Week 5 Blog Post: North by Northwest

           Throughout “North by Northwest”, Hitchcock uses lighting, cinematography, and mise-en-scene to make the audience sympathize with Thornhill and his unusual situation. One of the best examples of Hitchcock’s use of cinematography and mise-en-scene is when Thornhill is forcibly taken to Lester Townsend’s house on Long Island at the beginning of the film. Thornhill is locked in the library, and the stark angles and hard lines of the surrounding furniture create a threatening and gloomy environment. Cast shadows from the windowpanes create grated shapes on the curtains behind Thornhill (8:44), emphasizing his imprisoned state and how far he is from his normal life as an advertising executive. When Phillip Vandamm enters the library, the two men begin to circle each other while the camera tracks their movements (9:17). The tracking of the camera makes it appear as though Phillip is stalking Thornhill, and this appearance makes the audience sympathize with Thornhill and his obvious fear and uncertainty. Vandamm walks over to the window and closes the blinds, therefore casting his body and face into shadows (9:24). Vandamm then turns on a lamp, but he keeps his back to the light, consequently making most of his face remain in dark shadows except for sharp highlights on one of his cheeks and his hair (9:33). This low-key lighting clearly characterizes Vandamm as the villain of the film, and his full control over the lighting in the room echoes the control that he has over Thornhill in this scene. Hitchcock then cuts to a medium close-up of Thornhill, and the key light that illuminates his face symbolizes Thornhill’s upright character and bravery. Thornhill remains standing while Vandamm takes a seat, showing how Vandamm is relaxed and confident while Thornhill is tense and anxious. After Leonard enters the room, Hitchcock cuts to a high-angle shot of all three men (10:49). This angle emphasizes Thornhill’s helplessness while simultaneously exaggerating the power that Vandamm and Leonard hold. In addition, the high angle seems to foreshadow Leonard’s doomed fate at the hands of Vandamm and Leonard. The high angle continues until Vandamm threatens Thornhill by saying “the least that I can do is afford you the opportunity to survive the evening”. At this statement, Hitchcock cuts to a medium close-up of Thornhill, and the dramatic change of the camera angle emphasizes Thornhill’s shock. Hitchcock clever use of cinematography and mise-en-scene establishes Thornhill as the film’s protagonist and allows the audience to form an emotional connection with him.