The origin of McGoffin

Guillermo 2021-12-21 08:01:13

The first film version of the novel of the same name (1915) by the Scottish writer John Buchan. The 4th Greatest British Film (BFI 1999).
When I was a child, I read the abbreviated version of this book in the Oxford Bookworm series. In fact, the plot of the film is quite different from the novel. The most important ones include the introduction of the heroine (all three women in the film are new), the clues left by the death of the spy in the opening scene, the London theatre and Mr. Memories ( It also echoes from the beginning to the end), and the meaning of the film title "Thirty-Nine Steps" (in this film, it refers to the name of a spy organization, while in the novel it is a place with 39 steps on the seashore where the enemy spy is going to escape) and so on. While these changes have weakened the many (unreasonable) coincidences in the original work, they have also increased the entertainment and compactness of the film. Some people say that it’s a bug that the female spy was killed by a throwing knife and Hannay was not killed (Hannay was not there when the male spy was killed in the original), but it may be explained that the other party wanted to plant the spy on Hannay in order to kill two birds with one stone (let the police find Hannay ignores the real murderer).
This film is one of Hitchcock’s representative works in the British period. Several elements of it will become his personal logo in the future: 1. The term MacGuffin has since become a household name. I won’t repeat the classic explanation of Hitchcock’s own "Scottish Highland lion catching device". The so-called McGoffin is the protagonist desperate to explore or protect in order to promote the development of the plot, but its true meaning is not An important thing that may even be forgotten by the end of the film. This film is the first time in Hitchcock's film that McGoffin in the true sense-the secret intelligence that enemy spies want to send abroad, is also the most commonly used McGoffin in spy war films. Although Mr. Memory finally revealed that intelligence is a silent aircraft engine design, it doesn't really matter what it is. 2. A passer-by is involved in a big conspiracy for no reason. He wants to clear his mind while avoiding the chase of black and white to make himself innocent. This bridge segment has been used countless times in the future, including Hitchcock's own "Northwest by Northwest", "The Reunification", "The Furious Murder" and so on. 3. The heroine, Madeleine Carroll, may be the first famous "Hellenic Girl". She also filmed another Hitchcock film "Secret Agent" a year later. Hitchcock is famous for using blonde girls as the main characters, and he said they look more beautiful in black and white movies. In addition, in the film, Madeleine used soy sauce once in the first half, but did not appear again until half a time. Such arrangements are rare.
In the 7th minute of the film, before the male protagonist and the female spy catch up on the bus, a fat passerby crosses the camera and loses a cigarette case-that is Lao Xi.
Actor Robert Donat and heroine Madeleine Carroll were both hot British actors at the time. A few years after making this film, the former won an Oscar winner, and the latter went to Hollywood to develop and stardom. However, Donat died young because of a cerebral thrombosis only 53 years old, and Carroll died early because his only sister was killed in the London bombing of World War II, which is embarrassing.

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Extended Reading

The 39 Steps quotes

  • Richard Hannay: How far is Winnipeg from Montreal?

    Mr. Memory: A gentleman from Canada. You're welcome, sir. Winnipeg, the third city of Canada and the capital of Manitoba. Distance from Montreal: 1424 miles.

  • Annabella Smith: Do you want to know more about me? What do you think I do for a living?

    Richard Hannay: Actress?

    Annabella Smith: Not in the way you mean.

    Richard Hannay: Chorus?

    Annabella Smith: No.

    Richard Hannay: I'm sorry.

    Annabella Smith: I'm a freelance.

    Richard Hannay: Out for adventure, eh?

    Annabella Smith: That's right.