Several of Hitchcock’s films blur the lines between performance and reality. In particular, Hitchcock demonstrates his control as a director over his actresses by having their characters similarly manipulated and restricted by their respective male protagonists (e.g. Kim Novak as Madeleine Elster in Vertigo). In North by Northwest, this is shown at the beginning of the art auction scene. Just after Roger Thornhill is shown walking into the gallery, the audience sees a close-up shot of a man’s hand in a gray suit slowly stroking the back of Eve’s neck. The stroking soon escalates into what seems like choking, as the man’s hand tightens threateningly around Eve’s neck. It is difficult to determine who this man is; some viewers may guess it is Thornhill, given that he was just shown entering the gallery (and of course, in the gray suit he’s dressed in for the entirety of the film). However, the camera zooms out to reveal that it is Mr. Vandamm.

The initial ambiguity in the scene regarding whether the man is Thornhill or Vandamm illustrates how, in a film about mistaken identity and the “wrong man,” one thing that remains certain is that any man (with the possible exception of the queered Leonard) has the power and liberty to exert control over woman’s actions. Identity does not matter much in this situation; it is men’s shared, universal anxiety of the lack that causes them to collectively assert dominance over women. Additionally, while Vandamm literally has a tight grip on Eve Kendall, Hitchcock as a director metaphorically does. While Vandamm seems to nearly choke Eve, Hitchcock similarly gave Eva Marie Saint very little room to “breathe” in her acting. As he explained to Francois Truffaut, he “groomed” her, “watched [her] every look,” and endeavored to teach her how to properly “use her face.” Just like how Eve’s infidelity and deception ultimately disappoint Vandamm, Eva Marie Saint apparently was ultimately a disappointment to Hitchcock as well, who remarked that his “effort [on her] was completely wasted.” Vandamm’s menacing hand around Eve represents the gender politics in North by Northwest, typical of most Hitchcock films, as well as the conceptualization and reflection of the film’s creation.