In fiction, a MacGuffin is an object, detail, or event in the story that is important to the plot or the motivation of the story's characters. The term was first used by filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock. He was not the first to use or discover the trope, but he is given credit for coming up with the name. Other filmmakers like George Lucas used the term MacGuffin as well, but their definition was somewhat different from Hitchcock's. Nevertheless, details about MacGuffins below will describe Hitchcock's point of view.
According to Hitchcock, the MacGuffin has no importance other than moving the story forward, and it has no meaning by itself. It does not matter what the "thing" the characters want is, as long as it drives the character or moves the plot forward. In other words, any detail of a story is a MacGuffin if it can be replaced by something else without changing the rest of the story. If changing what the "thing" the characters want changes anything else in the story, then it is not a MacGuffin.
An example of a MacGuffin is Marsellus Wallace's briefcase in the movie "Pulp Fiction". Getting the suitcase and giving it back to Marsellus Wallace is the reason why Wallace's hit men are willing to kill other people and risk their lives to keep it, but what is inside the briefcase is never shown or explained. According to the movie's writer and director Quentin Tarantino, he says that whatever is in the briefcase is whatever the audience wants it to be, because such knowledge of what is inside does not affect the story at all.
An example of a detail that is not a MacGuffin is the Ark of the Covenant in the movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Even though the Ark is important to the motivation of the movie's hero, Indiana Jones, and the villains, the Nazis, the Ark's importance becomes more clear in the later half of the movie, and it cannot be replaced by anything else because the Nazis' misuse of the Ark was the direct cause of their death at the climax of the movie.
NGC 4477
NGC 4477 is a barred lenticular galaxy in the Coma Berenices constellation. It is located about 55 million light-years away.
West African slender-snouted crocodile
The West African slender-snouted crocodile ("Mecistops cataphractus") is a critically endangered type of African crocodile. It is one of five species of crocodile in Africa.
The West African slender-snouted crocodile lives in West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, southern Senegal, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, southern Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo) and extends into Cameroon in Central Africa.
The West African slender-snouted crocodile is classified as critically endangered. It no longer exists in many countries, while its numbers have decreased in others. In its native range, it is very rare. It is on the verge of disappearing. Captive breeding may be important for conservation of this species.
Cuban crocodile
The Cuban crocodile ("Crocodylus rhombifer") is a type of small crocodile. It lives in Cuba. The average length is 2.1–2.3 m (6.9–7.5 ft). The average weight is 70–80 kg (150–180 lb). Large males can grow as long as 3.5 m (11 ft) in length. Large females can also weigh more than 215 kg (474 lb). It is a very aggressive animal. The Cuban crocodile is very dangerous to humans.
The Cuban crocodile is listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Before, it lived all over the Caribbean. Now, it only lives in the Zapata Swamp and Isla de la Juventud. They had to escape being hunted by humans. Captive breeding are helping the species to recover.
Mountain stream tree frog
The mountain stream tree frog, northern tops frog, leaf green river tree frog or Barrington tops frog ("Ranoidea barringtonensis") is a tree frog from Australia. It lives in New South Wales.
This frog is 3.7 cm in length. It is green with dark spots and a dark stripe behind the eye. It has a white belly.
Scientists disagree about whether to call this frog "barringtonenesis" or "pearsoniana". Some say this frog and Pearson's green tree frog are two different species and some do not.
Norman Watt-Roy
Norman Joseph Watt-Roy (born 15 February 1951) is an English musician, arranger and composer.
Watt-Roy's music career spans more than 40 years. He became popular in the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music as the bass player for Ian Dury and the Blockheads. He was a member of the Greatest Show on Earth before.
In addition to his work with the Blockheads, Watt-Roy has been a session musician and has released one solo album.
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Irene D. Long
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Richard Biefnot
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Biefnot died on 18 August 2020, aged 71.
Atzo Nicolaï
Atzo Nicolaï (22 February 1960 – 19 August 2020) was a Dutch politician and businessman. He was a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).
Nicolaï studied law and political science at the Free University Amsterdam. He was a member of the House of Representatives between 1998 and 2002, in 2003, and again from 2006 to 2011. From 2002 to 2006, he was deputy government minister, and from 2006 to 2007 government minister.
Between 2011 and 2019, he was a member of the Social and Economic Council, and also heading DSM.
Nicolaï was born in Delft and died of cancer in Amstelveen, aged 60.
Andrzej Walicki
Andrzej Stanisław Walicki (15 May 1930 – 20 August 2020) was a Polish historian. He was a professor at the University of Notre Dame. He specialized in philosophy. He was one of the scholars who formed the "Warsaw school of the history of ideas".
Walicki was born in Warsaw. He obtained his PhD in 1957, and became a full professor in 1972.
From 1981 to 1986, he worked at the University of Canberra, and from 1986 at University of Notre Dame. In 1998 he won Balzan Prize.
Walicki died in Warsaw on 20 August 2020 at the age of 90.
Aldo Aureggi
Aldo Aureggi (6 October 1931 – 21 August 2020) was an Italian fencer. He won a silver medal in the team foil event at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He was born in Rome.
Aureggi died on 21 August 2020 in Rome, aged 90.
Mohamed Ben Rehaiem
Mohamed Ben Rehaiem (), also known as Hamadi Agrebi () (20 March 1951 – 21 August 2020), was a Tunisian football midfielder. He played for Tunisia in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. He also played for CS Sfaxien. Rehaiem was born in Sfax, Tunisia.
Rehaiem died on 21 August 2020 in Sfax, aged 69.
Manuel Gallardo
Manuel Gallardo Lechet (3 May 1935 – 21 August 2020) was a Spanish actor. He was born in Cardena, Spain. His career began in 1961. His best known roles were as Juan in "A Land for All" (1962), Halaf in "100 Horsemen" (1964) and as Fred in "Saturday, Sunday and Friday" (1979).
Gallardo died on 21 August 2020 in Madrid, aged 85.
Jack Sherman
Jack Sherman (January 18, 1956August 18, 2020) was an American guitarist. He was best known as the second guitarist to have joined Red Hot Chili Peppers. He played on their debut album. He co-wrote much of their second album, "Freaky Styley".
Sherman died on August 18, 2020 at the age of 64.
Tomasz Tomiak