Notes on Assignment

• Solidarity, the way misery creates a sense of "you against the world" is a fascinating feature that appears in a number of thrillers of the type. The way paul is literally on his own writing the book, driving back alone, found by one person and then is trapped on his own. Creates a sense of eery solitude for the viewer.
• Will Paul get away (or even back to his room) before Annie returns? Look at your watch. The movie can't end until two hours have elapsed.One way that Alfred Hitchcock avoided this problem, built into the genre, was by sleight of hand, by surprise, by anticipating the audience's expectations and turning them inside out. "Misery" never succeeds in doing this.
• The scenic value of misery adds to the effect and draws you in, the old style american homestead, decorated as such, has negative connotations