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