Alfred Hitchcock is known for his iconic artistry when it comes to film composition so it is no surprise that when it comes to the posters for his film, the composition that lies within them is also eye-catching.
In this poster, your eyes are drawn directly to the actor Cary Grant, who is running away from the plane. After that, your eyes are drawn to the odd face out in Mount Rushmore who is actually a character within the films story line. This is due in part to the triad formed between Cary Grant, the plane and the iconic side profile of Hitchcock (a reference to his side profile cameos in all his films), a composition technique found commonly in Renaissance paintings. However, this triangle is formed using perspective, making the composition a new age twist on a classic design.
The use of the triangle is also found beneath Grant’s feet, showing highlights of the film. One interesting artistic choice is that there is only one scene that is backdropped in red. This is probably to distinguish the high action scenes, which in this case have a yellow overlay cast upon them, from the romantic scene, which is red to symbolize passion.
There is a third triangle that is between the only three black and white figures in the poster, that being the man with the pointer finger, Cary Grant and the Plane. This also leads focus to Cary Grands face, making him really stand out as the center of the of the piece.
Finally, one very clever composition choice is the movement found within the title text and the text of the three featured actors. Cleverly, it is tilted to the up and to the left, which if you look on the compass is North-West!!!