A: While they may sound related, the MacGuffin has absolutely nothing to do with McDonald’s Egg McMuffin. In fact, MacGuffin is actually a film term used to refer to an object that propels the action in the story but has no real bearing on the story’s outcome. The filmmaker most famous for his use of MacGuffins was the great Alfred Hitchcock. Classic Hitchcock MacGuffins are the true identity of the spy in North by Northwest and the stolen $40,000 in Psycho.
In recent movies, however, a famous MacGuffin might be the contents of the briefcase in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. In the flick, Vincent opens the briefcase and we see an orange glow bathe his face. Ever since the film came out, people have been trying to guess at what the briefcase contains, proposing everything from Marsellus Wallace’s stolen soul, to Tarantino’s hoped-for Oscar. Co-writer Roger Avary, however, has stated that the original idea, having diamonds in the briefcase, was just too boring, so they opted to have it become a more interesting empty MacGuffin.
Of course, a better explanation comes by way of the classic 1955 film noir Kiss Me Deadly, in which the detective pursues the “Great Whatsit,” an ominously incandescent box containing radioactive materials of awesome power. How it wound up in the hands of Marsellus Wallace 29 years later is anybody’s guess.
Article comments
1 - Anna Creech
I first heard of this term not too long ago from Wil Wheaton's review of a Lost episode. Funny to see it show up here, too.
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
Strangely enough, the MacGuffin in a Rob Schneider movie is the plot.
3 - Victor Lana
You mean all these years what I was ordering at McDonald's had no real bearing on the outcome of things? Man, do I feel like going to Wendy's!
4 - SFC SKI
Victor, your comment almost made coffee shoot out my nose this morning, kudos to you.
5 - Peter Byrne
Hitchcock' definition of a MacGuffin can be found (in French) on page 111 of Francois Truffaut's Hitchcock, edition definitive, Gallimard, 1993.