North by Northwest Analysis
An ordinary advertising man Roger Thornhill falls into a bad situation when he is mistaken for a man by the name of George Kaplan. Thornhill tries to make sense of the case as foreign spy Philip Vandamm try to destroy him. However, Thornhill is framed with murder. Thornhill is now on the run from the police, he then meets a beautiful blonde woman, Eve Kendall, on the train. She helps him to evade the authorities. Later on he learns that Eve isn't the innocent bystander he thought she was. Not all is as it seems however, leading to a dramatic rescue and escape at the top of Mt. Rushmore.
At the beginning of the film, it seems as Thornhill has got himself into a lot of trouble and looks as if he cannot get himself out of it. The scene where Vandamm got him drunk and made him drive home made him look weak and not being able to fight back. However towards the end of the film Thornhill thought about how he was going to make Vandamm think that he was dead. He done this by becoming a resourceful hero. He thought quick and clever to find his way out of situations.
Alfred Hitchcock includes a variety of continuity editing techniques to create both smoothness and suspense. The first of these concepts is the establishing shot.Whenever a new scene occurs, Hitchcock utilizes an establishing shot to provide overview to a scene. Hitchcock utilizes establishing shots at the United Nation’s complex, the Chicago bus stop, and Mount Rushmore. These establishing shots allow audience members to understand what is going on and where the succeeding scene is occurring.
When Roger Thornhill first meets Eve Kendall, she is wearing a white dress with plenty of skin showing, giving the impression that she is a “good” person who is helping Roger Thornhill escape from police. While Eve Kendall is off-screen, the viewer learns that she is an agent for the evil Mr. Vandamm. The next scene, we find Ms. Kendall wearing a thick, black coat, showing her as a “bad” person. Using this discontinuity technique emphasises Eve’s transition from a helpful person to a secret agent, which helps the viewer follow the story and adds suspense. These can also be known as red-herrings.
In nearly all of the suspenseful scenes, including the drunken car chase, the police chase in the train station, and the Rushmore scene, the rapid scene change from Mr. Thornhill to those in pursuit creates a heightened level of suspense.
At the beginning of the film, it seems as Thornhill has got himself into a lot of trouble and looks as if he cannot get himself out of it. The scene where Vandamm got him drunk and made him drive home made him look weak and not being able to fight back. However towards the end of the film Thornhill thought about how he was going to make Vandamm think that he was dead. He done this by becoming a resourceful hero. He thought quick and clever to find his way out of situations.
Alfred Hitchcock includes a variety of continuity editing techniques to create both smoothness and suspense. The first of these concepts is the establishing shot.Whenever a new scene occurs, Hitchcock utilizes an establishing shot to provide overview to a scene. Hitchcock utilizes establishing shots at the United Nation’s complex, the Chicago bus stop, and Mount Rushmore. These establishing shots allow audience members to understand what is going on and where the succeeding scene is occurring.
When Roger Thornhill first meets Eve Kendall, she is wearing a white dress with plenty of skin showing, giving the impression that she is a “good” person who is helping Roger Thornhill escape from police. While Eve Kendall is off-screen, the viewer learns that she is an agent for the evil Mr. Vandamm. The next scene, we find Ms. Kendall wearing a thick, black coat, showing her as a “bad” person. Using this discontinuity technique emphasises Eve’s transition from a helpful person to a secret agent, which helps the viewer follow the story and adds suspense. These can also be known as red-herrings.
In nearly all of the suspenseful scenes, including the drunken car chase, the police chase in the train station, and the Rushmore scene, the rapid scene change from Mr. Thornhill to those in pursuit creates a heightened level of suspense.
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