things, until the end
Storyline: Live close to murderers suspect and watch them women die villains discover they are watching villains are caught

Differences
Point of view:
Structure: There is more build up in Disturbia (entire scenes outside of house)
Dialogue: Much more dialogue (as there is more characters) in Disturbia
Events: In Disturbia you see some background etc as to reasons for himin house they all go into villains house in Disturbia
Storyline: Only one suspected murder in Rear window, but a suspected serial killer in Disturbia

Themes

Similiarities
House arrest
Suspense + Fear
Law + Order
Right + Wrong
Suspicion
Useless police involvement
Voyeurism
Spying / Watching
Technology (for that time period)
Sexual Attraction

Differences
Death of a parent - Disturbia
Mother + Son relationship - Disturbia
Trust - in Disturbia his friends believe him straight away, in Rear Window he has to prove it

Summary
- Convention don't change over time because directors know what works/sells
- Genres are very repetitive
- Remakes are updated for new audiences - creates more empathy e.g. single parent
- Remakes also flatter people who know about films - they can discuss/compare them
- People who have seen the orginal can see the changes/moderinastion of it - which is interesting

Rating
Disturbia: ****
Rear Window: **