MAKE BELIEVE
Master Member
This was the first prop I wanted to make when I joined this forum (there has been some years now…)
Time passed, I got into other props and completely forgot about this one. Until last week when I re-watched this classic Hitchcock movie (my favourite along with “The Rear Window”), and decided it’s about time.
But before, and if you have patience I’d like to share a few lines about this small prop.
Warnig: SPOILLERS
Hitchcock actually takes some time with the matchbook. We first get a glimpse of it when Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) meets Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) at the dinner train from New York to Chicago and offers her a light for her cigarette and pulls out his matchbook. The white matchbook has just 3 letters on it “R.O.T”. Roger says it’s his “trademark”. Eve replies “Roger O Thornhill. What does the O stand for?”, he replies “nothing”.
It’s not commun to see a small prop getting so much attention.
Near the end of the film the matchbook appears again when Roger throws Eve the matchbook warning her not to get on the airplane with the two villains (Martin Landau and James Mason)
Again the matchbook plays an important part once it was the only way possible for Roger to warn Eve that she would be killed on the plane.
Plot and prop aside it’s curious to observe two continuity mistakes regarding the matchbook (www.moviemistakes.com)
We see Roger writing the message to Eve and it has three lines. When she opens it to read it, there are four lines on it.
When Roger pulls the matchbook to write the message to Eve, there are matches missing. When she opens it to read it, the matchbook is complete.
On this pic we can see a small 4 words line under "R.O.T.". Once it's unreadable I went for a made up text: "Advertising Executive, Madison Avenue" (Thornhill's job and place of work)
So, here’s my matchbook (I decided to combine the two versions of the same matchbook: three lines text but complete matches set)
Had a great time recreating this small but so important prop from this wonderful movie.
Time passed, I got into other props and completely forgot about this one. Until last week when I re-watched this classic Hitchcock movie (my favourite along with “The Rear Window”), and decided it’s about time.
But before, and if you have patience I’d like to share a few lines about this small prop.
Warnig: SPOILLERS
Hitchcock actually takes some time with the matchbook. We first get a glimpse of it when Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) meets Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) at the dinner train from New York to Chicago and offers her a light for her cigarette and pulls out his matchbook. The white matchbook has just 3 letters on it “R.O.T”. Roger says it’s his “trademark”. Eve replies “Roger O Thornhill. What does the O stand for?”, he replies “nothing”.
It’s not commun to see a small prop getting so much attention.
Near the end of the film the matchbook appears again when Roger throws Eve the matchbook warning her not to get on the airplane with the two villains (Martin Landau and James Mason)
Again the matchbook plays an important part once it was the only way possible for Roger to warn Eve that she would be killed on the plane.
Plot and prop aside it’s curious to observe two continuity mistakes regarding the matchbook (www.moviemistakes.com)
We see Roger writing the message to Eve and it has three lines. When she opens it to read it, there are four lines on it.
When Roger pulls the matchbook to write the message to Eve, there are matches missing. When she opens it to read it, the matchbook is complete.
On this pic we can see a small 4 words line under "R.O.T.". Once it's unreadable I went for a made up text: "Advertising Executive, Madison Avenue" (Thornhill's job and place of work)
So, here’s my matchbook (I decided to combine the two versions of the same matchbook: three lines text but complete matches set)
Had a great time recreating this small but so important prop from this wonderful movie.
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