"If it's a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on".
-Alfred Hitchcock
The 39 Steps
This film by Alfred Hitchcock is the thrilling story of a man named Richard Hannay. He meets a spy, then is falsely accused of murdering her. The audience gets to follow him as he takes on the role of this spy to prove his innocence and also solve the mystery at hand. In this film there are many Hitchcockian techniques used. Some major techiniques used is the theme of the falsely accused, as Hannay is blamed for a murder committed by someone else. This is a very common theme in Hitchcock's films that many believe stem from his childhood trauma. It is said that Hitchcock often uses his films to overcome his many fears however for the audience it may create new ones;). One of the film techniques used in this film is the use of diegetic music. There is a reoccurring song throughout the film that Hitchcock wants us to become familiar with. In the beginning we do not see any major significance to the tune, however it gets played repeatedly through the film. We hear it in the credits scene, as well as hummed often but can't put our finger on where we heard it. Then in the end, when the song is played again, the mystery is solved for us and all Hannay's secrets are reveled as the song is played.
The music starts at minuet 3:00
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is actually a remake of The 39 Steps with Hitchock's own story line attached. The 39 Steps is an adapted film from a book by John Buchan. Hitchock adapted his own film into a new one. Many people could watch the two Hitchcock films and never even put together that one is a remake of the other. Many of the shots from the film are perfect replicas, with slightly different characters. North by Northwest is a film about a man named Roger Thornhill who is falsely accused of murder and has been mistaken for a spy. This movie is honestly one huge scene of suspense. Throughout the majority of the movie, the audience gets to watch Thornhill chase after this US spy, George Kaplan. Through the beginning we feel the frustration of no one believing him because the audience and Thornhill are the only ones who know the truth. It then gets revealed to us that the man Thornhill is looking for is not even real, and with that the suspense goes through the roof. However Hitchcock knows that too much suspense can be detrimental, so to aid the audience he adds in a substantial amount of comic relief to give the audience a little bit of a break.