North by Northwest Love Quotes

Thornhill's surprised (and so are we) by Eve's forwardness when he first meets her. During this same conversation, Eve says, "I never discuss love on an empty stomach." This line was dubbed at the insistence of Hollywood censors: in the original version of the scene, Eve said, "I never make love on an empty stomach." (Watch her lips closely and you can see the dubbing.) Hitch also had to add the words "Mrs. Thornhill" to the dialogue to get approval for the last scene. (Click here and scroll down to "The Production Code" for the skinny.)

Thornhill is bitter and sarcastic when he confronts Eve in her hotel room in Chicago after his return from nearly being crop-dusted to death. Since Eve was the one who sent him there, he knows she's up to no good. Still, there's an intimacy about this exchange. We're kind of invited to imagine a future together for these strangers on a train.

Eve knows the score when she meets men like Thornhill with commitment issues. But we really don't know what to make of it because she's the one driving the seduction, not him. Later, we really don't know what to make of it since she betrays him to Vandamm. She's pretending to be someone who's pretending to be seductive—typical Hitchcock.

Eve repeats Thornhill's question from their first extended conversation on the train, in the dining car: "Is that a proposition?" This underscores how how far they've come since that first encounter. And with his "proposal" Thornhill's already predicting the happy ending as well as satisfying the production code guys.

Hitchcock wouldn't have been allowed to show his lovers climbing into bed unless they were married, and this dialogue was a last-minute addition. The film yadda-yaddas over the marriage part. One minute Eve's hanging perilously over a cliff, the next minute she's safely in the arms of Thornhill.