'North by Northwest' - Alfred Hitchcock

North by Northwest

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writer: Ernest Lehman

Stars: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason

The Story:

Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), an innocent New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent. This leads to him being pursued across the United States of America battling with life or death situations. Along his journey, he meets the beautiful Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint). However, she is not all that she appears to be, and he soon comes face to face with the man trying to kill him, Mr Vandamm (James Mason).

In what way is this an archetypal thriller?

Key Scenes:

o   Roger being kidnapped

o   The stabbing at the UN

o   Being chased on the train

o   Trying to be killed by the plane whilst waiting for Mr Vandamm

o   Being shot in the café by Eve

o   Stopping Eve getting on the plane

o   Cliff scene at the end when there is a chance of death

Heroes and Villains:

A typical element of a thriller is a constant battle between the hero and the villain. In this case, Roger Thornhill (Grant) is the hero and Mr Vandamm (Mason) is the villain. Mr Vandamm is constantly being perceived as the more powerful of the two, and Roger must overcome the difficulties that are placed in front of him by Mr Vandamm. These are sometimes considered life-threatening.

Devices:

The following devices are crucial in a successful thriller. Here are some examples of when these devices are used in the film:

o   Suspense – whilst Roger is waiting for Mr Vandamm to arrive upon their first meeting, several cars travel past him. The viewer is constantly wondering if Mr Vandamm is in one of the cars that pass, but they never stop. When a man does eventually get out of a car, the viewer expects this to be Mr Vandamm. However, we soon learn that it is just a man waiting for the bus. The viewer becomes anxious as to when Mr Vandamm will turn up to confront Roger.

o   Red Herring – the character of Eve Kendall is somewhat of a red herring. This is when the viewer is fooled into thinking one thing, when really it is not the case at all. When we first meet Eve on the train, the audience suspects that she is just an ordinary woman. However, we later learn that she is involved with the villains and we suspect that she has gotten close to Roger in order to find out information and carry out the task of killing him. But finally, near the end of the film, we learn that she is involved in the scheme, but not through her own choice. She is being manipulated by Mr Vandamm, but she eventually follows her heart and helps Roger escape death.

o   Cliff-hanger – there is a literal cliff-hanger at the end of the film when Roger and Eve are hanging off of Mount Rushmore when they are just about to be killed. The audience is on the edge of their seat waiting to see if they survive or not.

Villain-Driven Plot:

This story is mainly focused around Mr Vandamm’s obstacles set for Roger Thornhill. His job is to avoid any of the life-or-death situations that are set for him.

MacGuffin:

The macguffin in North by Northwest is a microfilm that Mr Vandamm and associates want to take to another country. The microfilm is what drives the film on. However, in most films, the macguffin is usually irrelevant and the audience forget about it until it later reappears in the film.

Is this a successful thriller?

In my opinion, ‘North by Northwest’ is a successful thriller. It contains all of the elements of a good thriller and it captivates the audience watching it. Hitchcock has skilfully directed the film to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat throughout.