Your favourite MacGuffin's?

Pigman II

Inspired by another thread.

"A MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin or Maguffin) is a plot device that motivates the characters or advances the story, but has little or no actual relevance to the story."

Personally I'd nominate "The Maltese Falcon" from "The Maltese Falcon". I think it serves no purpose other than to give the movie a great title and to show how greedy guys get sweaty when they argue too much.

The Ark of the Covenant is also another favourite of mine. As is the Suitcase from Pulp Fiction and

inadvertently Rosebud

from Citizen Kane.

monkeyfudge

I've always meant to start a thread about McGuffins.

Personally I'm a fan of the Claude Bellasarious Memorandum in Darkman. Nice effective use of a coffee stain on it as well.

Wacker

The big wad of cash in Psycho. This film goes to show that money isn't nearly as important as keeping your mother happy.
I think it is really amusing that when Bates is being interrogated by the PI and later the boyfriend, thay are both trying to find out where the money ended up, but he doesn't have a clue what they're even talking about.

Sad Professor

Ya can't really beat The Ring in LOTR. Truly one of the greatest Mcguffins.

flangeman

Hack boy that he is JJ Abram's Mission Impossible III had 'The Rabbits Foot' alright, unfortunately the film was awful.

Me? I with the maltese Falcon. Great stuff.

Driver 8

Maltese Falcon, Briefcase from Ronin (average film on the whole though), the briefcase of money in No Country for Old Men

Yoda

The Ring is not a McGuffin. It's a character. Not a plot device.

Dont be at yourself

Yeah, I don't think the ring would count.

The NOC List in Mission Impossible is a good one. As is the suitcase in Pulp Fiction.

Spyral

The suitcase definatly.

Sad Professor

Yoda wrote: »

The Ring is not a McGuffin. It's a character. Not a plot device.

No, it's still plot device. It motivates the characters, it advances the story and for us it could just have easily been a magic sword or a hat. A Mcguffin is a template. Just because Tolkien dressed it up, gave it characteristics and even treated it like a character doesn't change that. A Mcguffin can be whatever the story needs it to be. The Ring is more than just a suitcase but it had to in order to be worth the trip to Mount Doom.

Dont be at yourself

A McGuffin, by definition, can be replaced by virtually anything and not affect the plot. It exists solely as a motivation for the characters. As such, I don't think the ring really qualifies, due to the powers it affords the bearer and also the affect it has on the character.

Loxosceles

The thing in the trunk of the car in Repo Man would count, especially since Tarantino ripped the suitcase idea off from that. And White Castle burgers, in 'Harold and Kumar'.

Mark Hamill

"A MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin or Maguffin) is a plot device that motivates the characters or advances the story, but has little or no actual relevance to the story."

Does that mean that Cyclops in Xmen 3 is a MacGuffin?