I really can't think of a more poetic name than the title of the film itself, so I simply used the title of the film itself as the title of the article. Hitchcock, the master of suspense films, won the best picture Oscar for his debut film Butterfly Dream, and the rest of the works have become film history classics without exception. Its superb level of playmaking makes every film fascinating and keeps the hearts of the audience hanging. And his suspenseful way has been learned by many directors later. I watched Butterfly Dream and Psycho before, but I always felt that I couldn't resonate with them. It may be because of spoilers or too high expectations for Hitchcock. The two works did not bring me There are too many shocks, and I can't find a reason to call Xifa a master of suspense, but after watching North by Northwest, I sincerely admire Hitchcock.
Filmed in North by Northwest China in 1959, it didn't give me the generation gap and estrangement of the times at all. On the contrary, its twists and turns in the plot are much better than the modern suspense movies that are labelled with reversal endings. Xi Pang's narrative is never sloppy. At the beginning, the male protagonist, Roger, was walking on the street with his secretary but still arranging work. This seemingly simple plot setting turned the male protagonist in just a few minutes. The selfish revelation of advertiser status and elite class is unmistakable. But the next plot can be described as the most suspenseful point in the whole film. Before reuniting with friends at a hotel, Roger was kidnapped by two men and taken to a luxurious suburban villa where he was told he was Kapoor and told him to explain or die.
As a result, the doubts in the audience's hearts will become more serious. First, why was Roger kidnapped? Second; who are these people who kidnapped Roger and what are they doing? Third: Who is Kapoor? Fourth: Why are these people looking for Kapoor and what is their relationship? These questions have been circling in the hearts of the audience, and going to the movie with questions has greatly increased the audience's interest. And Hitchcock's ability to create a suspenseful atmosphere is indeed staggering, the magnificent but gloomy castle in "Butterfly Dream", and the strange smiling face of the hero in "Vertigo". Different from these films, this film not only does not have many gloomy environments, but also the lines of the male protagonist Roger are very happy, but in this case, there is still a strong sense of suspense. Especially in the vast expanse of the field with the plane hovering over the head, the inner pressure and tension of the characters can be described only in the language of contrasting lenses.
Another feature of the suspenseful suspense is the omniscient perspective of the audience. Before the enemy is about to leave by plane, Roger is lying in front of the window to observe secretly, and sees one of them talking with the other with a gun behind him When the audience knows the existence of this gun, they will always pay attention to the role this gun will play. Are the two fighting infighting? Or do you want to defend yourself? This is like Chekov's famous saying, "The gun that appears in the first act will inevitably be fired in the third act." This gives the audience a lot of imagination space, and thus maximizes the suspense.
As for the shortcomings of Xi Pang's films, in my opinion, he is indeed the originator of this genre of suspense films, but the thematic connotations in the films are still somewhat lacking, and it is difficult to discover deeper connotations from them. This may also be too demanding of him. After all, it is difficult to achieve the best of both worlds. A good movie can always make you immerse yourself in it and forget about the experiences around you. A lot of people think it's an entertainment product, but I think it's an art. Using light and shadow to create a world that is both real and dreamy. It's true that we can't live in a movie, but the movie tells me how to live better.
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