1959 was an exciting year in the history of filmmaking. An extraordinary conjunction of talent throughout the globe existed. In France, Truffaut, Godard, Chabrol, Rohmer, Rivette, and Resnais all directed their first films, thus establishing the French New Wave. In Italy, Fellini created the elegant La Dolce Vita, and Antonioni gave us L’avventura. Most importantly, though, in America, famed British director Alfred Hitchcock gave us the classic thriller North by Northwest, the father of the modern
In the film, “North by Northwest” we see a series of shots that creates suspense and danger. The point of the film is very vague and it ends without a resolution to the main conflict. The incredible camera work and techniques that Alfred Hitchcock did created a feeling of danger and suspense, making the audience want to see more. Also, Hitchcock's film main character Roger O. Thornhill creates suspense with his mistaken identity and fight for his escape. The film uses a handful of shots, for example
Alfred Hitchcock’s film North by Northwest (1959) is famed as a classic man-on-the-run thriller, following protagonist Roger Thornhill as he flees across state lines in a mad dash to save his life and unravel the mystery to his extraordinary predicament. However, mid-way through the film Thornhill’s quandary is further complicated by the introduction of Eve Kendall, a beautiful yet mysterious woman he encounters on a train during his escape from the authorities and people trying to kill him. During
name a few. Hitchcock’s use of blondes for his films went deeper into the depths of their sex appeal, while at the same time, exploiting their mysterious pristine exterior that hid the depths of their passion. Represented by Cary Grant meeting Eva Marie Saint on the train, which, she seduces him immediately with sexual innuendo. This was not typical behavior for ordinary women, so it brings about the air of mystery to the scene, because you wonder about what game she’s playing at. Each female actor
Writer and film critic Roger Ebert once said that the Hitchcock Blonde, “…reflected the same qualities over and over again: They were blonde. They were icy and remote. They were imprisoned in costumes that subtly combined fashion with fetishism. They mesmerized the men, who often had physical or psychological handicaps…” Much of this is true of Grace Kelly’s character Lisa Fremont in Rear Window: although she is neither icy nor remote, she is very fashionable and must rise to the occasion of the
Hitchcock is a director who makes a movie suspenseful in his own way. He is know as “the master of suspense.” His movies have oftimes become classic of thriller and they are enjoyable to watch. One of the most enjoyable movie he has directed is North by Northwest. Hitchcock has directed movies like Strangers on the train, that have similar features as North By Northwest but the one that have more ratings and “has gone on to take its place as one of the best-loved films in motion picture history”
“Creating a master plan for a consistent visual texture or style that is artistically suited to the film story to be told” (Petrie and Boggs 75). This is the main universal goal of all filmmakers. This blueprint for success is the way the films North by Northwest, The Third Man, and The Piano accomplished such astounding and visually beautiful performances. These three films successfully balance the use (or lack of use) of color, lighting, setting, costumes, and makeup to create a film that is harmonious
convincing in the more intense “action” scenes, such as the famous one with the crop duster or the climactic chase. Most surprisingly, Grant, the picture of refined cool, does well with the everyman aspect of his character. Grant’s leading lady, Eva Marie Saint, does not match him in her role as Eve Kendall. Her performance was OK, and her and Grant have decent chemistry, but overall she was a little too subdued and stoic. Her character must put on an act for much of the film, but everyone she plays
1954: As the dust kicked up by the nationalistic yet fearful time in American history called the Second Red Scare began to settle, one of the most influential films in American, and international, film history hits Hollywood. Directed by the infamous Elia Kazan, On the Waterfront tells the story of a young Terry Malloy, ex-prize fighter and current dock worker who is suppressed by the corrupt boss of the docker’s union. Disgusted by the union’s manipulation of its workers and horrified by its murder
The auteur theory was a major foundation of many of Hitchcock’s films which include, North By Northwest, Psycho and To Catch A Thief. All three of these films incorporate the auteur theory techniques that created a deeper meaning and eccentricity. Each film integrates a minor love story that has somewhat of an effect on the plot. These movies are known for their production techniques, aesthetics and themes. North By Northwest, Psycho and To Catch A Thief resemble each other in subtle ways which can
Growing up I realized the way my future was forming through sensation, perception and perspective. Looking back I now realize how my thoughts on sensation, perception and perspective have changed. For example when I would hear people talking loud outside my apartment I could perceive there was an argument. This sensation is the simple stimulation of a sense organ. As my age grew I now have a million different ways I could have perceived why people were talking loud outside. Perception is the organization
Thomas. The Great Funk: Falling Apart and Coming Together (on a Shag Rug) in the Seventies. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Print. North by Northwest. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock. Prod. Alfred Hitchcock. By Ernest Lehman. Perf. Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis, Leo G. Carroll, and Martin Landau. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1959. DVD. "Thomas Hine." Populuxe. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. .