North by Northwest- Semester 2

Justin Noddle Period 6

Summary: North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. This is a 136 minute film about a man who is mistaken as a spy and is chased and escapes form people attempting to kill him. He avoids danger the whole movie and is in love with a girl who works for the men trying to kill him.

Question #1: How does clothing attribute to the character’s personality and portray the way they act?

The main character, Cary Grant wears a gray suit throughout the entire movie. It is now known as one of the best suits in films history the most influential. His suit gives him a sort of iconic status. The fact that he always wears the suit makes it seem durable just like he is. Surviving through everything and so is his suit. The woman who is supposed to be very attractive is always wearing vibrant colors to attract attention to herself and is wearing jewelry to symbolize both wealth and beauty. The costume of each character shows who they truly are and helps give the viewer an idea of who the character really is.

Question #2: What type of camera movement does Hitchcock use and when? Why is this effective in getting his point across?

Hitchcock uses an extreme long shot early in the film to establish the scene and shows one character alone, assume to be the protagonist, entering a door. It is followed by a long shot form inside the building, which implies that he walked into this certain building. This long shot allows the viewer to analyze the costume of Thornhill and see what he looks like. Thornhill meets a man and a medium shot is used to keep the focus on the two men and the dialogue that they are having. The camera pans effectively when action takes place.