The poster of North by Northwest (1959) depicts one of the surprising twists in the film’s plot: the apparent shooting of Cary Grant by his co-star Eva Marie Saint. The poster also uses Hitchcock’s name as a selling point by placing it above the title, a form of billing that was granted to only a few top directors (Adair 118). It was an added privilege. As in Rear Window the light touch that makes North by Northwest so entertaining disguises deeper concerns. The entire story of the film is woven around an early accident, the idea of Washington agents, willing to sacrifice the life of one or two people to safegauard the secrets that they considered vital. In one of the most expensive films of Hitchcock Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) is
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Late 1950s represent a time when shopping was a central economic piety. Americans stooped to a level where they virtually bought everything from dedicated manufacturers. Over the course of his adventures as “George Kaplan,” however, he becomes a better man, falling in love with Eve, who is not what she seems and learning to trust her. In the film both the political system and the advertisement industry as a part of the consumer culture comes under attack. The film also gives us an insight into the mistruths often propagated by journalism and media. At the United Nations, Roger inadvertently becomes a party to the murder of an innocent diplomat, who Long Island property it turns out was being used without his knowledge by foreign agents. When he crouches over the corpse in wild astonishment the press photographer who was taking photos of dignitaries took his picture and puts it in the New York Times. His pleas of innocence go unheard in front of the power of the press. Here Hitchcock gives a dig at the fourth estate. The film has in its background the cold war fear and anti-communist witch hunt. Hitchcock in his back of mind might have had this typical American condition-the anxiety, fear etc. Hitchcock himself was interested in the
Late 1950s represent a time when shopping was a central economic piety. Americans stooped to a level where they virtually bought everything from dedicated manufacturers. Over the course of his adventures as “George Kaplan,” however, he becomes a better man, falling in love with Eve, who is not what she seems and learning to trust her. In the film both the political system and the advertisement industry as a part of the consumer culture comes under attack. The film also gives us an insight into the mistruths often propagated by journalism and media. At the United Nations, Roger inadvertently becomes a party to the murder of an innocent diplomat, who Long Island property it turns out was being used without his knowledge by foreign agents. When he crouches over the corpse in wild astonishment the press photographer who was taking photos of dignitaries took his picture and puts it in the New York Times. His pleas of innocence go unheard in front of the power of the press. Here Hitchcock gives a dig at the fourth estate. The film has in its background the cold war fear and anti-communist witch hunt. Hitchcock in his back of mind might have had this typical American condition-the anxiety, fear etc. Hitchcock himself was interested in the