Character Analysis
"Eve Kendall, 26 and unmarried": that's how our silver screen homegirl introduces herself. And right away the "unmarried" clues us in, letting us know that although Eve isn't single, she's still eligible when she meets Roger on the 20th-century Limited. For a twenty-six year-old, she's pretty sophisticated, and she matches Thornhill bon mot for bon mot—and then some. She knows what she wants and she ain't afraid to go after it. She's smart, seductive, and confident.
Until she's hanging off a cliff at Mount Rushmore, that is. But it's hard to be seductive when dangling from Thomas Jefferson's nose like a human loogie.
Sparks Fly
Like Roger, we're struck right away by how smart and forward this lady is. (Some of her lines had to be dubbed during post-production, because they couldn't get past the censors. How's that for bold?) Right away she propositions Roger, putting her desires right out there after he "accidentally" gets seated at her table in the club car.
EVE: I tipped the steward five dollars to seat you here if you should come in.
THORNHILL: Is that a proposition?
EVE: I never discuss love (she's actually saying "make love") on an empty stomach.
THORNHILL: You've already eaten.
EVE: But you haven't.
Thornhill doesn't know what hit him.
Eve and Roger are the proverbial strangers on a train, which in Hitchcockland means they have a date with destiny. And this date begins with some long, steamy (for the '50s) kisses after Eve agrees to help Roger out by hiding him in her compartment.
Why would she help out a guy wanted for murder? Well, there's much more than meets the eye with Eve. Already, we can sense that she has some serious tricks up her sleeve: a gun that shoots blanks, a small razor in her kit, and various other things that serve her well in her capacity as double agent. She relies on her smarts (and acting ability) to get her out of trouble when Vandamm gets suspicious.
One thing that doesn't serve her quite as well is her heart, which gets in her way and lands her in danger when she falls for Thornhill. But in the end it's Thornhill who comes to her rescue just in time, saving her from being dumped out of a plane a plane and pulling her up when she nearly tumbles to her death from high up on Mount Rushmore. He also saves her from being too unconventional a heroine. After all, she has to be the lady in distress and he has to be the guy who saves her.
As modern a film as this is, it's still 1959.
Eve Kendall's Timeline