Viewing Journal 8:  North by Northwest

For this journal, you will consider the mise en scene, themes, and plot of North by Northwest.  In two to three typed pages, you should address one of the following questions, developing your response with specific details from the film.  I will collect this journal, along with those for Rear Window and Vertigo, on Wednesday, February 23.

1)  We initially see Roger Thornhill ensconced in a city environment, walking quickly through his office building, stealing other's cabs, and drinking in a hotel bar.  By the end of North by Northwest, Roger hangs on a Mount Rushmore ledge, his free hand clasping Eve Kendall's.  Analyze how Roger's character changes throughout the film, taking into account how the settings of the opening and climax highlight these changes.  What about the settings reinforces his change in character?

2)  North by Northwest includes a scene in which Roger and Eve reconcile in a forest near Mount Rushmore.  The studio wanted Hitchcock to cut the scene, but he considered it integral to the film.  Why is this scene essential to the film?  In answering this question, you may discuss the narrative, themes, cinematography, and mise-en-scene of the scene.

3)  With the character of Eve Kendall, North by Northwest engages the theme of public appearance versus private duty.   While Eve falls in love with Roger, she sends him to his death to fulfill her private duty.  Roger calls her a "treacherous tramp," but we learn that her affair with Vandamm allows her to spy on him for the government.  Analyze how the issue of public versus private plays out in Eve's character.

4)  Compare Eve Kendall from North by Northwest with Alicia Huberman from Notorious.  Do both characters function similarly in their respective films?  If so, why?  If not, why?  

5)  North by Northwest underscores issues of identity.  Roger Thornhill is mistaken for George Kaplan, a man who does not exist.  Vandamm briefly poses as Townsend.  Throughout the film, the viewer is not exactly sure who Eve is.  How do questions of identity function in the film on both a narrative and thematic level?

6)  When Roger learns of Eve's status as a government agent, he lambastes "The Professor" for using young women like Eve as prostitutes of a sort.   Early in the film, we see a council of government agents deciding not to assist Roger, who is being pursued by killers.  What critique of the government does North by Northwest offer?  Why do you think that Hitchcock had an abiding interest in the questionable machinations of government?