First, lets let Hitchcock himself set the scene, explaining why he chose this particular setting to shoot the scene: Now in moviesthe cliche of the man being put on the spot is usually a place of assignation and it takes the form of a figure under a street lamp at the corner of the street with the rain-washed cobbles shining in the nightthis is the cliche atmosphere in which you put a man who has been deliberately placed in danger. March 31, 2018 at 12:20PM, Edited March 31, 12:20PM. There are definitely too many great ones to mention, ones that probably made you want to be a filmmaker because of their masterful storytelling through the cinematography, editing, as well as theactors' performances. Located on Corcoran Road just west of five Highway near Wasco California. Thornhill soon discovers that hed been led into a trap, as a crop duster flies over him, nearly riddling him with gunfire from one of its passengers. And while dashing Grant died at age 82 in 1986, his beautiful blonde co-star Eva Marie Saint is still alive and well at age 96. Grant, in one of the most memorable performances of his career, quite literally throws himself into the action. Thornhill already survived two assassination attempts, so Vandamms response could have abandoned any semblance of subtlety for the sake of finally killing his supposed enemy. It is not a place where many sophisticated businessmen would choose to spend their afternoons, but there is beauty in such bleakness, as Hitchcock and his longtime cinematographer Robert Burks were only too aware. And here's Vincent Gallo reenacting the scene for a talent show in the film Arizona Dream (1993). Learn how your comment data is processed. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"4tb3PsmUyHYA9ew3ReLEH62Gi7qgH7EXJJyEuwT0DQc-86400-0"}; There are certainly more elements at work inNorth by Northwest'sfamous crop duster scene. By the way, the crop-duster scene was not filmed in Indiana or Illinois as the movie leads one to believe. Try My Sights, Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. You smoke him out with the very instrument that youre using, a crop duster. Please log in if you don't want to post Buried five-feet below ground, the farmer thought the fresh ground was where a killed deer had likely been buried. Again we return to the previous pattern, cutting from Grant waving his hands, to the truck getting closer and closer, until the truck is right on the camera, and the viewer. Get This Movie. Yes, definitely this scene is supposed to be set in Indiana. Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Initially producer Herbert Coleman had scouted for desolate locations in Iowa and Indiana, but was was unable to find anywhere that matched Hitchcock's requirements. Hunted relentlessly by Vandamm's associates, the harried Thornhill ends up on a cross-country journey, meeting the beautiful and mysterious Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) along the way. When you dream, you dream very real. A study and appreciation of the films and legacy of Alfred Hitchcock (with occasional detours to other classic films). Just north of Bakersfield is the location of the famous crop-dusting scene in which Cary Grant is chased by an airplane in North by Northwest. (LogOut/ cache 6h 0m Well of course, this is such a cliche thing, you see, that one has to fight shy of it and run as far away from it as one possibly can because its all predictable. If both parties, Thornhill and his attacker, were able to hide from each other, the nature of their initial confrontation would be a surprise, or a "bang," which wouldn't result in much tension. He steps off the bus and on to a gritty, lonesome highway surrounded on both sides by farmland. The fact that Hitchcock puts their showdown right smack dab in the middle of nowhere forces Thornhill and the audience to not only waitto actually recognize the threat of danger but also be confused by it once it's there. More, Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. They stopped about 500 from where Cary Grant got off the bus and overhead wires crossed over the road to a lone pole on the other side. Again this section works because of the rapid and seamless cutting. Each month NFS will be giving away (1) $200, (1) $100, (4) $50 B&H Gifts Cards. The audience says Ah, the airplane. Hitchcock's 1959 suspense thriller. Copyright 1996-2023 Doug Kirby, Ken Smith, Mike Wilkins. Hitchcock adored Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, partly b/c the could use the COMIC timing they'd learned in comedies, and apply it to help build suspense, moment by moment. Location filming for North by Northwest took place between late August and mid-September 1958 . Even people who have not seen the film recognize the image of Cary Grant sprinting across a dusty field with the plane closing in from behind. Located on Corcoran Road just west of five Highway near Wasco California. The Crop Duster in North by Northwest. My favourite Hitchcock: North by NorthwestNorth By Northwest: No 2 best action and war film of all time, The suspense of Cary Grant's unflappable businessman on the run from a low-flying plane is the stand-out moment in Hitchcock's stand-out thriller, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. #NorthbyNorthwestStream North by Northwest on HBO Max: http://it. Which ones do you think added to the tension? I was pretty sure they filmed this scene somewhere else other than Indiana, but just to make sure, I actually drove south on US 41 through northwest Indiana hoping Id notice something familiar. POTUS landmarks, oddities. With the exception of the crop duster sequence, location filming was shot chronologically: New York City, then Chicago and finally Rapid City, South Dakota where some of the Mount Rushmore daytime scenes were filmed. Hitchcock added square signs to the location to replicate those found in Indiana. Check it out here. Im not sure, but I think it might be the case . It was filmed about 30 miles north by northwest of Bakersfield, CA, near Wasco, just off Route 46. Related: Alfred Hitchcock Made The First James Bond Movie 3 Years Before Dr. No. Thornhill hides in the cornfields after just barely surviving several of the crop dusters strafing runs. This is a fantastic shot composition, breaking the back and forth between Cary Grant and his point of view. Check-Out: Pro Video, Pro Audio, Lighting Great Deals on Gear you made need !! A bus approaches and discharges one person, then continues on its way. Roger Thornhill has found himself thrown into a situation that leaves him completely at a loss, without reference point or help. ", REAR WINDOW: Deconstruction of a scene - The death of a dog, PSYCHO Deconstruction of a Scene: Arbogast questions Norman Bates, THE BIRDS: Deconstruction of a scene - The death of a farmer, SPELLBOUND: (1945): "Will you love me just as much when I'm normal? As for the real cornfield at that same intersection of U.S. 41 near the Indiana and Illinois stateline, even though it wasnt used as the on-location landscape for filming Hitchcocks North by Northwest famous scene, it still does have its own infamous notoriety. That plane's dusting crops where there ain't no crops.". They actually took it from the High School farm and replanted it at the scene. I still own that head, though it is a little worse for wear. What a fantastic story! But now, as Grant walks across the road to the man in the brown suit, the camera tracks towards him, again in the form of a point of view shot. This pattern of cutting from Cary Grant looking, to a point-of-view shot, back to him reacting to what he sees, continues for the first 34 shots, which take just over two and a half minutes. This was accomplished using almost no dialogue and even less music, all through the brilliant and seamless editing. In Hitchcock's case, however, putting Cary Grant through a waking nightmare was his aim, and part of making that look "real" meant breaking away from clichs -- the quintessential scene that takes place in a dark alley, steam rises from a manhole cover, rain pelts the pavement, a single street light illuminates a man in a trench coat and fedora smoking a cigarette, when, from out of the shadows, his killer emerges. As you'll hear in this interview from 1965, the director explains something quite profound -- something that captures the heart and nature of filmmaking in a palpable way. Where do you run? He is disorientated and completely defenceless. Well what if there was no plane and it took place in the droid factory from Attack of the Clones. Ah, hes going to be shot at from a car. And even deliberately, with tongue in cheek, I let a black limousine go byNow, the car. We still have the plaster of paris head they made of my dad to create the life mask on. Watch the Trailer Here! Question about famous crop-duster scene in "North by Northwest". Even the rows of dried cornstalks were prop designs, with all the close-up shots of Grant in a ditch, and cowering among the cornrows, shot inside on a studio soundstage at MGM in Los Angeles. The twinkle in his eye and crisp notes in his wallet are not going to help him weasel his way out. Weve dispensed with the menace of possible cars or automobiles., Now a jalopy comes from another direction, stops across the roadway, deposits a man, the jalopy turns and goes back. Lets let the master have the final word: Oh, well a cut is nothing. (MGM Archive / HANDOUT), Like so many people, Ive used some of the time of the past 11-months of the COVID-19 global pandemic to catch-up on films that have always been on my must-watch list.. The logic behindAlfred Hitchcocks famousmovie scene isnt watertight, but it actually makes sense within the context of North By Northwests narrative. The crop duster sequence inNorth by Northwestis not only one of the most memorable scenes in Alfred Hitchcocks body of work (second only to the shower sequence inPsycho); it is arguably one of the most iconic sequences in all of American film. Now, if you reallywas to dig into this material for a legitimate study session,Ritholtz also breaks down each camera angle shown in the image below into 61 bullet points, determining the shot size, location, editing, and more. All Rights Reserved. First of all, let's take a look at the scene: North By Northwests crop duster sequence is widely considered one of Hitchcocks defining moments in his storied career, but its nevertheless the subject of criticism due to a seeming lack of logic. First of all, let's take a look at the scene: Video is no longer available: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jETt9GQj6fs. The only distinctive feature in the movie was the telephone polls where the nearest pole had 3 transformers on it and wires from it ran across the highway to another pole on the opposite side. The scene was meant to take place in northernIndiana, but was actually shoton Garces Highway (155) near the towns ofWasco andDelano, north ofBakersfield inKern County, California. So, let's go over some of the elements that Hitchcock used to make the 'crop duster' scene so tense. I'm going Welles for number 4. Director: Alfred Hitchcock. Now the audienceasks, "What is a well-dressed man doing in an empty field?" The tension continues to escalate. Hitchcock and the film's screenwriter Ernest Lehman could so easily have let this scene descend into Looney Tunes territory. North by Northwest (1959) posted by pete_nice # flag as inappropriate. No. Thornhill escapes in stolen truck the wrong direction. Screw the door, I would haul ass! Picked out by a hidden sniper? The crop duster scene begins with a crane shot of an empty road dwarfing the bus travelling along it North by Northwest (2009). There is a screen behind Cary Grant, projecting footage of the plane passing. According to a well-researched post on the AlfredHitch Blog published on WordPress, the cornfield scene is a sequence that is 9 minutes and 45 seconds long, and contains 133 editorial cuts, which means the average shot length is only 4.4 seconds as planned by Hitchcock and film editor George Tomasini., Director Hitchcock, when interviewed, also explained his intent for the building suspense of the scene: Now the local bus comes and just as it pulls up and this is a matter of timing just before it gets to the stop, the man (also waiting at the stop) says to Grant Thats funny. And Grant says Whats funny? He says That planes dusting crops where there are no crops. Before this can be gone into in any way at all, that man is on the bus and gone.
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