North+by+Northwest

Plot (What does the character want) : Roger Thornhill wants to get out of the misunderstanding of being "George Kaplan" and he wants to resume to his normal life. As he falls in love with Eve Kendall, he desires to be with her.

What the character needs: Firstly, amidst all the confusion, Thornhill needs to find out the truth. Later, he needs to continue his act of George Kaplan in order to save Eve Kendall. He needs to go against his will of playing a role of someone who he isn't.

Themes: Duality, deception, and control.

Mise en scène: Roads present at the scene. There is the main road (highway 41) and the dirt road that crosses it. Roads and paths are usually very symbolic of "a path of life" and are usually used to depict different decisions. I think that in this case, the roads relates to the theme of duality. This is because Roger Thornhill has two "identities":Himself and George Kaplan. In this scene he is in search of George Kaplan and I believe that the roads reflex both identities. When he is being chased by the plane (under the assumption that he is George Kaplan), he is on the dirt road and away from the highway. In is only when he finally gets a hold of the truck, where he is on the main road, and he drives away on the main road. Mise en scène:The setting of this scene takes place in the middle of nowhere and is has a very vast but empty landscape. This is Thornhill's situation in which he is led to places with no meaning and is part of a scheme. He is looking for clues and direction in his life, which will relate to my next point. In the scene, there are two signs: one of the Highway 41 and the other of the wooden sign pointing to the dirt road. As said before the roads relate to the theme of duality as it shows two paths, which symbolize identity. I think the two signs further supports my previous argument as it shows that there are two paths he can take. I think that it foreshadows his choice of being himself or being George Kaplan when he meets the professor as the two roads will take him to two different "destinations". Cinematography: Aerial shot of Thornhill arriving "Prarie Stop". He gets out of the Greyhound and steps into a rural setting. This shot reflects the theme of deception as Roger Thornhill has been caught up in a major misunderstanding. He is led to this bus stop, hoping that he will be able to find out the truth about "George Kaplan" and to get out of the misunderstanding. This Aerial/Bird's Eye shot shows how insignificant he is to the surroundings and how small of a character he is. This shows that he not only has no power, but is overpowered by others.This relates to the theme of deception, as he is part of a deceiving scheme of Vandamn and also the CIA. He is trying his best to make some sense of the situation he is in and has a desire for control and order. Moreover, the highway seems to be going all the way to the Horizon, seeming like there is no end. This reflects on how he is on a chase to nowhere, as there is no George Kaplan to begin with. Mise en scène: : This shot of Roger Thornhill peeping out of the corn field relates to the theme of control. Roger Thornhill was hiding in the cornfields, from the airplane, and he wanted to find a way out of the situation. The leaves seem a lot more greener and overall, the shot has more contrast compared to the one before. This reflects on the theme of control, as Thornhill peeps out for a way to get out of this, he adds a lot more to the entire situation. This can be seen in how he was the one who saved Eve's life. The change in color and contrasts shows that he can change the situation and make sense of something that is lifeless, such as the alias of "George Kaplan"

Cinematography:

Point of view-look shots –audience becomes him, part of his desperate flees and part of the desire of control. This is effectively depicted in the shots where he is in the corn maze and is seeking a way to get out of all this trouble. This is seen throughout Hitchcock's films as he is the master of making the audience connect with the actors and their journey. Furthermore, it makes the film all the more suspenseful as we "play a role", a spectating one, in the heroes journey. <-- Not sure if i used that right? 