Enigmas and red herring

A red herring is the name given to a device which intends to divert the audience from the truth or an item of significance. A red herring can work with other devices like enigmas to create suspense. A good example of where both of these techniques come into play is in the film "North By Northwest" directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1958. In this film the main character, Thornhill, is sent to a man called kaplan who will explain why he has been mistaken for a government agent. Later on in the film there is a very significant and famous scene called the crop duster scene, this scene is an example of a red herring.