we will laugh in the car

In the world of advertising, there's no such thing as a lie.  There's only "expedient exaggeration."


~~  Roger Thornhill, in North By Northwest







In the film North By Northwest, there's a scene which takes place at the U.N. where advertising man Roger Thornhill (portrayed by Cary Grant) is talking to a guy -- a diplomat, I think, and suddenly the diplomat is killed -- a man steps out from behind a wall and aims a knife and throws it, and it embeds in the diplomat's back, & he falls forward into the arms of Cary Grant.


Yesterday this New York Times headline -- "Russian Ambassador to Turkey Is Assassinated in Ankara" showed a photograph, which was so like the movie, that I thought, "That's just like in North by Northwest!"


Not exactly -- gun, not knife, was used.  But the scene had a similar ambience.


Outré.


What is real?  What is fiction?  Where are we?  Where are we going?  Who's really in charge?













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"The car is waiting outside.  You will walk between us saying nothing."


"What are you talking about?"


"Let's go."


"Go where?  Who -- who are you?"


"Mere errand boys, carrying concealed weapons.  His is pointed at your heart, so please, no errors of judgment, I beg of you."


"What is this?  A joke or something?"


"Yes, a joke.  We'll laugh in the car.
Come."


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{North by Northwest.  1959.  Script by Ernest Lehman, who also wrote Sabrina, The King and I, The Sound of Music, and Sweet Smell of Success, plus others...} 





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