How One Modernist Building in Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘North by Northwest’ Changed Cinema Forever

notable for the inaugural screen pairing of horror stars Lugosi and Karloff.and is onscreen a merestands out not only for this genius co-billing, but also as one of the first films to feature modernism as the home of the villain, a devious and deadly architect. For the character of Hjalmar Poelzig , Hall created a sleek modernist house with glass-block walls, neon-tube accents, and bent-steel chairs, a marked departure from earlier Universal films in the horror genre.

and is onscreen a mere 14 minutes. Filmic structures are “evanescent as a flicker of light,” as noted by historian Alan Hess. Nonetheless, this design had a penetrating and lasting effect in the public consciousness. The Vandamm House itself is now a movie star with its own dedicated legion of fans. The high-quality production design of the film, and the hybrid mixing of recognizable locations with studio sets, led to many inquiries as to the “real” location of the home.

In fact, inspiration for the style and form of the Vandamm House traces directly back to the work of Wright, one of the most accomplished and popular American architects of the 20th century.

The Vandamm House is clearly inspired by Wright’s iconic Fallingwater, best known for its astonishing projected porches cantilevered over a running stream. Designed in 1935 for businessman and philanthropist Edgar J.

Hitchcock manipulated our collective memory and the language of building design to create constructed expressions of human emotions, including love, envy, and the killer instinct. He was driven by an intense engagement with location and architectural form, picturing buildings not only as scenic devices but as interactive participants.

COOL

Thanks for reading my debut article . For more Hollywood building back stories, see 'The Architecture of Suspense: The Built World in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock,' UVaPress out now. Get the paperback only $29!

Nice article. Loved this house since seeing NxNW as a kid. It set a standard for villain lairs. In addition to FLW influence the house is fortress-like in many ways. I’ve studied it and created a video of how I imagine the rest of the house might look:

Gorgeous

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