War

ning

Con

cern

ing

Cop

yrig

ht R

estr

ictio

ns

The

Copy

right

law

of t

he U

nite

d St

ates

(Titl

e 17

, Uni

ted

Stat

es C

ode)

gov

erns

the

mak

ing

of p

hoto

copi

es o

r oth

er re

prod

uctio

ns o

f cop

yrig

ht m

ater

ial.

Und

er c

erta

inco

nditi

ons s

peci

fied

in th

e la

w, l

ibra

ries a

nd a

rchi

ves a

re a

utho

rized

to fu

rnish

aph

otoc

opy

or o

ther

repr

oduc

tion.

One

of t

hese

spec

ified

con

ditio

ns is

that

the

phot

ocop

yor

repr

oduc

tion

not b

e "u

sed

for a

ny p

urpo

ses o

ther

than

priv

ate

study

, sch

olar

ship

, or

rese

arch

." If

a us

er m

akes

a re

ques

t for

, or l

ater

use

s, a

phot

ocop

y or

repr

oduc

tion

for

purp

oses

in e

xces

s of "

fair

use,

" tha

t use

r may

be

liabl

e fo

r cop

yrig

ht in

fring

emen

t.

5

NORTH BY NORTHWEST

· There are no symbols in North by Northwest . Oh yes! One. The last shot, the train entering the runnel after the love-scene between Grant and Eva-Marie Saint. It's a phallic symbol. But don't tell anyone.-Alfred Hitchcock, Cahiers du Cinema, No. 102.

Of Hitchcock's six most recent films, North by Northwest is that which corresponds most nearly to the conventional estimate of him as a pol· ished light entertainer. That, beside its immediate neighbors, it is a lightweight work, a relaxation, in which we see Hitchcock working at something less than full pressure, I do not deny. That it is trivial or frivolous, not worth serious attention, [reject absolutely. When I spoke of the unbroken series of masterpieces from Vertigo to Mamie, I had not forgotten North by Northwest.

A light entertainment can have depth, subtlety, finesse, it can embody mature moral values; indeed, it seems to me that it must. If I fail to be entertained by Goldfinger, it is because there is nothing there to engage or retain the attention; the result is a nonentity, consequently tedious. The essential triviality of the James Bond in fact, sets off perfectly, by contrast, the depth, the charm, the integrity of Hitchcock's film.

A film, whether light entertainment or not, is either a work of art or · it is nothing. And the basic essential of a work of art is that it be

thematically organic. Goldfinger is a collection of bits, carefully calcu· lated with both eyes on the box office, put end to end with no deeper necessity for what happens next than mere plot; nothing except plot develops in· the course of it, and, obviously, the essence of an organic construction is development. But Goldfinger, [ shall be reminded, doesn't take itself seriously: so much the worse for it. And if ir doesn't why

HIT

CH

CO

CK

'S F

ILM

S

shqu

ld a

nyon

e el

se?-

for I

find

it d

iffic

ult t

o se

e ho

w th

e ad

ult m

ind

can

occu

py it

self

with

som

ethi

ng t

hat c

anno

t, in

som

e se

nse,

be

take

n se

ri-ou

sly.

Nor

th b

y N

orth

wes

t, on

the

leve

l of

plo

t (if

one

can

im

agin

e its

pl

ot d

ivor

ced

from

its

subj

ect,

whi

ch is

mor

e di

ffic

ult t

han

may

at

first

appe

ar),

also

doe

sn't

take

its

elf

serio

usly

: w

e ar

e no

t, in

oth

er w

ords

, ex

pect

ed t

o be

lieve

, lite

rally

, thi

s co

uld

happ

en.

But

it is

a v

ery

supe

rfi-

cial

gla

nce

that

see

s no

mor

e th

ere

than

the

plo

t. T

he t

ongu

e-in

-che

ek

elem

ent o

n pl

ot le

vel h

as th

e fu

nctio

n of

dir

ectin

g ou

r at

tent

ion

to o

ther

le

vels.

On

the

othe

r ha

nd t

he s

elf-

moc

king

asp

ect o

f th

e B

ond

film

s is

mer

ely

a ve

ry s

hrew

d m

eans

of

perm

ittin

g th

e sp

ecta

tor

to in

dulg

e an

y pe

ncha

nt f

or s

adis

m a

nd .s

exua

l "k

icks

" he

may

hav

e w

ithou

t an

y ac

-co

mpa

nyin

g di

scom

fort

. Th

e so

ciol

ogis

t and

the

criti

c ha

ve te

rrito

ry in

com

mon

, cer

tain

ly; b

ut

Gol

dfin

ger a

nd it

s su

cces

s, th

e w

ide

popu

lar a

nd c

ritic

al s

ucce

ss o

f a fi

lm

that

has

sca

rcel

y m

ore

to o

ffer

than

a b

oys'

com

ic p

aper

, see

ms

to m

e to

be

long

stri

ctly

to

the

soci

olog

ist.

Even

to

com

pare

it

with

Nor

th b

y N

orth

wes

t w

ill s

eem

slig

htly

rid

icul

ous

to H

itchc

ock'

s ad

mir

ers,

but

a

mom

ent's

ref

lect

ion

will

be

enou

gh t

o re

min

d th

em t

hat

the

obvi

ous

dist

inct

ion

betw

een

the

two

film

s ha

s no

t bee

n m

ade

ever

ywhe

re.

I ha

ve a

llow

ed t

hat

Nor

th b

y N

orth

wes

t is

a co

mpa

rativ

ely

rela

xed

film

, a

dive

rtis

sem

ent;

that

is

to s

ay,

one

mus

t no

t de

man

d of

it t

he

conc

entr

ated

sig

nific

ance

, th

e ex

trao

rdin

arily

clo

se-k

nit o

rgan

izat

ion

of

Vert

igo

and

Psyc

ho.

Nev

erth

eles

s, it

has

a c

oher

ent a

nd s

atis

fyin

g de

vel-

opm

ent,

a co

nstr

uctio

n su

ffici

ently

str

ong

and

clea

r to

ass

imila

te t

he

occa

sion

al c

harm

ing

but i

rrel

evan

t litt

le j

eux

d'es

prit

(the

stra

nge

lady

's re

actio

n to

Car

y G

rant

's n

octu

rnal

pas

sage

thr

ough

her

bed

room

as

he

esca

pes

from

the

hot

el i

n w

hich

the

hea

d of

the

C.I.

A.

has

impr

ison

ed

him

) pe

rmis

sibl

e in

a w

ork

of th

is n

atur

e. L

ike

Vert

igo

(to w

hich

it i

s al

so l

inke

d th

roug

h its

equ

ivoc

al h

eroi

ne),

it ca

n be

reg

arde

d as

fal

ling

into

thre

e m

ovem

ents

cor

resp

ondi

ng to

the

mai

n st

ages

in t

he e

volu

tion

of th

e he

ro's

attit

ude.

The

firs

t lig

htly

ske

tche

s al

l th

at is

rel

evan

t (fo

r th

e pu

rpos

es o

f th

e fil

m)

of h

is ge

nera

l si

tuat

ion

and

outlo

ok, a

nd h

as

him

mis

take

n fo

r G

eorg

e K

apla

n an

d w

ante

d by

bot

h sp

ies

and

polic

e;

it cl

oses

with

the

rev

elat

ion

that

Geo

rge

Kap

lan

does

n't

exis

t. Th

e se

cond

see

s hi

m i

nvol

ved

with

Eve

Ken

dall

and

trac

es t

he a

brup

t shi

fts

in h

is r

elat

ions

hip

with

her

as

he (

as w

ell

as t

he s

pect

ator

) be

com

es

incr

easi

ngly

fru

stra

ted,

baf

fled,

dis

illus

ione

d, b

y th

e am

bigu

ity o

f he

r po

sitio

n an

d be

havi

or.

The

last

mov

emen

t be

gins

whe

n he

lea

rns

the

NO

RTH

IIY

NO

RTH

WE

ST

Ill

trut

h ab

out

her

and

-th

e re

al t

urni

ng p

oint

of

the

acce

pts

his

role

as

Kap

lan,

and

cul

min

ates

in

the

cem

entin

g of

the

ir

rela

tions

hip.

N

orth

by

Nor

thw

est

bear

s an

obv

ious

res

embl

ance

to

both

The

39

Step

s an

d Sa

bote

ur;

its i

mm

ense

sup

erio

rity

to b

oth

film

s sc

arce

ly n

eeds

to

be

argu

ed·,

but i

t is

wor

th n

otin

g th

at H

itchc

ock

him

self,

whe

n as

ked

why

he

had

rem

ade

Sabo

teur

, re

plie

d th

a·t in

the

ear

lier f

ilm t

he c

hara

c-te

rs w

ere

not

inte

rest

ing,

and

tha

t he

mad

e an

ele

men

tary

mis

take

in

havi

ng t

he v

illai

n, n

ot t

he h

ero,

dan

gle

from

the

top

of

the

Stat

ue o

f L

iber

ty. T

he s

econ

d po

int i

s by

no

mea

ns a

tri

vial

one

, and

is i

ntim

atel

y co

nnec

ted

with

.the

firs

t. It

is n

ot s

o m

uch

a gr

eate

r co

mpl

exity

of

the

char

acte

rs in

Nor

th b

y N

orth

wes

t tha

t mak

es th

em m

ore

inte

rest

ing,

but

th

eir

rela

tions

hip

to t

he a

ctio

n. B

oth

The

39 S

teps

and

Sab

oteu

r ha

ve

hero

es q

uite

unp

redi

ctab

ly a

nd a

brup

tly p

lung

ed in

to h

air-

rais

ing

adve

n-tu

res,

but

the

adve

ntur

es b

ear

no r

eally

org

anic

rela

tions

hip

to th

e m

en;

ther

e is

not t

he s

ame

poin

t in

thes

e th

ings

hap

peni

ng to

Ric

hard

Han

nay

and

the

hero

of S

abot

eur

as t

here

is in

the

ir h

appe

ning

to

Rog

er T

horn

-hi

ll. S

imila

rly,

ther

e is

no p

oint

at

all

in h

avin

g Fr

y (th

e "s

abot

eur"

of

the

title

) han

g by

his

coat

slee

ves

from

the

Sta

tue

of L

iber

ty, b

eyon

d th

e pr

olon

ging

of

a si

mpl

e su

spen

se ·a

s an

end

in it

self

; th

ere

is ev

ery

poin

t in

Rog

er T

horn

hill,

the

prev

ious

ly ir

resp

onsi

ble,

una

ttach

ed a

dver

tisin

g m

an, h

avin

g to

han

g· o

nto

a le

dge

on M

ount

Rus

hmor

e by

one

han

d,

hold

ing

the

wom

an h

e lo

ves

by t

he o

ther

, w

hile

the

hom

osex

ual

spy

Leon

ard,

the

film

's ul

timat

e re

pres

enta

tive

of th

e st

erile

and

des

truc

tive,

gr

inds

the

han

d w

ith h

is f

oot.[

2.o]

The

diff

eren

ce c

an b

e su

mm

ed u

p (w

ith s

ome

unfa

irnes

s in

sim

plifi

catio

n to

the

earl

ier f

ilms)

by

sayi

ng th

at

Nor

th b

y N

orth

wes

t has

a s

ubje

ct a

s w

ell a

s a

plot

. In

fac

t, at

a d

eepe

r le

vel

the

film

has

mor

e in

com

mon

wit

h Re

ar

Win

dow

than

with

Sab

oteu

r or

The

39

Step

s. T

hd

ilm

beg

ins w

ith s

hots

of

New

Yor

k tra

ffic

and

New

Yor

k cr

owds

: a

sens

e of

app

aren

tly

aim

less

and

cha

otic

bus

tle a

nd m

ovem

ent.

From

thi

s em

erge

s R

oger

Th

ornh

ill, d

icta

ting

to h

is s

ecre

tary

on

his

way

hom

e by

lift

, cr

owde

d pa

vem

ent,

taxi

·: em

erge

s fr

om it

as

its ty

pica

l rep

rese

ntat

ive

and

prod

uct.

In a

n ex

posi

tion

of m

aste

rly c

ompr

essi

on w

e le

arn

all t

he e

ssen

tial t

hing

s ab

out

him

: he

, is

bras

h, f

ast-t

alki

ng,

over

-con

fide

nt o

n th

e su

rfac

e; e

n-tir

ely

irres

pons

ible

and

inco

nsid

erat

e of

oth

ers

(he

clie

ats

two

peop

le o

ut

of th

eir t

axi b

y pr

eten

ding

his

sec

reta

ry is

ill,

then

che

erfu

lly ju

stifi

es th

is to

her

by

telli

ng h

er h

e ha

s m

ade

the

othe

r m

an "

feel

lik

e a

Goo

d

134

HIT

CH

CO

CK

'S F

ILM

S

Sam

arita

n");

a h

eavy

dri

nker

; a

divo

rce

(twic

e, i

t tra

nspi

res)

; su

rpri

s-in

gly

dom

inat

ed b

y hi

s m

othe

r, w

ho, h

e sa

ys, i

s "l

ike

a bl

oodh

ound

" in

st

ill s

niff

ing

his

brea

th to

find

out

if h

e ha

s be

en d

rink

ing.

Ind

eed,

he

is a

man

who

live

s pu

rely

on

the

surf

ace,

refu

sing

all

com

mitm

ent o

r res

pon-

sibi

lity

(app

ropr

iate

ly,

he is

in

adve

rtisi

ng),

imm

atur

e fo

r al

l hi

s co

ck-

sure

ness

, hi

s lif

e al

l th

e m

ore

a ch

aos

for

the

fact

tha

t he

doe

sn't

reco

gniz

e it

as s

uch;

a m

an w

ho re

lies

abov

e al

l on

the

exte

rior

trap

ping

s of

mod

ern

civi

liza

tion

-bus

ines

s of

fices

, co

ckta

il ba

rs,

mac

hine

s-fo

r pr

otec

tion,

who

sub

stitu

tes

bust

le a

nd s

peed

for

a s

ense

of d

irec

tion

or

purp

ose:

a m

oder

n ci

ty E

very

man

, who

se c

harm

and

·self-

conf

iden

ce a

nd

smar

tnes

s m

ake

him

esp

ecia

lly e

asy

for

the

spec

tato

r to

iden

tity

with

, so

that

at t

he s

tart

we

are

scar

cely

con

scio

us o

f his

limita

tions

as

a hu

man

be

ing.

We

can

quite

hap

pily

and

tho

ught

less

ly a

ttach

our

selv

es t

o hi

s sm

ug c

onfi

denc

e in

bei

ng in

con

trol

of h

is e

nvir

onm

ent.

And

the

n, a

brup

tly,

with

in t

en m

inut

es o

f th

e st

art

of th

e fil

m,

the

grou

nd i

s cu

t aw

ay f

rom

und

er h

is/o

ur f

eet.

Hitc

hcoc

k's

sens

e of

the

pr

ecar

ious

ness

of

all

hum

an o

rder

has

nev

er b

een

mor

e be

autif

ully

ex-

pres

sed

(thou

gh c

onve

yed

else

whe

re-i

n Th

e W

rong

Man

and

The

Bird

s, fo

r in

stan

ce-w

ith

grea

ter

inte

nsity

and

ove

rt s

erio

usne

ss)

thim

in

the

mis

take

, du

e to

she

er c

hanc

e, b

y w

hich

Tho

rnhi

ll, g

oing

to

send

a

tele

gram

to h

is m

othe

r, fi

nds

him

self

kidn

appe

d by

gun

men

. In

the

lobb

y of

a c

row

ded

hote

l, in

who

se lo

unge

bar

he

has

just

bee

n dr

inki

ng w

ith

asso

ciat

es, c

haos

abr

uptly

take

s ov

er.

The

rem

aind

er o

f th

e fil

m's

first

mov

emen

t is

devo

ted

to a

sys

tem

atic

st

ripp

ing

away

of a

ll th

e pr

otec

tive

arm

or o

f mod

ern

city

man

on

whi

ch

Thor

nhill

rel

ies

for

his

safe

ty.

ln t

he m

idst

of

crow

ds,

he b

ecom

es

com

plet

ely

isol

ated

. Th

e op

port

unis

t has

bee

n de

feat

ed b

y ch

ance

. The

m

an w

ho d

epri

ved

othe

rs o

f the

ir ta

xi is

im

pris

oned

in a

car

he

can'

t get

ou

r of

, un

able

eve

n to

attr

act

atte

ntio

n. H

e is

take

n to

the

hou

se o

f a

Mr.

Tow

nsen

d w

here

all

his

"pro

ofs"

of

iden

tity

are

disd

ainf

ully

re-

fuse

d. T

he h

eavy

dri

nker

is f

orce

d to

gul

p do

wn

imm

ense

qua

ntiti

es o

f B

ourb

on a

s a

prel

imin

ary

ro a

"dr

unk

driv

ing

acci

dent

." T

he f

act

that

he

is a

hea

vy d

rink

er, o

f cou

rse,

mak

es it

feas

ible

tha

t he

shou

ld b

e ab

le

to f

rust

rate

his

pote

ntia

l m

urde

rers

by

esca

ping

his

"ac

cide

nt";

bur

we

are

also

lef

t to

ref

lect

on

the

appr

opri

aten

ess

of s

uch

a d

eath

-it

is pr

ecis

ely

the

way

in

whi

ch T

horn

hill

mig

ht e

vent

ually

hav

e di

ed. T

he

hair

-rai

sing

dri

ve in

a c

ar a

lmos

t out

of h

is co

ntro

l is

a lo

gica

l ext

ensi

on

of h

is ba

sic

situ

atio

n. A

nd H

itchc

ock

is so

littl

e in

tere

sted

in h

is sp

ies

as

NORT

H II

Y NO

RTH

WES

T 11

5

spie

s, th

e sp

ecta

tor

is so

litt

le e

ncou

rage

d ro

inq

uire

int

o th

e pr

ecise

na

ture

of

thei

r ac

tiviti

es,

that

it

beco

mes

ver

y ea

sy t

o ac

cept

the

m a

s si

mpl

y th

e em

bodi

men

t of r

he f

orce

s of

dis

orde

r an

d su

bver

sion

: w

e ar

e no

mor

e in

tere

sted

in th

eir r

atio

nal m

otiv

atio

n th

an w

e ar

e in

that

of t

he

bird

s tw

o fil

ms

late

r. Li

ke t

he b

irds

, the

y ar

e no

r so

muc

h a

proj

ectio

n of

rhe

chao

s un

derl

ying

mod

em o

rder

a·s

the

agen

ts w

here

by r

har

orde

r is

dest

roye

d, th

e ch

aos

forc

ed u

pon

the

char

acte

rs' c

onsc

ious

ness

. Th

ornh

ill's

sens

e of

pers

onal

iden

tity

is cl

early

wea

k, a

nd u

nder

min

ed

by th

e sp

ies'

unsh

akab

le c

onvi

ctio

n th

at h

e is

Geo

rge

Kap

lan;

and

inde

ed

as a

n in

tegr

ated

hum

an b

eing

he

has

abou

t as

rea

l an

exi

sten

ce. A

t th

e po

lice

stat

ion,

he

tells

his

mot

her o

n th

e ph

one,

ver

y em

phat

ical

ly, "

Thi

s is

your

son

, R

oger

Tho

rnhi

ll" -as if

he

h<td

been

bro

ught

to t

he p

oint

of

dou

btin

g it.

The

onl

y re

latio

nshi

p of

any

app

aren

t str

engt

h, w

ith h

is m

othe

r, pr

oves

wor

se t

han

usel

ess,

her

skep

ticis

m u

nder

min

ing

him

at

ever

y st

ep;

it is

paro

died

whe

n he

ret

urns

with

the

pol

ice

to t

he T

own-

send

man

sion

by

the

false

Mrs

. Tow

nsen

d's

effu

sive

, mot

herl

y, y

et e

qual

ly

cyni

cal,

trea

tmen

t of

him

. Th

e pa

ralle

l is

emph

asiz

ed b

y H

itchc

ock'

s ha

ving

the

tw

o w

omen

(w

ho l

ook

very

muc

h al

ike)

sta

nd i

n si

mila

r po

stur

es, h

ands

fol

ded

befo

re th

em. O

ne o

f the

film

's fu

nnie

st a

nd m

ost

unco

mfo

rtab

le m

omen

ts c

omes

whe

n, d

esce

ndin

g fr

om th

eir e

xplo

ratio

n of

Kap

lan'

s ro

oms

in t

he h

otel

lift,

Tho

rnhi

ll's

mot

her

rem

arks

gai

ly r

o rh

e tw

o m

en w

ho a

lmos

t sen

t her

son

ove

r a c

liff t

he n

ight

bef

ore,

"Y

ou

gent

lem

en a

ren'

t re

ally

try

ing

to k

ill m

y so

n, a

re y

ou?"

, an

d th

e w

hole

lif

t loa

d-m

othe

r, ki

llers

, oth

er p

asse

nger

s-la

ugh

upro

ario

usly

at

the

joke

whi

le T

horn

hill

stan

ds h

elpl

essl

y in

the

ir m

idst

. W

ith c

hara

cter

istic

Hitc

hcoc

kian

out

rage

ousn

ess,

Tho

rnhi

ll's

final

pl

unge

into

cha

os is

set

in t

he s

upre

me

sym

bol o

f pot

entia

l wor

ld o

rder

,.

the

Uni

ted

Nat

ions

bui

ldin

g. A

fter

the

knifi

ng o

f the

real

Tow

nsen

d, w

e se

e Th

ornh

ill r

unni

ng f

rant

ical

ly,

a m

icro

scop

ic f

igur

e, i

n a

shot

tak

en

from

the

top

of t

he b

uild

ing,

loo

king

dir

ectly

dow

n on

him

; th

e sm

ug,

self-

conf

iden

t .ad

verti

sing

man

, so

sure

of t

he e

ffect

iven

ess

of h

is pe

rson

-al

ity,

redu

ced

to a

n al

mos

t in

dist

ingu

isha

ble

spec

k, a

nd a

com

plet

ely

isol

ated

spe

ck,

for

he i

s no

w (

as T

horn

hill)

pur

sued

by

the

forc

es o

f or

der a

s w

ell

as d

isor

der

(as

Kap

lan)

. It i

s at

this

poi

nt th

at w

e le

ave

him

fo

r a

mom

ent t

o le

arn

the

trut

h: t

he m

eetin

g in

the

Int

ellig

ence

Bur

eau

reve

als

that

Kap

lan

(on

who

se w

here

abou

ts T

horn

hill'

s fa

re d

epen

ds)

does

n't

exis

t-is

a c

onve

nien

t in

vent

ion,

a "

none

xist

ent

deco

y "

de-

sign

ed t

o di

vert

the

spi

es' a

rten

tion

from

the

rea

l age

nt.

Wha

t is

to b

e

114

HIT

CH

CO

CK

'S fi

i:H

S

done

to

prot

ect T

horn

hill?

Not

hing

. He

is to

be

left

to f

end

for

him

self,

th

row

n ba

ck o

n hi

s ow

n re

sour

ces,

all

civi

lized

pro

tect

ions

rem

oved

. T

he f

irst

mov

emen

t of

the

film

end

s w

ith t

he s

ecre

tary

's ep

itaph

on

an

unkn

own

none

ntity

: "G

ood-

bye,

Mr.

Tho

rnhi

ll, w

hoev

er y

ou a

re!"

T

he s

econ

d m

ovem

ent

begi

ns w

ith T

horn

hill,

in

the

stat

ion,

aga

in

amon

g cr

owds

, in

to w

hich

we

see

hlm

, in

lon

g sh

ot,

disa

ppea

r. Th

e en

suin

g se

quen

ce g

ives

us

the

trai

n jo

urne

y, T

horn

hill'

s m

eetin

g w

ith

Eve

Ken

dall,

and

the

firs

t sta

ge in

the

ir r

elat

ions

hip.

The

sup

erfic

ial

Eve

-it

is a

ll w

e se

e fo

r so

me

tim

e-su

gges

ts th

at sh

e is

the

perf

ect c

ount

er-

part

for T

horn

hill:

wor

ldly

, am

oral

, qui

te w

ithou

t. dep

th o

f fee

ling,

qui

te

unco

mm

itted

to a

nyth

ing

or a

nyon

e, ta

king

sex

as

she

wou

ld a

coc

ktai

l (s

he s

ays

to h

im, w

ith a

sly

sug

gest

iven

ess,

"It

's g

oing

to b

e a

long

nig

ht,

and

I do

n't

part

icul

arly

lik

e th

e bo

ok I

've

star

ted

...

know

wha

t I

mea

n?")

. The

re is

a s

light

hin

t of

nym

phom

ania

. She

see

ms

to b

e of

fer-

ing

exac

tly th

e ki

nd o

f rel

atio

nshi

p he

wou

ld w

ant:

love

-mak

ing

with

out

invo

lvem

ent,

sex

wit

hout

res

pons

ibili

ties.

But

alr

eady

, as

the

y be

gin

to

mak

e lo

ve a

fter

she

has

hid

den

him

in

her

wal

l'be

d fr

om t

he s

earc

hing

po

lice,

one

beg

ins

to b

e aw

are

of u

nder

curr

ents

. H

e w

onde

rs w

hy s

he

isn'

t afr

aid

of h

im, a

sup

pose

d m

urde

rer;

she

asks

him

if h

e is

plan

ing

co

mur

der

her.

He

asks

, "S

hall

I?";

she

mur

mur

s "P

leas

e do

," a

nd t

hey

kiss

. It

is al

l pl

ayfu

l on

the

sur

face

; bu

t as

the

y ki

ss h

is h

ands

enc

ircle

he

r he

ad a

s if

eith

er to

str

angl

e or

to c

rush

her

, and

her

s m

ove

to h

is c

o dr

aw h

im d

own,

in a

n at

titu

de o

f sur

rend

er. W

e re

aliz

e hi

s su

dden

sen

se

of t

he d

ange

r of

invo

lvem

ent

and

also

her

bar

ely

conc

eale

d w

eari

ness

an

d ye

arni

ng.

It is

all

done

with

a m

arve

lous

del

icac

y w

hich

is

in f

act

char

acte

rist

ic o

f Hitc

hcoc

k, a

lthou

gh th

is is

not

oft

en r

ecog

-ni

zed.

The

sce

ne e

nds

with

a s

hot o

f he

r lo

okin

g ov

er h

is s

houl

der,

her

ey

es d

eepl

y tr

oubl

ed;

then

she

sen

ds t

he m

essa

ge a

long

to

Van

dam

m:

"Wha

t do

I do

with

him

in t

he m

orni

ng?"

W

hat

she

does

is

to a

rran

ge f

or h

im t

o b

e m

achi

ne-g

unne

d fr

om a

pl

ane.

The

atte

mpt

on

his

life

is pr

efac

ed b

y th

eir

part

ing;

whi

ch e

nds

with

the

bea

utifu

l sh

ot o

f hi

s ha

nd t

enta

tivel

y co

veri

ng h

ers

on t

he

hand

le o

f he

r ca

se,

as s

he d

raw

s ba

ck:

thei

r m

utua

l in

volv

emen

t is

sugg

este

d w

ith r

emar

kabl

e ec

onom

y. W

hat

we

seem

to

hav

e he

re (

for

we

still

tak

e Ev

e ve

ry l

arge

ly a

t he

r fa

ce v

alue

) is

the

old

clic

he o

f th

e w

icke

d w

oman

dra

wn

into

true

love

aga

inst

her

will

. A c

urso

ry c

ompa

r-is

on w

ith w

hat

Guy

Ham

ilto

n m

akes

of

the

Puss

y G

alor

e/ja

mes

Bon

d

HO

IITH

IIY

HO

IITH

WE

ST

ll7

rela

tions

hip

will

rev

eal

the

exte

nt t

o w

hich

a "

light

ca

n ha

ve g

race

, sen

sibi

liry,

and

mor

al d

epth

if it

is d

irec

ted

by H

itchc

ock.

T

he c

rop-

dust

ing

sequ

ence

is j

ustly

fam

ous

and

seem

s w

idel

y ac

cept

ed

as o

ne o

f H

itchc

ock'

s m

ost

brill

iant

set

pie

ces.

Wha

t is

nor

so o

ften

no

ticed

, how

ever

, is

its d

epen

denc

e fo

r of

it's

effe

ct o

n irs

con

text

. C

erta

inly

, it i

s br

illia

nt in

itse

lf, a

n ob

ject

less

on in

the

bui

ldin

g up

of

a su

spen

se t

hrou

gh t

he r

epea

ted

chea

ting

of t

he a

udie

nce'

s ex

pect

atio

ns,

endi

ng in

the

fri

sson

-pro

duci

ng l

ine,

"T

hat

plan

e's

dust

ing

crop

s w

here

th

ere

ain'

t no

cro

ps,"

and

the

subs

eque

nt e

xplo

sion

int

o vi

olen

t act

ion.

Y

et th

e se

quen

ce r

etai

ns ir

s m

agic

how

ever

man

y tim

es o

ne s

ee's

the

film

-

even

aft

er o

ne k

now

s, s

hot b

y sh

ot, w

hat c

omes

nex

t, an

d it

is w

orth

as

king

why

this

sho

uld

be. T

he s

eque

nce

occu

rs a

t al

mos

t exa

ctly

mid

-po

int

in t

he f

ilm.·

Imm

edia

tely

beh

ind

it is

our

know

ledg

e of

Eve

. Ken

-da

ll's

trea

cher

y (w

e kn

ow T

horn

hill

is go

ing

to b

e at

tack

ed, t

houg

h he

do

esn'

t) an

d al

l th

e em

otio

nal

tens

ion

gene

rate

d by

the

ir r

elat

ions

hip.

Bu

r the

re is

muc

h m

ore

behi

nd it

than

tha

t. H

ithe

rto

in th

e fil

m, T

horn

-hi

ll ha

s al

way

s be

en i

nsid

e: i

nsid

e ci

ties,

build

ings

, ve

hicl

es:

and

we

know

him

as

a m

an a

t hom

e in

the

com

plac

ency

-enc

oura

ging

secu

riry

of

offic

e an

d co

ckta

il ba

r. N

ow, s

udde

nly,

he

is in

ope

n co

untr

y. A

nd n

ot

mer

ely

open

cou

ntry

: a

flat

land

scap

e, t

reel

ess,

hou

sele

ss,

shel

terle

ss,

parc

hed,

str

etch

ing

away

app

aren

tly to

infin

iry o

n al

l sid

es. I

n th

e m

idst

of

this

he

stan

ds, a

n is

olat

ed s

peck

with

the

who

le w

orld

aga

inst

him

, ab

solu

tely

exp

osed

and

vul

nera

ble:

mod

ern

man

dep

rive

d of

all

his

amen

ities

and

arti

ficia

l re

sour

ces.

The

bus

-hi

s la

st c

onta

ct w

ith

othe

r pe

ople

, with

civ

iliza

tion-

mov

es a

way

, the

cro

p-du

stin

g pl

ane

rurn

s an

d fli

es t

owar

d hi

m .

.. It

is a

mar

velo

us c

once

ptio

n, c

entr

al t

o th

e fil

m i

n m

ore

way

s th

an p

ositi

on.

Thor

nhill

's fir

st i

mag

e of

Eve

is n

ow s

hatte

red;

the

sec

ond

is eq

ually

m

isle

adin

g-th

ough

bot

h be

ar s

ome

rela

tions

hip

to t

he r

eal

Eve.

Whe

n th

ey m

eet a

gain

in t

he h

otel

, she

run

s up

to

him

, and

we

see

her

relie

f:

relie

f not

onl

y th

at h

e is

n't d

ead

bur t

hat s

he h

asn'

t bee

n re

spon

sibl

e fo

r hi

s de

ath.

His

han

ds g

o ro

und

her

head

aga

in t

o em

brac

e· he

r, in

the

ge

srur

e he

use

d on

the

tra

in; o

nly

this

tim

e th

ey d

on't

quite

cou

ch. H

e he

sita

tes,

mov

es a

way

, mak

es a

sar

cast

ic r

emar

k ab

out

"tog

ethe

rnes

s."

Ano

ther

fam

iliar

.Hitc

hcoc

k th

eme

is to

uche

d on

: the

nec

essi

ry f

or a

tru

st

base

d on

inst

inct

, eve

n w

hen

it is

quite

unr

easo

nabl

e. T

heir

sep

arat

ion

is ex

pres

sed

by re

stle

ss c

ross

cutti

ng, t

heir

par

tial

rec

onci

liatio

n (o

n hi

s si

de

us

HIT

CH

CO

CK

'S F

ILM

S

clea

rly p

rovi

sion

al a

nd s

uspi

ciou

s) b

y a

beau

tiful

cam

era

mov

emen

t tha

t un

ites

them

in

one

imag

e as

she

mov

es t

owar

d hi

m.

She

help

s hi

m

rem

ove

his

jack

et to

hav

e it

clea

ned,

and

he

says

, "W

hen

I was

a l

ittle

bo

y I w

ould

n't e

ven

let m

y m

othe

r und

ress

me"

; she

tells

him

he

is a

big

boy

now

. It

is on

e of

thos

e un

obtru

sive

, alm

ost o

ffha

nd e

xcha

nges

that

re

veal

s a

grea

t dea

l. B

efor

e sh

e le

aves

, he

asks

her

, "H

ave

you

ever

kill

ed

anyo

ne?"

-we a

re m

ade

to r

emem

ber

that

(wha

teve

r he

r m

otiv

es)

she

did

in fa

ct c

onni

ve a

t the

atte

mpt

on

his

life.

This

mid

dle

mov

emen

t of

the

film

clo

ses

with

the

auc

tion

scen

e w

hich

giv

es u

s Th

ornh

ill's

view

of E

ve a

t its

mos

t bi

tterly

dis

illus

ione

d eb

b. V

anda

mm

is s

tand

ing

behi

nd h

er, h

is ha

nd c

losi

ng

the

back

of

her

nec

k in

wha

t con

stitu

tes

at o

nce

a ca

ress

and

a th

reat

. A c

lose

-up

emph

asiz

es th

is, a

nd w

e co

nnec

t it w

ith T

horn

hill'

s em

brac

es, b

ut th

is is

fa

r m

ore

sini

ster

, an

d ex

pres

ses

the

prec

ario

usne

ss o

f Ev

e's

posi

tion

(bef

ore

we

know

the

trut

h ab

out h

er).

Tho

rnhi

ll ca

lls h

er a

"st

arue

" an

d te

lls h

er: "

Who

are

you

kid

ding

? Y

ou h

ave

no fe

elin

gs t

o hu

rt."

We

see,

but h

e do

esn'

t, th

at sh

e is

in te

ars:

the

seq

uenc

e is

a co

nden

sed

reca

pitu

-la

tion

of N

otor

ious

. Th

is is

not

so

bana

l as

it so

unds

. We

are

awar

e by

th

is t

ime

of t

he p

oten

tially

hea

ling

pow

er o

f th

e re

latio

nshi

p on

bot

h si

des

(thou

gh w

e sti

ll do

n't

know

the

rea

l na

ture

of

Eve's

nee

d);

but

it ap

pear

s-as

Tho

rnhi

ll es

cape

s, th

anks

to th

e po

lice-

irre

med

iabl

y br

oken

. Th

e fin

al m

ovem

ent o

pens

with

the

reve

rsal

of

this

situ

atio

n. A

t th

e ai

rpor

t, th

e he

ad o

f th

e C

.I.A

. te

lls T

horn

hill

the

trut

h ab

out E

ve

and

he a

ccep

ts h

is ro

le a

s K

apla

n fo

r her

sake

. Im

med

iate

ly b

efor

e, h

e a

phra

se th

at u

nite

s hi

s tw

o im

ages

of h

er: "

Tha

t tre

ache

rous

littl

e i:r

amp.

" Su

dden

ly h

e le

arns

tha

t her

life

may

dep

end

on h

im, a

nd, i

n ag

reei

ng to

be

Kap

lan,

he

is ac

cept

ing

his

resp

onsi

bilit

y an

d hi

s in

volv

emen

t in

a

deep

rel

atio

nshi

p. T

he s

exua

l ba

sis

of h

is pr

evio

us r

efus

al o

f co

mm

it·

men

t, re

ject

ion

of re

spon

sibi

liry,

is c

lear

: he

has

surv

ived

two

mar

riage

s w

hich

hav

e le

ft hi

m, a

ppar

ently

, com

plet

ely

unaf

fect

ed.

As h

e ac

cept

s, hi

s fa

ce is

sud

denl

y ill

umin

ated

by

the

light

of t

he p

lane

; and

we

cut t

o th

e fir

st s

hot

of M

ount

Rus

hmor

e. T

he c

ut h

as g

reat

em

otio

nal

effe

ct,

beca

use

it ab

rupt

ly d

efin

es f

or u

s, w

ith m

arve

lous

eco

nom

y, t

he e

volu

-tio

n of

the

hero

. For

if th

e si

gnifi

canc

e of

Mou

nt R

ushm

ore

is dr

amat

ic

rath

er t

han

sym

bolic

, it

is be

caus

e "s

ymbo

lic"

sugg

ests

som

ethi

ng t

oo

prec

ise

and

too

sim

ple.

It i

s no

t a s

ymbo

l of d

emoc

racy

sta

ndin

g ag

ains

t th

e w

icke

d ag

ents

; bu

t ce

rtain

ly, i

n its

em

otio

nal e

ffect

it s

ugge

sts

the

orde

r an

d st

abili

ry to

war

d w

hich

Tho

rnhi

ll is

prog

ress

ing,

and

to w

hich

NO

RT

H II

Y N

OR

TH

WE

ST

ll9

the

acce

ptan

ce o

f a

stro

ng r

elat

ions

hip

with

its

acco

mpa

nyin

g re

spon

si-bi

litie

s is

the

esse

ntia

l ste

p.[:

u]

The

scen

e of

his

rec

onci

liatio

n w

ith E

ve (

afte

r th

e fa

lse s

hoot

ing)

is

perh

aps

the

mos

t be

autif

ul i

n th

e fil

m.

Firs

t, th

e lo

catio

n: f

or t

he f

irst

rime

in t

fie fi

lm w

e ar

e am

ong

trees

, coo

l cal

m s

unlig

ht a

nd s

had

e-th

e ef

fect

is m

ore

a m

atte

r of

con

text

tha

n ot

the

intr

insi

c be

aury

of

the

scen

ery,

and

(as

usua

l in

this

film

, in

deed

in a

ll H

itchc

ock'

s w

ork)

mor

e of

ove

rtone

s an

d as

soci

atio

ns th

an o

f ove

rt, c

lear

-cut

sym

bolis

m; i

t is

an

apt s

ettin

g fo

r th

e be

ginn

ing

of n

ew li

fe. S

econ

d, t

he m

ise-e

n-sc

ene.

As

rhe

"dea

d" T

horn

hili

gets

out o

f the

bac

k of

the

car,

the

cam

era

trac

ks

back

to re

veal

Eve

sta

ndin

g by

her

car

to th

e rig

ht. W

e se

e th

em in

lon

g sh

ot g

azin

g at

eac

h ot

her

from

the

ext

rem

ities

of

the

scre

en, a

cros

s th

e sp

ace

of tr

ees

and

filte

red

sunl

ight

, eve

ryth

ing

still,

the

tw

o he

sita

nt,

as

if sh

y of

each

oth

er. T

hen

a sh

ot o

f Tho

rnhi

ll as

he

begi

ns to

mov

e: t

he

cam

era

track

s w

ith h

im, l

eft t

o rig

ht.

Cut

to a

sho

t of E

ve a

s sh

e st

arts

fo

rwar

d: t

he c

amer

a tra

cks

with

her

fro

m r

ight

to le

ft. A

nd s

o th

ey a

re

unite

d: H

itchc

ock

beau

tiful

ly in

volv

es t

he s

pect

ator

in t

heir

mov

emen

t to

war

d ea

ch o

ther

, the

ir m

ovem

ent t

owar

d th

e "t

oget

hern

ess"

tha

t was

ea

rlier

(for

Tho

rnhi

ll) a

con

tem

ptuo

us sn

eer.

We,

and

Tho

rnhi

ll, s

ee a

t la

st th

e re

al E

ve; o

r pe

rhap

s it

is tr

uer

to

say

that

the

real

Eve

now

em

erge

s: h

er t

rue

iden

tiry

is cr

eate

d-o

r at

le

ast c

ryst

alliz

ed-b

y th

e re

latio

nshi

p, s

uper

cedi

ng (o

r pe

rhap

s as

sim

i-la

ting)

her

tw

o ea

rlier

per

sona

e. B

ut i

t is

mad

e cl

ear

that

tho

se e

arlie

r Ev

es,

part

ly a

rtific

ial,

are

wha

t she

cou

ld h

ave

beco

me,

jus

t as

the

real

Ju

dy B

arto

n co

ntai

ns e

lem

ents

of

her

two

adop

ted

"per

sona

litie

s" (

in

Vert

igo

the

dist

inct

ion

betw

een

them

is o

f cou

rse

muc

h gr

eate

r). I

t is

the

real

Eve

who

tells

Tho

rnhi

ll, w

ith a

tou

chin

g ge

ntle

ness

, how

dee

ply

his

wor

ds h

urt;

but a

lmos

t at o

nce,

we

get a

glim

pse

of th

e fir

st Ev

e, th

e Ev

e of

the

tra

in j

ourn

ey,

in h

er d

escr

iptio

n of

her

rel

atio

nshi

p w

ith V

an-

dam

m:

"I h

ad n

othi

ng to

do

that

wee

kend

, so

I dec

ided

to

fall

in lo

ve."

Th

en h

er c

omm

ent

on h

er d

ecis

ion

to h

elp

Inte

llige

nce

("M

aybe

tha

t w

as t

he f

irst

time

anyo

ne e

ver

aske

d m

e to

do

anyt

hing

wor

thw

hile

")

give

s us

the

pot

entia

lly r

uthl

ess

Eve-

ruth

less

in

a go

od c

ause

-wh

o co

uld

send

Tho

rnhi

ll (w

ith w

hate

ver

qual

ms)

to

his

deat

h an

d w

ho is

sti

ll re

ady

to s

acrif

ice

thei

r. rel

atio

nshi

p fo

r th

e "c

ause

."

stra

nds

are

draw

n to

geth

er in

the

ens

uing

dia

logu

e ex

chan

ge:

"Has

life

bee

n lik

e th

at?"

he

asks

her

, and

she

asse

nts.

"How

com

e?"-

"Men

like

you

!"-

"Wha

t's w

rong

with

men

like

me?"-

"The

y do

n't b

elie

ve in

mar

riag

e."

HIT

CH

CO

CK

'S F

ILM

S

He

tells

her

he'

s be

en m

arri

ed tw

ice:

her

com

men

t, "S

ee w

hat I

mea

n?"

Circ

umst

ance

s ha

ve s

teer

ed h

er to

war

d be

ing

one

or o

ther

of t

he e

arlie

r Ev

es;

now

, in

the

rel

atio

nshi

p w

ith T

horn

hill,

her

tru

e se

lf ca

n be

re

aliz

ed.

She

mak

es i

t cle

ar t

hat t

his

mar

riag

e is

one,

at

last

, th

at h

e w

ill n

ot

easi

ly e

scap

e. H

is re

actio

n is

jocu

lar,

cyni

cal-

"I m

ay g

o ba

ck to

hat

ing

you:

it w

as m

ore

fun.

" H

is e

xpre

ssio

n an

d to

ne b

elie

the

wor

ds, b

ut th

ey

serv

e to

bri

ng b

efor

e us

the

man

's p

revi

ous

fear

of r

eal

invo

lvem

ent,

of

resp

onsi

bilit

y. H

itch

cock

-her

e an

d in

Rea

r Win

dow

-giv

es u

s no

sim

-pl

e "r

edem

ptio

n th

roug

h lo

ve,"

no

abru

pt tr

ansf

orm

atio

n; ju

st a

del

icat

e in

timat

ion

of t

he p

oten

tial

heal

ing

pow

er. o

f a

bala

nced

, pe

rman

em

rela

tions

hip.

Eve

rem

inds

him

that

he

"is

mea

nt to

be

criti

cally

wou

nded

" he

repl

ies,

"I

neve

r fel

t mor

e al

ive.

" T

hat

char

min

g fa

ther

fig

ure,

the

hea

d of

the

C.I.

A.,

who

m J

ean

Dou

chet

app

ears

to s

ugge

st is

som

e ki

nd o

f Div

ine

Inst

rum

ent,

seem

s ro

m

e ro

com

e ou

t of t

hing

s pr

etty

bad

ly. T

he fi

lm is

sur

ely

solid

ly b

ehin

d Th

ornh

ill i

n re

ject

ing

the

use

of a

wom

an t

o "g

et p

eopl

e lik

e V

an-

dam

m":

pro

stitu

tion,

in

how

ever

adm

irab

le a

cau

se,

rem

ains

pro

stitu

-tio

n. M

ixed

mor

alit

y-th

e pu

rsui

ng o

f a

good

end

by

conv

entio

nally

im

mor

al m

eans

like

Mar

k R

utla

nd's

in M

arni

e-is

jus

tifie

d by

Hitc

h-co

ck o

nly

as t

he o

utco

me

of p

ower

ful

inst

inct

ive

driv

es,

of b

asic

ally

ri g

ht f

eelin

gs,

nor

whe

n it

com

es t

o co

ld c

alcu

latio

n: j

ustif

iabl

e, t

here

· fo

re,

only

on

the

pers

onal

lev

el,

not

on t

he p

oliti

cal.

We

are

entir

ely

behi

nd T

horn

hill,

the

n, i

n hi

s ar

rem

prs

to e

xtri

cate

Eve

-in

the

dete

r-m

ined

pos

itive

act

ion

that

res

ults

fro

m h

is ac

cept

ance

of

pers

onal

re-

spon

sibi

lity.

B

efor

e th

e M

ount

Rus

hmor

e cl

imax

, we

have

Tho

rnhi

ll's

atte

mpt

s ro

re

scue

Eve

fro

m V

anda

mm

's h

ouse

, V

anda

mm

's d

isco

very

of

her

true

na

ture

, and

his

plan

s to

dis

pose

of h

er o

ver

the

sea.

Leo

nard

is b

uilt

up

here

as

the

inca

rnat

ion

of d

estr

uctio

n an

d ne

gatio

n. H

is m

otiv

e is

sexu

al

jeal

ousy

-jea

lous

y of

Eve

, his

riv

al fo

r Van

dam

m. H

e di

sclo

ses

the

trut

h ab

out E

ve i

n a

mel

odra

mat

ic, v

indi

ctiv

e w

ay, b

y "s

hoot

ing"

Van

dam

m

with

her

bla

nk-l

oade

d re

volv

er.

The

clim

ax is

pla

yed

our o

n an

d ar

ound

the

impe

rtur

babl

e st

one

face

s of

the

Pres

iden

ts,

with

the

ir su

gges

tion

of s

tabi

lity

and

orde

r fo

rmin

g a

back

grou

nd ro

Tho

rnhi

ll's

desp

erat

e st

rugg

le to

save

him

self

and

Eve

for

life.

As

they

dan

gle

from

a le

dge

by th

eir h

ands

, the

y di

scus

s-w

ith

tota

l ab

surd

ity o

n a

natu

ralis

tic l

evel

-Tho

rnhi

ll's

first

two

mar

riage

s: "

My

NORT

H B

Y NO

RTH

WES

T 14

1

wiv

es d

ivor

ced

me

...

I thi

nk th

ey sa

id I

led

roo

dull

a lif

e."

The

stru

ggle

fo

r life

aga

inst

the

dest

ruct

ive

elem

ents

(th

e sp

ies)

is t

hus

com

bine

d w

ith

the

cem

entin

g of

the

rela

tions

hip,

the

seal

ing

off o

f the

pas

t. T

he jo

inin

g of

the

love

rs' h

ands

der

ives

som

e of

its

emot

iona

l and

mor

al f

orce

fro

m

our

view

it

as r

he c

limax

of

a se

quen

ce o

f sh

ots

of t

heir

han

ds

touc

hing

(to

mar

k ph

ases

in

the

rela

tions

hip)

ear

lier:

her

sens

uous

ca-

ress

ing

of h

is ha

nd o

ver t

he lu

nch

tabl

e on

tr

ain,

whe

n sh

e lo

oked

at

his

"R.

0.

T."

boo

kmat

ches

; hi

s pr

essu

re o

n he

r ha

nd a

t th

e C

hica

go

stat

ion

as t

hey

say

good

-bye

, aft

er s

he h

as a

rran

ged

the

"mee

ting"

with

K

apla

n. E

vent

ually

, Tho

rnhi

ll is

hang

ing

by o

ne h

and,

hol

ding

the

dan-

glin

g Ev

e by

the

oth

er, a

gre

at a

byss

ben

eath

them

: fin

al t

est o

f sta

min

a,

with

eve

ryth

ing

stak

ed o

n hi

s po

wer

s of

end

uran

ce a

nd d

eter

min

atio

n.

Leon

ard

stan

ds a

bove

them

; Tho

rnhi

ll's

"Hel

p! H

elp

me!

" is

give

n gr

eat

forc

e. T

hen

Leon

ard

trea

ds o

n Th

ornh

ill's

hand

. Tho

rnhi

ll su

rviv

es t

he

trial

for

lon

g en

ough

: Le

onar

d is

shot

dow

n. W

e se

e Th

ornh

ill p

ullin

g Ev

e to

saf

ety.

An

abru

pt c

ut, b

ut w

ith o

verl

appi

ng d

ialo

gue,

mak

es t

he

actio

n cu

lmin

ate

in h

is pu

lling

her

up

into

bed

on

a tr

ain,

as

"Mrs

. Th

ornh

ill" -

a b

eaut

iful w

ay o

f exp

ress

ing

the

link

betw

een

his

surv

ival

of

the

orde

al a

nd th

eir r

elat

ions

hip.

The

last

sho

t is

of a

trai

n en

teri

ng a

tu

nnel

: the

"ph

allic

sym

bol"

tow

ard

whi

ch t

he w

hole

film

has

mov

ed.

lr w

ill b

e ob

ject

ed t

hat t

his

acco

unt o

f N

orth

by

Nor

thw

est m

akes

it

far

roo

seri

ous.

But

its

char

ms,

its

def

tnes

s, t

he c

onst

ant f

low

of

inve

n-tio

n, it

s hu

mor

and

exh

ilara

tion,

are

ther

e fo

r al

l to

see.

All

I hav

e tr

ied

ro d

o is

adju

st rh

e ba

lanc

e: n

ot to

turn

a l

ight

com

edy

into

an

unsm

iling

m

oral

ity p

lay,

but

to

sugg

est w

hy N

orth

by

Nor

thw

est

is su

ch a

ver

y,

very

goo

d lig

ht c

omed

y.