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How did Alfred Hitchcock use mistaken identity in films such as The Lodger and North by Northwest?

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Master of suspense — Alfred Hitchcock Alfred Hitchcock's talent as both filmmaker and storyteller is abundantly evident in a film catalog that includes *Dial M for Murder*, *Vertigo*, *Psycho*, and *The Birds*.

In the films of Alfred Hitchcock, the theme of mistaken identity serves as a primary narrative device to propel suspense and complicate plots. Hitchcock frequently employed the trope of an innocent protagonist who is wrongly suspected or accused of a crime, forcing them to track down the actual perpetrator to clear their name.1

In North by Northwest, this theme is central to the plot: the protagonist, Roger O. Thornhill, is mistaken for a fictional government agent named George Kaplan. This case of mistaken identity leads to his kidnapping, his involvement in an espionage plot, and his eventual status as a prime suspect in a murder he did not commit. Similarly, in The Lodger, Hitchcock utilizes the same foundational premise of an innocent man caught in a web of suspicion, where the character must navigate the consequences of being misidentified as a criminal.12

By placing ordinary individuals in extraordinary, nightmarish situations, Hitchcock used these misunderstandings to build tension, evoke fear, and maintain the audience's engagement through complex chase sequences and psychological stakes.1