When Hitchcock made a film, he realized the chase was the thing, not the thing being chased. He called the object that propelled the hapless hero through the plot, whether it's evidence of a crime ("Strangers on a Train," center), microfilm hidden in a statue ("North By Northwest," right), or whatever is in the head of Mr. Memory ("The 39 Steps," left), a "macguffin."
(Photo: CBS)
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