MovieChat Forums > North by Northwest (1959) Discussion > Amazing for Hays code era

Amazing for Hays code era

posted 3 years ago by Quint (957)
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I by myself hate it when folks try to build up sexual interest between movie characters when its obvious friendship or facing a challenge (yep, there even rumors that the attorney in "Witness of the prosecution" was not only interested as an attorney in Mr. Vole :) ! ).

But it was even made obvious within the movie that Leonard had a crush on VanDamm. VanDamm himself even realizes that one of the last movie scenes. How did a homosexual love interest go through with the Hays code censorship?

[–] ecarle (14979) 3 years ago

How did a homosexual love interest go through with the Hays code censorship?

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Because Hitchcock -- along with a few other seasoned, successful directors operating in the 50s/60s cusp(Billy Wilder, Otto Preminger) was given more LEEWAY by the censors to do things (on the one hand) but was also so quiet and sophisticated in how he did things that the censors just flat out missed it.

And there is this: Leonard's jealousy of Eve (in "straight" 1959 terms) could be seen as being PROFESSIONALLY jealous of Eve taking attention away from Leonard as "the right hand man" to Vandamm. In politics, Chiefs of Staffs often hate wives, girlfriends and mistresses.

In an interview, James Mason said something funny:

"I later learned that Landau was playing the character as gay and in love with me. That's fine, but it has nothing to do with how I played my role. No romantic attraction to Landau at all.

[–] Quint (957) 3 years ago

[–] vilafire (658) 3 years ago

Yes, I caught that. There was also a lot of sexual innuendo going on between Grant and the blonde. Somehow I find it more fun and exciting when movies use innuendo and subtext. A modern movie would have her saying “let’s screw already.” Or something equally dumb.

I did catch the homoerotic stuff at the end with Leonard. Good stuff.

However, can you tell me more about Witness for the Prosecution? Never heard that. Haven’t read the story or seen the movie for a while. Definitely on my rewatch list because of you. And Dietrich. :)

[–] Quint (957) 3 years ago

Take a look at the "Witness for the Prosecution" forum here. There is one thread about this topic. But as I mentioned: I find that completely out of context and just a way to put a homosexual relationship by force into anything.

[–] ecarle (14979) 3 years ago

Yep, VanDamm obviously had no interest in Leonard. But the sentence, that he find his actions "charming" isnt completely professional ;) . So it seems like the character himself was smarter then the actor :)

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Ha. I daresay that a LOT of characters were smarter than the actors who played them. In the same year as North by Northwest (1959) Charlton Heston evidently didn't notice gay overtones to his friendship/rivalry with Stephen Boyd in Ben-Hur, that had been put into the script by (uncredited?) Gore Vidal.

Things are nicely ambiguous between Vandamm and Leonard in their final "Rushmore house" scenes. Vandamm telling Leonard, "I'm touched (by your loyality)" offers a little solace to Leonard's gay side. And of course, Leonard speaks of his suspicions of Eve: "Call it my women's intuition...."

Like Wilder and Preminger, Alfred Hitchcock saw the Hays Code as something to be played with, gotten around. Double entendres, suggestive lines. And the game was to show things "you aren't allowed to show." Without showing them. Pre-marital sex. Homosexual characters. Nudity (see: Psycho in the shower.) Killers getting away with their crimes(see: Vertigo.)

It is seen as somewhat of a "downside" that "all" of Hitchcock's gay characters were villains: Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca, the killers in Rope; Bruno Anthony in Strangers on a Train; Leonard. But-- the villains were often the most interesting people in his movies. AND: I'm not so sure that some of his "women hating" heroes might not have had hidden gay aspects to them.