Strangers on a Train

The matchbook from North by Northwest embodies Roger Thornhill’s character; that he has a monogrammed matchbook in his suit jacket is not only evocative of the time period, but of his socioeconomic status as well. A different character in that scene would, in all likelihood, have a very different looking looking prop.

Graphic props anchor identities, but they also provide story. As Annie Atkins says, if a sign appears in a scene saying, “Walk, Don’t Run,” it is almost guaranteed that someone is going to start running. What would a matchbook look like in the hands of a mechanic? A gangster? A child? If the character in that scene changes, then the prop will change.