English standard

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How does Hitchcock make use of camera angles to symbolically represent different situations?

As a classic suspense film, ‘North by Northwest’ through Hitchcock’s   use of diverse camera angles symbolically represents distinctive environments, to ultimately convey the underlying concept of the subversion of roles. It is through the use of Mise en scene  and the low angle shots especially that, Hitchcock has an opportunity to symbolise aspects of the film that fundamentally assist  the viewers in understanding his film, North By Northwest. For instance, on the  way to the criminal's house, both Thornhill along with the audience has conceived a solid perception of the criminal's house. The protagonist, Thornhill and the audience picture the criminals roaming place with the use of their already constructed stereotypes. Hitchcock, excellently  plays with these fabricated ideologies to emphasise his ultimate ideology of the society that once existed in the 1990s. He demolishes these stereotypes from the very moment Thornhill takes the viewers to Vandamm’s room.

Throughout the introduction to Vandamm’s room, Hitchcock purposely depreciates the camera angle to form a low angle shot. This low angle shot acts as Thornhill’s eyes as it takes the audience on a journey where the viewers are able to explore the environment of Vandamm’s room from the perspective of a newcomer. One major aspect that captures Thornhill’s eyes are the marshaled books that remain solid in its allocated areas. The low angle shot has the power to capture these books, eliminating the stereotypes of criminals who are ‘unintelligent’. The book comes to symbolise how Vandamm has dominance over Thornhill, thus making Vandamm superior before he is even captured by Thornhill. This further creates a sense of power and control as it leaves the audience with a profound representation of the intelligence of the criminal. By utilising the low angle shot to capture a set of book, Hitchcock points out to the subversion of roles in the society and thus he makes a point that one mustn't pre-construct imagery of people as stereotypes aren’t always useful when it comes to people. Therefore, Hitchcock uses  the low angle shot to symbolically foreshadow the actions of Vandamm to reiterate how he does not belong to the stereotyped category of ‘criminal’. 

Furthermore, in the second visit to Vandamm’s room, Thornhill’s credibility is put into judgment by Vandamm’s maid who excellently manipulates the setting. Hitchcock  has directed the maid to manipulate the environment within the framework of mise en scene to shed light on the subversion of roles within society. Through utilising a mise en scene, Hitchcock exhibits how a society is easily manipulated to disregard the roles that they have to play. As an example, the mise en scene is constructed in Vandamm's room when the maid manipulates the environment to misdirect the detectives and Mrs Thornhill. Although the maid instantaneously directs the detectives along with Mrs. Thornhill to the ‘crime scene’, it is there, the maid begins to manipulate the setting and mislead the crowd. The mise en scene is hence used to capture the crowd along with the books in the background to remind the responders of the symbolism of the books. By positioning the books in the background, Hitchcock attempts to  emphasise the intelligence of the Vandamm to again highlight his superiority over Thornhill and other detective figures.

Similarly, when the mise en scene converts to a wide shot, Hitchcock has visually placed the detectives and along with Mrs. Thornhill  and the maid on one side and Thornhill on one side, closer to a corner. Hitchcock  has  attributed dominance to the maid to control the perfect manipulated setting. The positioning of the two parties captured by the wide-angle shot, assists the audience in identifying the two opposing parties, thus to question themselves as to why Mrs. Thornhill,  along with the detectives, are standing behind the maid who symbolises Vandamm, a criminal. It is the excellent position that heightens the manipulation of the setting to shed light on the subversion of roles in the 1990s society. The wide shot has captured the entire body of all individuals in the frame to again point out how definite their beliefs are. By  capturing the entire body of the detectives, Mrs. Thornhill, the maid  and Thornhill, Hitchcock emphasises how  their lives are defined as they have physically positioned themselves to voice their judgment with the use of body language. In order to represent his isolation and to reiterate how a manipulated setting impacts on the judgments of society, Thornhill is placed on the outskirts. Hitchcock communicates how easily people are manipulated to turn against the truth and instead stand behind the maid, who ultimately symbolises Vandamm’s authority. Society's well-respected figures as shown by the detectives along with Thornhill’s own mother has stood behind a criminal representative, to act as supporters of Vandamm.

 In conclusion, the use of camera angles such as the low angle shot and Mise en scene  has symbolically represented varying scenarios, however, they all convey universally, the subversion of roles in the 1990s society.