Stand and Deliver

Jul 12th, 2008 | By Rick | Category: Alfred Hitchcock, Analysis and Comment, Great Clips

Watching Wong Kar Wai’s My Blueberry Nights, I got to thinking about what David Bordwell and others have called the “Classical Hollywood Style.” It refers to a collection of techniques or rules that work together to enable smooth, unobtrusive film-making that does not call attention to itself.

Here’s a scene from Hitchcock’s North by Northwest that shows how dialog is filmed in the Style. Cary Grant and Philip Ober are in conversation: they walk to the center of the room, stop and Ober turns toward Grant. A master shot establishes the relationships between the actors. The remainder of the conversation is shot and edited in shot/reverse shot-style, and the “180-degree line” is never crossed. Here it is:

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Hitch uses this stolid, even plodding bit of business to support the purposes of the scene. Even though we know something’s going to happen (we’ve seen a quick shot of the bad guy, lurking in the background), we’re not sure when it’s going to happen. Then, after the stabbing, all hell breaks loose, and the staging suddenly becomes chaotic. I love how Grant turns, knife in hand, to get his picture snapped. I love as well how the background action — a photographer snapping pictures — suddenly comes into play, and the whole scene comes together like a precision watch.

Tomorrow, a scene from My Blueberry Nights that couldn’t be more different.

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4 comments
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  1. campanella.joseph July 13th, 2008 3:45 am :

    What a great movie.

    Although it may not be my favorite (or maybe it is!) it is Hitchcock’s most entertaining picture.

  2. Rick July 13th, 2008 8:53 am :

    It’s not my favorite either, but it is entertaining, all right, and there’s a case to be made that Eva Marie Saint is the iciest of his blonds.

  3. Ibetolis July 13th, 2008 12:54 pm :

    I look forward to your comparison piece tomorrow.

    I do love North by Northwest, of course I agree that it isn’t his best but it’s so exhilarating.

    Hitchcock was nothing if not master at this sort of shot; unfussy, straight to the point and no complications.

    Great post, Rick.

  4. Rick July 16th, 2008 1:44 am :

    Ib, Hitchcock’s films are like master-classes in film making, I think. Not that anybody would ever trust me with a movie camera and a budget, but still. When I was looking for examples for this film seminar I’m teaching, I ended up using clips from two of his films NxNW and Rear Window.

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