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Clothing
"A costume must not be the superficial shell of a character, but the outward expression of inner experience, the concrete manifestation of the character's self image."
-Deborah Nadoolman Landas
Adorning the Story
In films, the best way to define a character is through costuming. A strong believer of the importance of visual imaging, Alfred Hitchcock was especially particular about what his actors and actresses wore in his movies, as he used their looks to conceal their true identities, foreshadow, and contrast the character with their intentions.
During the filming of North by Northwest, Hitchcock was not pleased with costume designer's selection for Eva Saint's wardrobe. He proceeded to take Saint to Bergdorf Goodman's and asked her to style outfits that she fancied, which he then used in the film.
Eva's costumes made her character more feminine and sweet, which convinced the audience that she was not capable of having ulterior motives. That was not the case, however, as it was revealed that Eve was actually an American agent. Due to the fact that her outward appearance contrasted in comparison to her motives and desires, the audience's shock upon revelation of her true identity increased.
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Roger Thornhill's costume also played an important role in North by Northwest. Throughout the film, the suit is commented on by various individuals. At the beginning, he is complimented for his fancy suit, but it's immaculate appearance continues to decline as the film goes on. After his terrifying encounter with the crop duster, Roger is forced to have his suit dry-cleaned. This happens after his reunion with Eve in her hotel room. Soon after, he is reduced to nothing but a white shirt and his original suit pants. The transformation of the appearance of his suit is a representation of his masculinity.
In North by Northwest, Roger is introduced while giving his secretary a to-do list. They exit a building and make their way through a throng of people on the New York streets. Even though there are countless other people around them, the audience is under the impression that Mr. Thornhill is completely in control, giving him a highly masculine identity. This coincides with his initially pristine suit. Later, when he dines with Eve on the train, his suit is still very much in tact, strengthening the connection between his suit and his masculinity, considering Eve was seducing him and he was falling for it. Later, after he escaped death by crop duster, his suit is in shambles, and so is his ego. He felt betrayed by Eve, who had given him the directions that led him to his killers, and disappointed that he still had not found George Kaplan, the man whom he was mistaken for. When Roger unexpectedly finds Eve at a hotel, he thinks he knows better than to trust Eve, and decides to take matters into his own hands. Because of his newly formed plan, Roger is feeling better about himself. This is when Roger's suit is taken to be cleaned, and all is looking well for both him and his suit. However, his suit never returns, and he is completely stripped of his masculinity. Wearing only a button up and his slacks, Roger Thornhill's ego is reduced to nothing, mostly because Eve rejected him, again, and she escaped, meaning his plan failed. Roger's suit is just another example of Hitchcock's intentionality when producing cinemas.
In The 39 Steps, Hannay's large coat is his most identifiable characteristic, next to his mustache, of course. He swapped his original coat with a milkman's and used it as a disguise to escape the two men who were trying to kill him. This coat remained with Hannay throughout the film, and saved him from being captured.
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Pamela, Hannay's co-star, also had an interesting statement piece, a bowtie. Throughout the film it grew larger and larger, perhaps correlating with her affection for Hannay.
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Costumes are not solely for the audience's benefit, however. In fact, actors rely on their costumes to help them channel their character. Just as people choose to wear certain clothes to convey a specific message or mood, actors use their costumes to embody their character's aura.
The wardrobes that Hitchcock choose were meant to be elegant under fire, timeless, and pillars of the films. He was painstakingly precise about visual representation and fashion was always a forethought.