MacGuffin facts for kids

A MacGuffin is a special object, event, or detail in a story that is very important to the plot or to what makes the characters act. It was a term first used by the famous filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. While he wasn't the first to use this idea in movies, he is known for giving it this unique name. Other filmmakers, like George Lucas, also used the term MacGuffin, but their ideas about it were a little different from Hitchcock's. This article will focus on how Hitchcock saw MacGuffins.

What is a MacGuffin?

According to Alfred Hitchcock, a MacGuffin's only purpose is to keep the story moving forward. It doesn't have any real meaning by itself. It doesn't matter what the "thing" the characters want actually is. As long as it pushes the characters to do things or helps the plot develop, it's a MacGuffin.

Think of it this way: if you could swap out the important "thing" in a story for something completely different, and the rest of the story would still make sense, then it's likely a MacGuffin. If changing that "thing" would totally change the story, then it's not a MacGuffin.

Examples of MacGuffins

A great example of a MacGuffin is the mysterious briefcase in the movie Pulp Fiction. Getting this suitcase back to Marsellus Wallace is the main reason why his hit men are willing to kill people and risk their own lives. But what's inside the briefcase? The movie never shows us, and it's never explained.

The movie's writer and director, Quentin Tarantino, has said that whatever is inside the briefcase is whatever the audience wants it to be. This is because knowing what's inside doesn't change the story at all. The briefcase simply serves as the reason for the characters' actions.

When it's NOT a MacGuffin

Not every important item in a movie is a MacGuffin. Take the Ark of the Covenant in the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Ark is very important to the hero, Indiana Jones, and also to the bad guys, the Nazis.

However, the Ark's importance becomes much clearer later in the movie. It cannot be replaced by anything else. This is because the Nazis' wrong use of the Ark directly causes their deaths at the end of the movie. If the Ark were replaced by something else, the ending would be completely different. This shows it's not a MacGuffin, but a crucial plot device with specific powers.

Images for kids

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  The "Maltese Falcon" statuette from the film of the same name is often considered a classic example of a MacGuffin.

See also

In Spanish: Macguffin para niños