Lesson 1
INTRODUCTION
I’m going to introduce to you North by Northwest, a film by Hitchcock.
Can you tell me something about Hitchcock? What can you say about him? What about his work? What do the cinema critics and people in general say about him? He is the master but the master of what?
He is the master of the suspense.
Do you know any of the most famous films he directed?
Rear window (1954Grace Kelly / James Stewart) Vertigo (sueurs froides in1958 starring Kim Novak/ James Stewart), North by Northwest (1959 Eva Marie Saint / Cary Grant) Psycho (1960sixti ) Janet Leigh/ Antony Perkins , The Birds( 1963Tippi Hedren / Rod Taylor).
He directed very beautiful blond actresses such as…?
Grace Kelly, Kim Novak, Tippi Hedren, Janet Leigh, Eva Marie Saint.
And what about the actors he directed? Who were they?
James Stewart, Cary Grant, Antony Perkins, Rod Taylor
We are in the American period of Hitchcock. You have to know that he began first in England then he continued his career in the USA. So we are in 1959 and which cinematic movement took place between 1958 and 1962 in France? We saw that last time…
In France it’s the New Wave of cinema. And we have to reremember the influence of Hitchcock on the filmmakers of the New Wave such as Godard or Jean Pierre Melville. .. So you understand now why I want you should study a film by Hitchcock.
We are going to see the generic, the very beginning of the film, and we are going to analyse it. The generic was created by Saoul Bass . Saul Bass is a famous American designer for his work in the film. He has collaborated with the greatest filmmakers, for the creation of generics and the design of posters. He is the man who made several generics films of Hitchcock as Herrmann is the man who created the music for several Hitchcock’s films.
[Vocabulary : [diagonal line (ligne diagonale)- spectateurs : viewers, audience – the film di’(y)rector : réalisateur – suspense, tension (intensité dramatique) – to arouse, to create (susciter, entrainer, engendrer, provoquer…) – Skyscrapers (gratte ciel)- downwards (vers le bas) upwards (vers le haut) – elevator (amér), li(e)ft (anglais) (assenseur) – balancing weight (contre poids) – never ending, endless cycle (sans fin) – eventful, lots of things going on / happening (mouvementé)- maze, labyrinth - ]
CREDITS LIST
- What can you see in this first shot? What appears? Can you describe what happens in this image, shot, in this cartoon?
We can see diagonal lines entering from the right handside of the screen travelling to the left handside. It takes over the screen on a green background and, with the music, the violins, it creates a feeling of tension in the audience which makes them begin to ask questions, because this music is worrying.
2. What do these lines look like? What do you think when you see them? What feelings do these lines arouse within the audience? What kind of insect comes to mind? Finally what are they representing?
As the vertical lines enter the screen, a type of spider’s web image is created which arouses (susciter) more suspense within the audience. The spider is known for the trap it is able to create. When all the lines have been drawn we understand that they represent the windows in an office block building.
3. What can you read on the screen? Can you describe the movement of these white words?
The white writing crosses over the image downwards and then upwards, and the words join together before separating again. The actor’s name appears on the screen as if it were travelling in an elevator, li(e)ft, and we can also see a white block acting as a balancing weight.
4. What can we understand about this image? What can we deduce from it?
It is evident (+soutenu), obvious, that the characters have been manipulated by the script writer and the di’(y)rector which makes us wonder (se demander) whether (si) we too (procédé d’insistance) will be manipulated.
5. What appears next? Can you comment on this title?
Next the title appears with two arrows : one pointing towards the north and the other pointing towards the west. This is significant since we come to understand that this film is about movement, an eventful (mouvementé) journey (voyage, experience), and it is never ending. Both the audience and the characters struggle to find their way during this film. This title refers to the places where the film is shot. A diagonal line from New York to Chicago and Rapid City (Rushmore Mont). So he makes them travel from the north to the northwest. He makes them travel from civili’(y)zation in the city (concrete, windows…), to the wild natural surroundings, envi(y)ronment (stone, water, earth...) He wants to tell us that modern society is inhumane and she can lead us to a wild world if we do not care.
Lesson 2
Can you remember what we said last time? What sort of feeling do these credits (generic) create /arouse within the audience? What has the graphics during the film credits allowed us to understand about the movie? What will be the main themes of this film?
These credits create a feeling of tension within the audience. We understand that the story will be worrying, it will show us an eventful and never ending journey in which both the audience and the characters will feel manipulated. We feel as if we were lost in a maze.
Les vitres apparaissent…
- What do the lines turn into? What does the ske(a)tch (bande dessinée avec lignes) / drawing / cartoon turn into? Were our suppositions about the last shot correct? What can we see in the reflection of th windows?
In the following shot we realize that our supposition was correct as the lines turn into (become) the windows in an office block building. It is indeed (c’est bien …)the reflection of every day traffic that we can see in the windows. Therefore (thus), it becomes clear that movement is the principal theme in this film.
2. What can we see when we analyze this image closely (attentivement)?
we realize that this image of moving traffic repeats itself again and again. If you look at a car you can see it re(i)tu(eu)rn again and again.
3. What can we deduce from this? What is the film di(y)rector’s intention? What is the me(a)ssage Hitchcock wants to send out?
The characters in this film are in a type of maze or labyrinth (labyrinthe) and the audience also gets lost in this maze. Hitchcock has created a sort of nightmare.
4. What sort of music can you hear? What effect does the music have on the audience?
Herrmann ‘s music continually repeats itself which creates anx(gzy)iety and em’phasizes this feeling of being lost.
The beginning of this film which was made by Saul Bass, is a type of abstract synopsis which is sy(i)mbolic for the rest of the film : so it’s a successful and good beginning. The most important themes are announced : the movement, a never ending movement, the manipulation, and the feeling of being lost in a maze which has been created by modern society and which leads to a regression, to a wild world, where single force wins without any critical spirit.
SUITE GENERIQUE IMAGES REELLES
- What are people doing in this shot? What do they look like? What does the music reflect? How are people wa(o)(l)king? In which direction are people walking? In which sort of city does the film take place? What sort of shot does the di(y)rector use here? Why is it interesting?
The music reflects this agitation. People are walking fastly (in a fast manner) and they frequently walk in the same sense. We can see the(i) exit of a building that con’firms to us that the film takes place in a big city, a bu(i)sy city. The next shot shows us a crowd of people going down the stairs to a subway entrance. There is a certain urgency, everybody seems to be in a rush. It’s a hi(y)(gh) angle shot that allows us to view the subway entrance as the mouth of a predator which consumes these people as sheep (moutons). It’s a bit worrying. People are following each other like sheep. They are heading towards their death. They are putting their heads in the lion’s mouth. They look like goldfish in a bowl.
2. What does this shot show us? What sort of shot is it? What does this shot allow us to feel? Why is this shot interesting?
The next shot shows us people walking in all directions from left to right, from right to left and from the background into the foreground. We can also see the heavy traffic. This shot is a medium shot which allows us to feel included in this bu(i)sy city.
3. What does it remind you of? What does it make you think of? Have you already seen this place? What sort of geometrical pattern (forme) do people travel in? What comes to mind when you see that?
Now we see people exiting the subway station and this type of life is like a never ending ci(e)rcle because we have seen people entering this subway before. It reminds us of the beginning of the film when we saw the never ending circle of traffic in the reflection of the office building windows. It reminds us of the repetitive music too.
lesson 3
Reprise du plan de la foule descendant dans le métro
We are going to analyze more closely a shot of the credits we saw last time. Can you tell me, please, what angle shooting is used here, where people are going, and what do people look like ?
- What do people look like? What do the people resemble ? AT what kind of animals can we compare? What about their freedom of thought, what about their right to autonomy? What does this subway entrance look like?
The shot shows us a crowd of people going down the stairs to a subway entrance. There is a certain urgency, everybody seems to be in a rush. People are following each other like sheep in a sort of never ending circle. You said quite rightly last time they look like goldfish in a bowl. It’s a hi(y)(gh) angle shot that allows us to view the subway entrance as the mouth of a predator which consumes these people as sheep (moutons). It’s a bit worrying. They are heading towards their death. They are putting their heads in the lion’s mouth.
We can ask ourselves whether these people have the freedom to think and do as they please because they seem / look like puppets or robots with no auto’nomy.
Plan des deux dames âgées se disputant le taxi
We are going to analyze now the shot which involves two women ; look at it
- What do you see in this shot? Who can you see? What are they doing? Does it shock you? If so why? How old are they? Do you find their behaviour (comportement) normal for elde(r)ly (âgées) wo(i)men?
The next shot shows us two wo(i)men who are fighting over a taxi. Even though (meme si) they are quite old, things don’t seem to be fast enough for them, they too are in a hurry.
2. What appears on the screen? Can you describe what happens? What is the significance of this cameo appearance? (when the film director makes a brief appearance in his own film ) Do you know other examples? Do you Know other filmmakers who make brief appearances in their movie?
The name of the film director appears in this shot : “di(y)rected by Alfred Hitchcock” but in the next shot we can see A H himself trying to get on the bus but he can’t. it’s a paradox because even the director cannot control his own movie. This symbolizes that he is no longer able to direct the action of this film because everything is going too fast.
Night Shyamalan or Charlie chaplin : We cannot really tell it as cameo because they play a character that has its importance in the history
Cameo : De Gemma onychia on a fait Gemmahuja; de Gemmahuja Camehuja, et de celui-ci Camayeu; de même qu’à son tour Gemmahuja a produit Gammenhü, Cameo. Nom spécial d’une pierre plus connue sous LE NOM D’onyx. Onyx, tel est le nom de cette pierre, quand elle n’est que polie ou à l’état brut; mais on l’appelle Cameo, quand elle est gravée, et cela de manière que la figure et le fond soient de couleurs différentes. Chaque camée est un onyx et les deux noms désignent la même pierre.
We go back to the first building, in the hall.
- Who can we see? With which characters does the scene begin? What are they doing? Can you describe the camera movement? What sort of feeling does this movement create within the audience? What can we understand about the main character traits of Thornhill?
We see the main (principal) character exi(i)ting the lift (elevator) with his secretary. He is wa[o]lking fast, he can multitask, he can do many things at the same time, he is dictating to his secretary, whi[y]lst/while (tandis que) he is walking and greets the lift groom without really paying attention. In reality, He is only in’terested in himself. The backward tracking allows us to see everything in the shot and we see the main character advancing towards (vers tjrs s) us as if we were in the entrance hall. It’s a very realistic scene in which we are included / involved. We feel rushed and stressed like them. Thornhill has taken to this society like a duck takes to wa(o)ter. He is self-a(e)ss(ch)ured, he is self- con’fident, he is sure of himself. While exiting the building he pushes the people around him, in particular we can see him push the man next to him.
lesson 4
In front of the building
- Who can we see in this shot? What are the characters doing?
Thornhill and his secretary exit the building. They are walking towards us in the street through the crowd.
Can you describe the camera movement?
We have a backward tracking shot that shows them walking towards us through the crowd. It creates a feeling of tension within the audience. We are in the rush with them… Thornhill is always in motion (en movement) and multitask : he dictates a letter, a telegram, while he walks.
2. Who Thornhill wanted to write and why? What can we understand about the main character traits of Thornhill? What is his feeling about people and about him?
Thornhill is dictating a letter to his secretary which will be sent to a woman. He seems to be a ladies’s man, a charmer who seduces wo(i)men with words and delicate attentions. He wants to send a box of chocolates In gold wrapping (papier / wrapping paper = papier cadeau) to this woman to make her believe she is in fact eating gold. He appears to know how to manipulate people in finding their weaknesses (faiblesses) and playing u(e)pon them.
It is clear (evident) that Thornhill thinks he can say whatever he wants to people and that they will believe anything. He takes people for idiots. He thinks that he is the strongest, the best. He has a strong sense of superiority. He manipulates others through words. He is a publicist, isn’t he? So he abuses people who are unsure of themselves (qui manquent d’assurance). He is rather condescending towards people, he has little (peu de ) respect for others.
3. Then, they take a taxi, why?
They take a taxi because Maggie says she is tired.
4. Is it very important for Thornhill to learn that Maggie is tired?
No it isn’t. When Maggie says she is ti(r)ed, Thornhill doesn’t care, he isn’t interested in the reason why she is ti(r)ed, he just, simply, invents one.
She may be tired because she works too hard for him but this reason would never o(e)cc(k)u(e)r to him.
6. So they take a taxi. What about the camera at the same time?
The camera changes its position and goes behind the characters, this de(a)monstrates that the characters are moving too fast even for the camera and the camera crew (équipe). This is a recu(e)rring theme and sensation throughout the film.
7. And what about Thornhill ? What is he doing?
Thornhill jumps the queue, pushes a man out of the way and he lies that his secretary is very i(e)ll and needs to take the taxi (cab USA). This confirms our suppositions about this character. He ‘s got a nerve, he is (t)cheeky (culotté).
8. Where are the characters next and what sort of shot is used?
In the next shot we are in the taxi with the characters in a waist (taille) shot.
9. Why does Maggie seem to be worried?
Maggie is worried that the man knows that Thornhill was lying. Thornhill doesn’t think he has done wrong, he is convinced that the man believed him and thinks that this man is happy to do them this favour (service). He has blinkers on (il a des oeillères), he refuses to see the reality, he lives in his own world.
10.And Thornhill what is he doing?
He always multitasks, he reads the newspaper, he dictates his schedule to Maggie (emploi du temps), he notices he has put on weight, he is continually on the move as the background image of the everyday traffic shows us.
11. In your opinion How has this scene been created?
This scene was shot in a studio with the traffic projection in the background behind the car / the characters.
The scene in the hotel bar…
- How is Thornhill behaving in this scene? Can you describe the behaviour of Thornhill?
Even though there are three men opposite him, watching him, waiting for him, he is still preoccupied by his own personal futile problems which concerns his relationship with his mother. He is agitated, he is constantly looking at his watch (checking (vérifier) the time). He comes across in this scene (il semble, il a l’air) as a young boy, somebody who is immature, who has been badly or poorly, educated [agicated].
2.What happens to Thornhill in this scene?
Thornhill is kidnapped in this scene.
3. And why ? Why is he kidnapped?
It seems that the kidnappers have made a mistake. They confuse him with a man whose name is Kaplan. This is because when the waiter, the server, the groomsman, calls “Mr. Kaplan”, Thornhill raises his hand (puts his hand up) in order to send a telegram or to use the telephone. The gangsters who we can see in the background therefore mistake Thornhill for Kaplan.
No we don’t. We see them in a previous shot in the background. Hitchcock uses this effect to create a feeling of tension within the audience. The spectators who see the gangsters before Thornhill, fear [féai] for him. Hitchcock often uses this technique of increasing anxiety in the audience even before the dramatic event takes place / happens.
5. What camera movement is used to introduce the gangsters into the scene? Is this movement realistic? What register does Hitchcock introduce?
Hitchcock uses here a panoramic shot from left to right and then a forward tracking shot. We get closer to the gangsters who become more intimidating the closer we get. It’s an unrealistic shot. Hitchcock doesn’t want to make realistic films instead he prefers to represent our fears, fantasies, and nightmares.
6. What happens to Thornhill as he leaves the dining room?
As Thornhill leaves the dining room we see an anonymous hand touch his shoulder stopping him. This anonymous hand which enters the scene from the right, increases anxiety within the audience, even though we have just seen the gangsters in the previous shot. Often in films, danger comes from the right. This is because one (people) reads from left to right, so, good things enter the scene on the left, and bad unexpected things enter from the right.
In conclusion we can say that Thornhill who was very sure of himself, and thought of himself as untouchable has in fact become a victim, has in fact lost control.
Hitchcock always uses this technique of revealing the danger to the audience before the characters in the film become aware of it.
This is not surprising. Thronhill is mistaken for Kaplan.
Despite his casual approach to life he now has fallen into a serious and dangerous situation. The little boy he is, has to become an adult now. He has been thrown (jeté) into maturity / into an initiation (anychiation) of adulthood.