Aaron Wolff
Mrs. Kolb
Intro to film
6 April 2026
There is a balance of suspense and humor to North by Northwest that one can walk away from
the film having been surprised by how much fun the whole picture is, and how little sense of
prolonged danger there is within. What Hitchcock seems most interested in is suspense, but
suspense generated by confusion and false identity: Roger Thornhill is always being put in
situations, the rules of which he does not understand and seems unable to manipulate. From the
beginning the film moves at such fast pace; from start to finish you are hurled into the chaos of
the kidnapping plot solely due to a case of mistaken identity. This immediately pulls the viewer
into a sense of chaos that will only deepen as the film continues, and as Thornhill remains so
much on the defensive and less on the offense.
When watching North by Northwest, the viewer is made aware of the use of space and
movement Hitchcock uses to generate suspense. Unlike an enclosed, dark space that could only
make the audience aware of the threat of confinement; the infamous crop duster scene takes
place in the middle of a vast open space. This vast open space only heightens the feeling of
danger because the plains have no cover. The use of silence before the attack only tightens the
surprise of the plane speeding through frame. Suspense and comedy really play hand in hand
with Roger Thornhill as a character. Unlike most of the conventional action heroes Roger does
not have any amazing powers or is really prepared for anything he is doing. His frantic and
surprised behavior just contributes more to the comical feel of the story. Every chase scene and
confrontation feels like it has been overblown to a maximum with over the top car chases and
heightened confrontation scenes between the characters, but this never makes the film seem too
depressing despite the escalating tension. Another observation throughout the film is the use of
identity as a central theme, and the way in which it is always being manipulated or mistaken. All
of the danger and the chaos in the film seem to occur because of this assumption of Rogers
identity, and it certainly gives the audience a feeling that a person’s identity cannot truly be
owned and that it may be more a matter of what other people think you are rather than what youtruly are. By the end of the story, it does not appear that Thornhill has given up the illusion and
has somewhat come to accept or to embody what is expected of him. It makes it seem like he
will be who others believe he is rather than who he truly is.
The final scene set at Mount Rushmore is a perfect climax of suspense. Placing the setting at
such an iconic American landscape only adds to the film’s credibility. Mount The frantic run
through the stone faces only accentuates the suspense of the sequence, and offers a fun
conclusion to the somewhat absurd circumstances of Roger’s earlierlife. Again, the ending could
only be truly Hitchcock if the climax is ultimately rendered as spectacle, proving that, like the
viewer, the director still just wants to be entertained.
North by Northwest is a film of unique balance the film combines humor, suspense, and a sense
of spectacle. Hitchcock utilizes space and movement effectively throughout the film to add to
suspense, and the film is paced so perfectly that at no point does the audience feel bored or tired
of the action, but rather they are excited about what is coming next. What is most amazing about
the picture is the way in which it seamlessly intertwines the more complicated notions of identity
with the easy accessibility of the humor, while managing to tell a comprehensible and thrilling
story that keeps the audience engaged from beginning to end.