North by Northwest

North by Northwest

Background of the film 

 Roger O. Thornhill is mistaken for a fictional US government agent named George Kaplan by a gang of spies, headed by  Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) and his mistress Eve Kendall. Kidnapped and then framed for the murder of a United Nations diplomat, Thornhill goes on the run across America in order to clear his name and to expose the activities of the foreign spies. After surviving an encounter with a sinister crop-duster plane and an exploding gasoline tank truck, the film climaxes with a memorable chase across Mount Rushmore. The film was made in 1959 and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Devices used is suspense, in the Share Cropper Scene. Also a red herring is used when we think that Thornhill is dead when Eve Kendall shoots him. Finally, cliff hangers is used when Thornhill and Kendall are literally hanging on to the edge of a cliff in  the Mount Rushmore finale.  

Camera Angles

North by Northwest use many types of Camera angles such as: shot, movement, position; high or low tilt; long, medium or close up; wide shot, over the shoulder, zoom, reverse shot, point of view. Firstly, they use short, medium and long shot. They use a short shot when Roger and Eve had an intimate scene together in the train carriage. This is to create a romantic feeling to the audience.    Secondly, they use a long shot to show the historic landmark of America, Mount Rushmore. North by Northwest also use many types of camera work such as: tracking, pan, steady cam, rolling, hand held, deep focus and so on. For example they used a rolling shot when the recorded the train going past a station.  They also use speed and style to perfect their editing skills. Examples of styles could be straight cut, dissolve, fade, wipe and jump cut, to maybe change from scene to scene. 

Hitchcock’s Ideas

The women in Hitchcock films are often coded by hair colour.  Blondes are icy, reserved, emotionally damaged and distant, but still serve as an obsession for the male protagonist.  Brunettes are more maternal, more emotionally present, more willing to serve the male protagonist's needs, but are often ignored by the male protagonist.