North by North West; Analysing the Film

Film Language; North by North West

Analysing the Trailer

Why will this appeal to the audience?

The trailer of ‘North by North West’ appeals to the audience by its exciting snack peaks of the movie. It gives away only the synopsis of what the whole story tells. The trailer tells us about how the characters meet but doesn’t explain to the audience the details to the point where the trailer would become a spoiler. The trailer also gives us credits for the actors and the man himself Alfred Hitchcock. The public at the time would have known of the movie and the director’s name would have interested the viewer. The fast moving pace of the trailer would keep the viewer watching because people at the time had never seen a film like this be a big hit. The brief overview that is given is enough to persuade the view to see the film. To conclude the trailer, a small preview of Eva Marie Saint on Mount Rushmore hanging by her hands, this leaves a ‘cliff-hanger’ on the end of the trailer.

•      “Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action,”

 Find examples of this in ‘North by North West’

Most thrillers in the modern day are put into a category that they should have a fast pacing, action filled movie. However, ‘North by North West’ at the time, was said to be this ‘fast pacing’ thriller that everyone wanted to see. We can see examples of this in the film. Scenes such as the crop dusting scene; where there is next to no sound of any kind but the crop duster in the sky. Yet, this scene is famous for the fact that a build up is made for the audience to react to even when there is no music to push this atmosphere.

Another scene that has ‘frequent action’ is the end scene at Mount Rushmore where the two main actors are set in a ‘cliff-hanger’ for a lengthy period of time. This gives the audience and ‘on the edge of your seat’ experience. This is because when one character is being attacked, there is a tense atmosphere. They would then defeat the ‘villain’ and this would give relief to the audience but is quickly built up when the other characters are seen to be in a different fight. The ‘fast pacing action’ is very much present in this last, but vital scene.

•      “Resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains.”Is this true of  ‘North by North West’?

Yes, this is shown in the scene where Eva Marie Saint shoots Cary Grant at Mount Rushmore. The audience are fooled by the ‘stunt killing’ and believe that this naive but secretive character had actually shot the main character. We quickly find out that the gun was not real and we somehow feel more into the movie knowing things that the actors don’t. This is called dramatic irony.

•      “Devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliff-hangers are used extensively.”

Find examples of this in ‘North by North West’

In ‘North by North West’ we see a lot of suspense and cliff-hangers as these are all essentials’ in a thriller movie. However, in some scenes we see more of this used than in others. I previously spoke about the Mount Rushmore ‘cliff-hanger’ scene which could be used as an example, but another scene is called ‘The Auction’. In this scene we see Cary Grant going after Eva Marie Saint as she leaves subtle clues about where she is and where she is going. The scene starts with James Mason, playing another main character, holding Eva’s neck from behind at a medium shot. This camera angle could mean that the actress is in many different situations that the audience couldn’t guess correctly from the information given by the angle. As the camera moves out we see that he is not putting her in any stress but is simply resting on her, this may bring suspense to the audience.

Mid-way through the scene, Cary Grant makes a huge fight scene in the middle of the auction room to gain attention of the others around him. This is also dramatic irony but is also could be a red herring to the audience as they are unsure about why he is making such a scene.

The Crop Duster Scene

During the ‘Crop Duster’ scene, Cary Grant is meant to meet another of the main characters and ends up getting chased by a crop duster which is trying to kill him. Hitchcock believed the stress on the visual makes cinema accessible in different languages, so this scene had no sound. The idea that Hitchcock had of the movie being able to be understood in any language had a lot to do with the way he used sound and dialogue.  Hitchcock wanted the audience to really connect with the movie and feel the same as the character did at the very moment that they saw their reactions. This scene is a famous one of all thrillers, but it is iconic as an action scene because it has non-stop movement. The camera angles constantly change and this gives a last effect of movement on the audience.

•      “A thriller is a villain driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles the hero must overcome.”

Is this true of ‘North by North West’?

Yes, this is because in the film the villains plot was to obtain the films that had been made so precious. This system of portraying a driven villain followed by a determine hero is by using a MacGuffin. A MacGuffin is something in the film that the audience cares about and the audience does not. In ‘North by North West’ , the MacGuffin would be  the film in the cameras that are kept so precious. This is because the villains are so mind set on keeping them safe when the audience doesn’t care about them at all. The MacGuffin has no interest to the audience but gives the hero / villain more to care about in the movie. The MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are (at least initially) willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is. It also helps with the storyline, common examples of this are power, money, survival, relevant possessions or victory.

•      Hitchcock said thrillers allow the audience, "to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like”

Has he succeeded in this film? Where? When?

Yes, Hitchcock has succeeded as his film allows everyone to interact with the film. His use of sound and the idea that he has of the film being able to be understood in any language helps the film succeed. Hitchcock allows the film to really connect with its audience through the use of the plot, hidden secrets and, quite literally, the cliff-hanger ending.