North by Northwest
Background to this scene
Roger Thornhill has been mistaken for an American spy called KAPLAN.
Thornhill is kidnapped by foreign spy named Vandamm.
Roger tries to convince Vandamm that he is not a spy and he is not KAPLAN but the foreign spies do not believe him and try to kill him. He manages to escape.
Vandamm frames Roger for the murder of a United Nations official. Roger is photographed holding the knife in mid-air. It appears to the crowd that Roger has killed the UN diplomat.
Roger Thornhill runs and decides to get out of New York trying to track down Kaplan and to try to clear himself of a murder he didn’t commit.
He catches a train to Chicago where he thinks he can track down KAPLAN. On the train he meets Eve, a beautiful and mysterious woman. They spend the night together and she seems to be helping him. She phones to make arrangements to meet with Kaplan.
Eve makes a call from a phone booth and she receives instructions. She lies to him about a conversation with Kaplan. In reality she has arranged for an attempt on his life.
Eve tells Thornhill that the mysterious Kaplan has agreed to a meeting with Thornhill at the Prairie bus stop at a Highway 41 crossroads about 11⁄2 hours Greyhound Bus ride from Chicago.
Roger Thornhill believes he will meet with the man who can clear his name and sort out all the problems. But really he has been brought to the flat Illinois countryside by enemy spies who wish to kill him. He arrives by bus at a barren road-crossing out in wide-open farm country surrounded by dirt and cornfields.
This scene is the most famous from the film.
Watch and analyse the key scene.
As you watch think about:
What kind of mood is built up?
How is the quiet atmosphere maintained?
When is the suggestion of danger first hinted at?
What are the audience’s expectations in this scene?
RT = ROGER THORNHILL
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Timing |
Music / soundtrack / sights//character / events |
Analysis Effect on the viewer |
Camera shot |
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Eva looking into camera watching as RT goes off. |
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Landscape – endless flat and dusty fields. |
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Bus appears RT gets out |
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Bus departs and RT looks round. |
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Camera shots of landscape from every direction. |
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RT looks around – exasperation. |
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Shot of plane in distance. |
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Sound of car – driving towards bus stop – drives past. |
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Nothing around – again sound, then shot of car. |
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Lorry races by RT’s reaction. |
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Car appears from behind corn – man gets out. |
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Shot goes back to RT then to the car coming. |
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Man gets out stands waiting – RT’s reaction. |
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RT and the man stare at each other – RT walks over the road and begins talking to him. |
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Man comments on the crop-duster and tells RT he is not Kaplan. |
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Bus comes, man says: ‘That’s funny. That plane’s dustin’ crops where there ain’t no crops’. |
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Man gets on bus RT watches. |
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RT watches plane – camera shots flicks between RT and plane. Plane changes direction. |
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Plane heads towards RT. RT reaction. Throws himself down as plane goes overhead. |
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Shots of plane as it turns and RT’s reaction. Plane comes back. RT takes cover. |
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RT hears and sees a car. Tries to flag it down. |
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Plane comes back round. RT watches then runs. |
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Plane swoops down and shoots at RT. He falls and spots a patch of corn. |
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RT hidden. Sound of plane. Swoops down and sprays him in the corn. RT climbs through corn. |
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RT sees a lorry and runs towards it- watching plane as he waits. He stands in the middle of the road. |
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Shot of the plane as it turns and heads towards RT. |
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Shot of lorry and of RT as the lorry heads towards him. |
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Lorry breaks. RT falls. Plane crashes into the rear of the truck. Pounding music begins. |
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Men jump out and run. RT gets up runs towards the camera. Music. |
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Truck and plane explodes. RT runs. Music. |
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Cars draw up. People get out. RT walks towards them. They walk to the explosion. Music. |
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RT climbs into a truck and drives off chased by owner. Fade into shot of city and abandoned truck. Music. |
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