Adventures in the Screen Trade

by William Goldman

Landau walks over to Grant and, instead of bending down and aiding him, puts his foot on Grant’s fingers and begins pressing down. He grinds his shoe down as hard as he can. That’s the pickle. Now, between that moment and the end of this superb Ernest Lehman–Alfred Hitchcock collaboration, the following occurs. (a) Landau is made to cease and desist. (b) Grant saves himself. (c) Grant also saves Eva Marie Saint. (d) The two of them get married. (e) The microfilm is saved for America. (f) James Mason, the chief villain, is captured and handed over to the authorities. (g) Grant and Saint take a train ride back east. That’s a lot of narrative to be successfully tied up. And I would like you to guess how long it takes in terms of screen time for it to be accomplished. Got your guess? Here’s the answer— —forty-three seconds. Here’s how they do it, from the moment where Landau is crunching Grant’s hand. The camera’s in close up on the shoe and the fingers. A shot rings out. The shoe begins to slide away from the fingers. Next a cut of the statuette falling safely to the ground and cracking, revealing the microfilm inside. Now Landau falls to his death off Mount Rushmore. Now another part of Mount Rushmore, where Leo G. Carroll, a good guy, thanks a police officer who is holding a rifle. Behind Carroll is Mason, flanked by more officers. Now back to Grant and Eva Marie, him saying you can do it, her saying I can’t, back and forth, quick cuts between them, and then a really brilli...