Hitchcock: North by North West

Director: Alfred Hitchcock 

Writer: Ernest Lehman 

Stars: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason

Plot:

North by Northwest follows Cary Grant, as the innocent advertising executive Robert Thornhill, fall victim of a case of mistaken identity by a group of foreign spies. We follow him as he is pursued across the US; along the way, Thornhill brings us to the edge of our seats with the thrilling suspense, relieving humour and sensual romance that occurs on his journey. The use of a dramatic action shot in the film poster captures the audience's interest and reveals that the main character, Cary Grant, is being chased. 

Trailer:

Hitchcock's 1959 American spy thriller is considered to have "laid the groundwork for countless action thrillers to follow". Aspects which make it an archetypal thriller are revealed in the trailer itself: 

The trailer includes the main action scenes when Thornhill's life is at risk which immediately gains the attention of the audience as we are left feeling anxious, uncertain and eager to view the outcome. Bold statements such as: "running for his life", "propelled at gun point" and "framed for murder" suggest that the film is fast-paced and thrilling. Additionally, the use of Mount Rushmore, a universally known landmark allow us to identify with the film. Mount Rushmore is a symbol of order however scenes of disorder act as a contrast, emphasising the action that leaves us on the edge of our seats.

Iconic "Crop Duster" scene

Hitchcock's crop duster scene is said to be the "stand-out moment" in North by Northwest, find out how: 

Thornhill has arrived at a deserted rendezvous point awaiting the man he has been mistaken for. The eeriness of the setting is established by the isolation and his detachment from such a location. When we think of Thornhill the advertising executive, we imagine a busy, cosmopolitan city - a stark contrast from the empty, vast expanse of crop fields which the initial establishing shot reveals. The setting also makes him appear vulnerable which further emphasises his physical detachment. The 'red-herring' in this scene is the suited man who slowly approaches in a car from a distance. This detail to attention makes the viewer believe that he is the man whom Thornhill is mistaken for and wishes to meet. In addition to this, continuous close-ups of Thornhill's confused face make us empathise with him and makes us feel all the more contained in the impending action. I think it is the action that makes this scene so iconic- tracking shots of the plane landing towards Thornhill and tracking shots of Thornhill attempting to escape leave us on the edge of our seats.

Mount Rushmore

Mt. Rushmore symbolises order and as an audience, we can all identify with this famous landmark. When the final, climatic action scene occurs here, Hitchcock eliminates the symbol of order and throws in disorder. This effect adds some comedy which is needed to relieve the audience.

Thriller genre

Thriller is a genre consisting of fast-paced and frequent suspense, excitement and melodrama to captivate the audience. It is a villain-driven plot whereby an inferior 'hero' must tackle obstacles to outrun the villains. The threat of death is always present however plot twists often change or complicate the matter.

Can North by Northwest be classified as a thriller? Does it have all of the features of a thriller?

It is certain that North by Northwest is very fast-paced yet at the same time, effectively balanced with some comedy and romance to change the pace and give the viewer some relief from surprise. The relief allows us to reflect on the action- without these moments, it would be hard to keep up with the plot. In this case, the hero is Robert Thornhill and the villains are the better-equipped foreign spies who pursue him. Immediately we come across the threat of death when Thornhill is abducted by Valerian and Licht and he is threatened with a gun pointed towards his heart.

Before shooting all of his films, Hitchcock would visually plan every scene and learn the dialogue in advance. When directing, he imagined the picture on a cinema screen and so never looked at the camera which reflects in the fluidity of North by Northwest. We are constantly involved in Thornhill's action as Hitchcock thoughtfully planned some point of view shots to ensure that we that we aren't isolated from Thornhill. This helps us to empathise with him, particularly during moments of anxiousness:

Here, Thornhill breaks into villain Vandamm's property to warn Eva that they know she is in fact working for the government as an agent. We see the action from Thornhill's point of view which builds up the tension- will Eva get the message? Will Thornhill get caught?

To maintain the fast pace, typical devices generally used in thrillers such as suspense, red herrings, cliff-hangers and MacGuffins are extensively used throughout. Suspense is immediately used in the very first scene at the Plaza Hotel where Thornhill is kidnapped and mistaken for a man called "George Kaplan".

This non-existent character, Kaplan, is one of the MacGuffins in North by Northwest. A MacGuffin is commonly used as the central focus in the first scene and gradually decreases in significance throughout the film. Another example of this device in play is Vandamm's interest in this microfilm containing government evidence. Although the importance of it is established, as the audience, we have very little interest in knowing more about it.

One of the main cliff hangers is when Eva and Thornhill are quite literally hanging off of the cliff of Mount Rushmore- will they survive? A 'red herring' is a device used to mislead the audience, a prime example of this is Eva Kendall's character. At first we believe that she is genuine after helping Thornhill escape from the police but when we see her scheming with Vandamm's henchmen as they depart it is revealed that she is in fact working alongside them.

www.rottentomatoes.com/m/north-by-northwest/

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-characteristics-of-the-thriller-genre.htm 

Thriller Recipe

Thriller is genre of film, literature and television that contains numerous overlapped sub-genres. 

Common sub-genres:

• Psychological thrillers for example Trance by Danny Boyle 
• Crime thrillers for example Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino
• Mystery thrillers for example Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock

Action thrillers:

• Often involves a plot which features a race against time, packed with violence and involves an obvious antagonist
• Guns, explosions and elaborate set designs are provided for scenes of violence
• Examples of action thrillers include the James Bond and Bourne films

Crime thrillers:

• A suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime/s
• The plot often follows the criminal instead of the policeman which applies emphasis on action over the psychological aspects
• Central topics include robberies, chases and murders
• Examples of crime thrillers include The Killing and Inside Man

Psychological thrillers:

• The conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional as opposed to physical
• Examples of psychological thrillers include Suspicion and Blue Velvet

Characteristics of a thriller:

• Fast-paced and frequent action that should leave the audience on the "edge of their seats", they experience a high level of anticipation throughout
• Includes resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains
• The heroes are often "hard men" who are accustomed to danger however sometimes they are ordinary citizens accidentally drawn to danger
• Heroes have traditionally been men however there has been a rise in female heroines (Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
• Influenced by film noir and tragedy- the compromised hero is often killed in the end 
• Primary mood: "fearful excitement"- if it "thrills" then it is very often a thriller

Thriller devices:

• Suspense
• Cliffhangers: increases audience's anticipation
• Red herrings: misleads or distracts the audience from the central issue
• MacGuffins: a plot device in a form of a goal that the protagonist pursues which drives the plot along- there is very little or no explanation as to why it is significant to the narrative

Thriller vs. Mystery

Thrillers often overlap with the mystery genre. They are distinguished by the differences in the plot's structure.

In a thriller, the hero thwarts the enemy's plans as opposed to uncovering the crime that has already happened. In a murder mystery, prematurely disclosing the murderer's identity would spoil the purpose of the film whereas in a thriller, the audience know the identity of the murderer all along.

Thrillers occur on a greater scale. Themes of crime and political issues arise through plots surrounding terrorism, serial or mass murder, assassination or the overthrow of governments. Violent confrontations are standard plot elements; a mystery will only reach a climax when the mystery is solved however a thriller climaxes when the hero defeats the villain, saving his own life and the lives of many others. 

Cinematography

When filming there are many various camera shots and movements that can be used for different purposes, they include:

Camera shots:

Long shot (LS):

A long shot is shot at a considerable distance from the subject.

Medium shot (MS):

A medium shot is filmed from a relatively short distance from the subject.

Close up (CS):

A close up is filmed from a short distance from the subject and is used to give the audience information.

Extreme close up (ECU):

An extreme close up is shot from a very short distance from the subject  and is used to give the audience vital information. It is used in Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock during the famous shower scene. This scene includes a montage of close ups and extreme close ups to ensure that the audience identify that she is being slashed to death.

Point of view (POV):

The point of view shots are filmed from the subject's perspective through the use of the camera angle.

Low angle:

Low angle shots are filmed from below the subject's eye-level to establish dominance and/or power over another character.

High angle:

High angle shots are filmed from above the subject's eye-level to make them appear vulnerable.

Camera movements:

Pan:

The "panning" movement is when the camera is turned around horizontally on a fixed axis to follow the subject's movement. A "whip pan" is a fast rotation.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Tilt:

The tilt movement is similar to the pan movement expect it moves vertically instead of horizontally. It is used to create a sense of size.

Crane shot:

The crane shot, or birds eye view, is filmed from a height to show vast areas. It can be used to make people look small and vulnerable in their vast surroundings.

Tracking shot:

A tracking shot follows, or "tracks", movement. The camera is mounted onto a dolly or moves steadily along on tracks- the surface must be even for this to be a successful shot.

Rolling shot:

A rolling shot is when the camera rolls to one side which gives the effect of confusion, intoxication or disorientation.

Steadicam:

The steadicam is used where the dolly or tracks cannot go while maintaining a "steady" shot.

Narrative

What does the term 'narrative' mean?

The macro element term 'narrative' is the sequence of events, often referred to as the plot (story). The narrative structure is the way in which these events are revealed to the audience and there are two types: non-linear narrative and linear narrative.

So, what is a 'non-linear' narrative?

A film with a non-linear narrative displays the sequence of events out of chronological order. Examples of films that do this are Christopher Nolan's Memento and Inception.

Memento follows a man suffering from short-term memory loss using pictures and tattoos to identify the man who he believes shot his wife. The opening sequence, which is also the end of the film, travels in reverse chronological order and is presented in colour. The sequence begins with a Polaroid picture of a dead man and when the sequence begins we see the picture go back to its undeveloped state, back into the camera before a man is shot in the head by the protagonist. Afterwards, the colour changes to black-and-white representing a chronological sequence.

And what is a 'linear' narrative?

A linear narrative shows the sequence of events in a chronological order forming a beginning, middle and end structure. This is the most popular form of narrative structure appearing in films such as Paranormal Activity and North by North West.

Knowing the differences...

Below is a sketch of a storyboard showing the difference between linear (1) and non-linear (2):

The chronological order of the story (1) follows a couple falling in love however later, the woman finds the man cheating on her with another woman. In revenge, the hurt lover chops the man's arm off and then kills the other woman. As the man is still alive, he finds his ex and shoots her so in this case, the man is the villain throughout.

The non-linear version of this story is not in chronological order. Instead, the last two scenes of the linear version are the first two scenes in the non-linear version. So as an audience, we are under the impression that the man is the villain because we don't yet know why he shot the woman. The plot carries on as normal however the truth unfolds in shot 7 onwards- the woman was in fact the villain and he had shot her in revenge.

Genre

What does the term 'genre' mean?

Genre refers to a category of media products that are classified as being similar in form or type. In terms of the key components of a film, the term 'genre' falls under the macro elements ('macro' meaning big). Film genres have been formed by conventions that change over time. Guess the genre:

Yep, this is the Western genre. These images show a cowboy, a Stetson hat and a spur and represent the few conventions of a Western film- in other words, these features are what make it acceptable for us to say what genre a film belongs to.

Thriller is a genre of film, so what should I expect from a thriller?

A thriller usually contains a resourceful hero, a better equipped villain, a MacGuffin, red herrings, cliff hangers, a fast-paced plot with music that successfully creates tension. A MacGuffin refers to an object which drives the plot forward but really has little or no significance in the long-run. A red-herring is something that misleads the audience from the actual issue.

Alfred Hitchcock is widely accepted as the "master" of the thriller genre because he provided us with archetypal examples of such features in his thrillers: North by Northwest, Psycho and The Birds. Later on, I will do research into these films to analyse how successful he was which each feature in each film.

Examples of thrillers:

And sub-genres?

A sub-genre is a subcategory of a genre because they usually contain a mixture of features from another genre of film. For instance, a 'disaster' film such as The Impossible, which follows a family in Thailand caught in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, is a sub-genre of action.

The Twilight Saga is a fantasy which falls under sci-fi and horror. This sub-genre often follows events which do not occur in real life; usually involving myths, magic and the extraordinary. 

Welcome!

Hi, my name is Saana and my blog will be used to share my media coursework and further research on the thriller genre through video clips, presentations, images and more. I will begin by doing some research into film and media language and then I will gradually use this knowledge as a base to create my own thriller.