Hitchcock at his sharpest. Art and commerce in a delicious salad with all the right ingredients. A brisk screenplay by Ernest Lehman a Cary Grant that is just pure delight, Eva Marie Saint fresh out of her Oscar from "On the Waterfront" is an icy blonde with a brain. James Mason, the ultimate foreign sinister not to mention Jessie Royce Landis and Hitchcock brings Bernard Herrmann to wrap it all up in one of the most infectious scores imaginable. A real treat.
744 Reviews
Enormously entertaining film from Alfred Hitchcock!
TheLittleSongbird9 June 2009
My favourite director, Alfred Hitchcock has directed many classics like Psycho, Rear Window and Vertigo, and I will say that this deserves to be up there among his best. I absolutely loved it! The best aspect of this movie is the always charming Cary Grant in a brooding and entertaining performance as Roger Thornhill, a man wanted for the murder of a diplomat. Solidly supporting him all the way are the lovely Eva Marie Saint as Eve Kendell and oily James Mason as the villainous Vandamme. They are further advantaged by some excellent camera-work and a wonderfully atmospheric music score. The script is focused and suspenseful, and Hitchcock's direction ensures the film rarely slips, even if some of the complicated plot does fly over people's heads. The climax though is simply the icing on the cake. Overall, a hugely enjoyable film, which I will give a 9.5/10. Bethany Cox
I finally get how great it is: Hitch infuses his wrong-man caper with ironic movie language and reality-be-damned escapism and suspense.
Ben_Cheshire24 July 2004
Its Hitch's most briskly entertaining movie, and one of his most comic, adventure-caper type movies, largely thanks to the persona of Cary Grant. But its also one of his most suspenseful - in the fact that Grant is being recognised as someone else, and that he may be put in jail for someone else's crime.
I've finally come to realise just how great North by Northwest is. The reason you should love Hitchcock is he put entertainment upfront. Hitchcock was not interested in whether this or that would happen in real life: he was interested in what would make the most entertaining scene for the movie. North by Northwest is a peak in this regard. The dialogue and situations intentionally throw reality to the wind - the double-entendre dialogue in the love scenes is not supposed to be the way people talk!
If you said to Hitchcock "as if he'd keep driving" or "as if she'd do that" - he would just laugh at you and say you've missed the point. This is 100% movieland, and once you get used to the fact, and that this is not a fault in the film, but done intentionally, you'll love it. Its expressionistic - everything happens in movie language: the people laughing at Grant in the elevator, the way he keeps driving drunk near the beginning, the way he grabs the knife and everyone stares at him after someone's been stabbed.
It flirts with the idea of identity. I thought it was interesting how Grant first is dismissing, then incredulous that people should be calling him by another name; then, as the tries to find out who this guy is, he enters the hotel room of this new identity, then he puts the suit on, and finally he identifies himself as George Kaplan.
A succession of fantastic, memorable scenes, a great leading man in Grant, and one of Hermann's essential Hitch scores make for a movie i can put on at any time.
10/10
I've finally come to realise just how great North by Northwest is. The reason you should love Hitchcock is he put entertainment upfront. Hitchcock was not interested in whether this or that would happen in real life: he was interested in what would make the most entertaining scene for the movie. North by Northwest is a peak in this regard. The dialogue and situations intentionally throw reality to the wind - the double-entendre dialogue in the love scenes is not supposed to be the way people talk!
If you said to Hitchcock "as if he'd keep driving" or "as if she'd do that" - he would just laugh at you and say you've missed the point. This is 100% movieland, and once you get used to the fact, and that this is not a fault in the film, but done intentionally, you'll love it. Its expressionistic - everything happens in movie language: the people laughing at Grant in the elevator, the way he keeps driving drunk near the beginning, the way he grabs the knife and everyone stares at him after someone's been stabbed.
It flirts with the idea of identity. I thought it was interesting how Grant first is dismissing, then incredulous that people should be calling him by another name; then, as the tries to find out who this guy is, he enters the hotel room of this new identity, then he puts the suit on, and finally he identifies himself as George Kaplan.
A succession of fantastic, memorable scenes, a great leading man in Grant, and one of Hermann's essential Hitch scores make for a movie i can put on at any time.
10/10
What an Action Thriller Should Be.
nycritic11 April 2005
Warning: Spoilers
VERTIGO did nothing to advance Hitchcock's career in 1957 when he released it, and it's actually not a shame: the following year he decided to go completely against the slow-moving erotic thriller genre and do something shamelessly commercial, escapist and single-handedly create the spy movie. Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond novels, states he based his character on the physical characteristics and the suave personality of Cary Grant, as an added note. This could well amount to be the first James Bond film -- a dangerous villain complete with a sidekick, an alluring woman with a dubious nature and an enigmatic "boss," a dashing hero, lush locales setting the scene for powerful chases and escalating danger.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST has one crucial difference to any James Bond film, though: Alfred Hitchcock. While the Bond films have been seen as quintessential action fluff (although fluff of the better kind until the franchise ran out of gas in the 80s), Hitchcock, always the master of subtext as well as suspense, creates memorable scenes that balance sexual tension, sexual innuendo, comedy, and mounting suspense seamlessly. There is never the feeling of being bored as there is too much going on, especially with the sizzling chemistry of Eva Marie Saint and Cary Grant, by now a Hitchcock veteran. When they're on screen, dialog crackles and so much more is said with so little gesture -- she closes the lid on her Ice Goddess role, but gives it a nice, cheeky, knowing wink. He of course evolves from the sort of man who while looking and being slightly clumsy and under his mother's thumb -- once it becomes clear he's been marked and is a target for a sinister plot that only later becomes clear -- becomes more assertive in taking matters into his own hands. A quintessential Hitchcock Everyman, Grant has his stamp all over his role. No one can imagine anyone else running away from that crop duster in one of the movies many standout sequences, or saying the reassuring last words to Eva Marie Saint as they cuddle together in the train. When one thinks of NORTH BY NORTHWEST, one thinks Cary Grant.
Easily one of Hitchcock's best films, made while he was at the peak of his career in the bracket formed with THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and MARNIE. Great supporting performances are all over the map, from Jesse Royce Landis as Grant's mother, James Mason as Phillip Vandamm, Martin Landau as Vandamm's protégée who might be a little more than that, and Leo G Carroll as The Professor. Doreen Lang appears early in the movie as Grant's secretary; she would of course be remembered as the woman who shrieks at Tippi Hedren in THE BIRDS and gets slapped by her as the camera holds itself tight on her face.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST has one crucial difference to any James Bond film, though: Alfred Hitchcock. While the Bond films have been seen as quintessential action fluff (although fluff of the better kind until the franchise ran out of gas in the 80s), Hitchcock, always the master of subtext as well as suspense, creates memorable scenes that balance sexual tension, sexual innuendo, comedy, and mounting suspense seamlessly. There is never the feeling of being bored as there is too much going on, especially with the sizzling chemistry of Eva Marie Saint and Cary Grant, by now a Hitchcock veteran. When they're on screen, dialog crackles and so much more is said with so little gesture -- she closes the lid on her Ice Goddess role, but gives it a nice, cheeky, knowing wink. He of course evolves from the sort of man who while looking and being slightly clumsy and under his mother's thumb -- once it becomes clear he's been marked and is a target for a sinister plot that only later becomes clear -- becomes more assertive in taking matters into his own hands. A quintessential Hitchcock Everyman, Grant has his stamp all over his role. No one can imagine anyone else running away from that crop duster in one of the movies many standout sequences, or saying the reassuring last words to Eva Marie Saint as they cuddle together in the train. When one thinks of NORTH BY NORTHWEST, one thinks Cary Grant.
Easily one of Hitchcock's best films, made while he was at the peak of his career in the bracket formed with THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and MARNIE. Great supporting performances are all over the map, from Jesse Royce Landis as Grant's mother, James Mason as Phillip Vandamm, Martin Landau as Vandamm's protégée who might be a little more than that, and Leo G Carroll as The Professor. Doreen Lang appears early in the movie as Grant's secretary; she would of course be remembered as the woman who shrieks at Tippi Hedren in THE BIRDS and gets slapped by her as the camera holds itself tight on her face.
A perfect film for a rainy, cold October day
JSanicki3 March 2003
I saw this film for the first time when I was a freshman in college as part of an english class I took entitled "writing and the movies". Little did I realize that I would be seeing a film that would stay with me to this day and in essence become one of my all time favorites. Then, a few years ago, I caught it on the big screen at the Fine Arts theater in downtown Chicago. I remember that it was a rainy, cold October day. Perfect weather for a Hitchcock film I thought to myself.
For me, half of the fun of North by Northwest is its incredible story. This film has something for everyone within it: a little comedy, a little romance, great snappy dialogue and more action than any Bruce Willis Die Hard film combined. Hitchcock was a master at this and in North by Northwest he lets his genius shine through totally. It seems to me that whenever I watch it, everyone who made this film from Cary Grant on down had nothing but sheer fun making it. Perhaps my two favorite scenes are the infamous "crop-duster" sequence and the last twenty minutes or so at Mount Rushmore.
I must give special mention to Ernest Lehman who yet again managed to write a screenplay that totally knocks your socks off. How he came up with the idea, I've not a clue, but what an idea it is. The screenplay itself was nominated for an Academy Award that year, but lost to Pillow Talk. North by Northwest was also nominated for Best Set Decoration and Best Film Editing, but lost to Ben-Hur in both categories.
All in all, what a film. If you haven't seein it, do so ASAP. North by Northwest just reinforces my belief that Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest directors of all time. Period.
My rating: 4 stars
For me, half of the fun of North by Northwest is its incredible story. This film has something for everyone within it: a little comedy, a little romance, great snappy dialogue and more action than any Bruce Willis Die Hard film combined. Hitchcock was a master at this and in North by Northwest he lets his genius shine through totally. It seems to me that whenever I watch it, everyone who made this film from Cary Grant on down had nothing but sheer fun making it. Perhaps my two favorite scenes are the infamous "crop-duster" sequence and the last twenty minutes or so at Mount Rushmore.
I must give special mention to Ernest Lehman who yet again managed to write a screenplay that totally knocks your socks off. How he came up with the idea, I've not a clue, but what an idea it is. The screenplay itself was nominated for an Academy Award that year, but lost to Pillow Talk. North by Northwest was also nominated for Best Set Decoration and Best Film Editing, but lost to Ben-Hur in both categories.
All in all, what a film. If you haven't seein it, do so ASAP. North by Northwest just reinforces my belief that Alfred Hitchcock was one of the greatest directors of all time. Period.
My rating: 4 stars
Strangers on a train
jotix10030 October 2005
Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" is one of the best films in his long and distinguished career. Part of the success of the movie lies in the screen play by Ernest Lehman, one of the best writers of that era. Also, the haunting music by Mr. Hitchcock's usual collaborator, Bernard Hermann, adds texture to what we are seeing. Together with all the above mentioned qualities, "North by Northwest" was photographed by Robert Burks and was edited by George Tomasini, both men did outstanding jobs to enhance a film that shows a mature and inspired Alfred Hitchcock.
The film works because of the witty dialog Mr. Lehman wrote. This has to be one of the riskiest projects undertaken by Mr. Hitchcock because of the sexiness Eva Kendall exudes throughout the film and the repartee between her and Roger Thornhill. The film mixes adventure and romance that aren't put ons, as one feels what one's watching to be really happening.
Much has been said in this forum as to the values of this classic, so we shall only add our pleasure in seeing this masterpiece any time it turns on cable. In fact, the film hasn't dated, the way some others of the same period have. The highlights of the film are the sequences involving the crop duster, the train ride to Chicago where Eve and Roger first meet, the auction, and the Mount Rushmore climax.
This is one of the best contributions by Cary Grant to any of his work with the director. Roger Thornhill is one of the best roles Mr. Grant played, during his long career. His chemistry with Eva Marie Saint is perfect. This young actress added class and elegance to the picture. James Mason and Martin Landau played villains convincingly. Jesse Royce Landis, Leo G. Carroll, and the rest of the supporting cast is excellent.
"North by Northwest" is one of Alfred Hitchcock's best crafted films thanks to the brilliant people that came together to work in it.
The film works because of the witty dialog Mr. Lehman wrote. This has to be one of the riskiest projects undertaken by Mr. Hitchcock because of the sexiness Eva Kendall exudes throughout the film and the repartee between her and Roger Thornhill. The film mixes adventure and romance that aren't put ons, as one feels what one's watching to be really happening.
Much has been said in this forum as to the values of this classic, so we shall only add our pleasure in seeing this masterpiece any time it turns on cable. In fact, the film hasn't dated, the way some others of the same period have. The highlights of the film are the sequences involving the crop duster, the train ride to Chicago where Eve and Roger first meet, the auction, and the Mount Rushmore climax.
This is one of the best contributions by Cary Grant to any of his work with the director. Roger Thornhill is one of the best roles Mr. Grant played, during his long career. His chemistry with Eva Marie Saint is perfect. This young actress added class and elegance to the picture. James Mason and Martin Landau played villains convincingly. Jesse Royce Landis, Leo G. Carroll, and the rest of the supporting cast is excellent.
"North by Northwest" is one of Alfred Hitchcock's best crafted films thanks to the brilliant people that came together to work in it.
Top-notch suspense /adventure film still looks great after 40 years!
movieman925 December 2000
For Christmas this year, I received my first to-own DVD: Hitchcock's classic, NORTH BY NORTHWEST. After over 40 years, this rip-racing adventure-thriller still packs a punch and looks great on widescreen. This movie came along during a renaissance period for the Old Master, between masterpieces like VERTIGO and PSYCHO, but this excursion into the world of suspense is so different from anything else Hitchcock had created up to that point. Never did he challenge our endurance to keep still in our seats for such a long period of time, and yet the film's 135 minutes go by so fast it could only be explained by movie magic itself.
Cary Grant is one of those actors that a filmgoer either falls in love with or deeply envies. His debonair manner is displayed to the full in this film, even though the peril that his character goes through would cause any normal dude to break into a maddening sweat. The dialogue Roger Thornhill delivers alongside Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) in this film is sometimes too hilarious to be true, but wouldn't any woman fall for it? (I'm merely guessing here) Ernest Lehman's screenplay is so lighthearted and yet very ominous. With all the traps and pitfalls Grant goes through in this film, you would have to find comedy in it. Grant does and to great appeal. I absolutely love the sequence at the auction when Roger tries to get himself arrested by yelling out flaky bids and accusing the auctioneer of selling junk worth no more than $8. I also admire the scenes with Saint on the train to Chicago; I was tempted to jot down some of his pick-up lines, but then I realized it's just a movie (or is it?)
Hitchcock was famous throughout his career of setting up death-defying sequences with major landmarks as backdrops. Here, Mount Rushmore will never be looked at the same again afterwards. We may never enter the United Nations again without peering behind our backs for a notorious knife-thrower. And, I dare say, I will never walk alongside a highway where a cropduster could swoop at any minute. I love the line during the Rushmore incident when Grant says his two ex-wives left him because he lived too dull a life. Go figure!
It has been said that Hitchcock's many films each contain a personal side of the director inside them. The archetypes of the Master of Suspense are here amid the chasing and running across the U.S. The mysterious blonde, played to a tee by Eva Marie Saint, is a common fixture of many Hitchcock jaunts. Saint joins Grace Kelly and Tippi Hedren in this feature. The protagonist is again awkward when faced with the opposite sex, but unusually casual when wrapped up in danger. The hero has an attachment to his mother, continually under his nurturing wing. And of course, the macguffin has fun with us again (government secrets my foot!)
Whenever I see action-packed epics today like "The Fugitive" or the James Bond series, they all seem to quiver in comparison to this film. It amazes me that Hitchcock is able to hold the audience in the palm of his hand throughout the whole length of the journey. We become Grant as he runs away from the police and the secret agents who have chosen him as their dupe. But throughout the squabble, we sense that Grant is getting off on the whole jaunt, just as we want the chase to continue, not looking at our watches for a minute. However, it's fascinating to note that Roger Thornhill is not a born adventurer, nor is he an archeologist with a flair for escaping impossible situations. We are experiencing the Cary Grant in all of us, running away from an enemy we do not know they are or what they want. Is this symbolism of some kind? I say who cares; just watch the film and have fun!
Cary Grant is one of those actors that a filmgoer either falls in love with or deeply envies. His debonair manner is displayed to the full in this film, even though the peril that his character goes through would cause any normal dude to break into a maddening sweat. The dialogue Roger Thornhill delivers alongside Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) in this film is sometimes too hilarious to be true, but wouldn't any woman fall for it? (I'm merely guessing here) Ernest Lehman's screenplay is so lighthearted and yet very ominous. With all the traps and pitfalls Grant goes through in this film, you would have to find comedy in it. Grant does and to great appeal. I absolutely love the sequence at the auction when Roger tries to get himself arrested by yelling out flaky bids and accusing the auctioneer of selling junk worth no more than $8. I also admire the scenes with Saint on the train to Chicago; I was tempted to jot down some of his pick-up lines, but then I realized it's just a movie (or is it?)
Hitchcock was famous throughout his career of setting up death-defying sequences with major landmarks as backdrops. Here, Mount Rushmore will never be looked at the same again afterwards. We may never enter the United Nations again without peering behind our backs for a notorious knife-thrower. And, I dare say, I will never walk alongside a highway where a cropduster could swoop at any minute. I love the line during the Rushmore incident when Grant says his two ex-wives left him because he lived too dull a life. Go figure!
It has been said that Hitchcock's many films each contain a personal side of the director inside them. The archetypes of the Master of Suspense are here amid the chasing and running across the U.S. The mysterious blonde, played to a tee by Eva Marie Saint, is a common fixture of many Hitchcock jaunts. Saint joins Grace Kelly and Tippi Hedren in this feature. The protagonist is again awkward when faced with the opposite sex, but unusually casual when wrapped up in danger. The hero has an attachment to his mother, continually under his nurturing wing. And of course, the macguffin has fun with us again (government secrets my foot!)
Whenever I see action-packed epics today like "The Fugitive" or the James Bond series, they all seem to quiver in comparison to this film. It amazes me that Hitchcock is able to hold the audience in the palm of his hand throughout the whole length of the journey. We become Grant as he runs away from the police and the secret agents who have chosen him as their dupe. But throughout the squabble, we sense that Grant is getting off on the whole jaunt, just as we want the chase to continue, not looking at our watches for a minute. However, it's fascinating to note that Roger Thornhill is not a born adventurer, nor is he an archeologist with a flair for escaping impossible situations. We are experiencing the Cary Grant in all of us, running away from an enemy we do not know they are or what they want. Is this symbolism of some kind? I say who cares; just watch the film and have fun!
A towering achievement.
ags12323 April 2008
This is Hitchcock's best film quite an accomplishment, considering how many great films he created. And after half a century, "North By Northwest" holds up beautifully. This film has it all: suspense, glamour, humor, and images that capture the imagination and remain etched in memory. The legendary crop-dusting sequence alone is a master class in the art of pure cinema. Like the rest of the film, it's brilliantly conceived and brilliantly executed. All the elements come together to produce the finest form of entertainment. Bernard Herrmann's frantic fandango captures the complexity and pace of the action. Ernest Lehman's script is full of sophisticated dialogue. Performances are spot on. Has Cary Grant ever been more engaging? Is James Mason the ultimate in charming villains? And Eva Marie Saint's allure is multi-faceted. Movies just don't get better than this.
Superb Hitchcock Thriller!
bsmith555220 October 2001
"North By Northwest" is another of Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers where an ordinary man is put into an extraordinary situation. As in most of these movies, the hero has to quickly adapt to his situation or perish.
This time it is Cary Grant who is thrust into a world of international intrigue when is mistaken by villain James Mason for an American operative named George Kaplan (the film's "McGuffan" by the way). Along the way he is seduced by Mason's mistress (Eva Marie Saint) while being pursued by Mason and his cronies from New York to Chicago to South Dakota and ultimately to Mount Rushmore for the film's climax.
"North By Northwest" is full of classic Hitchcock moments. First,there is Grant's frustration and fear as he tries to explain to Mason that he is not the person they are seeking. Next, the scene in the cornfield where Grant is isolated and attacked by a plane is pure Hitchcock. Then we have the art auction where he cleverly escapes Mason's henchmen and finally, the finale at Mount Rushmore in a scene reminiscent of a similar one in "Sabotage" (1942) (which took place at the top of the Statue of Liberty).
The cast, as in most Hitchcock films is excellent. Grant is understandably confused and frightened as the the hero, Eva Marie Saint has never been sexier as the femme fatale, James Mason is suave and sinister as the villain and Martin Landau in an early role, is good as Mason's chief henchman. Hitchcock regular Leo G. Carroll is cold heartedly sinister as the "professor". Jesse Royce Landis as Grant's mother (she was about Grant's real age) is wasted and unnecessary to the plot.
The only problem that I have with this and other Hitchcock films is his over reliance on back projection and soundstage "exteriors". Other than that. "North By Northwest" has to be considered as one of Hitchcock's best. Watch for Hitchcock's hilarious cameo appearance at the end of the opening credits.
This time it is Cary Grant who is thrust into a world of international intrigue when is mistaken by villain James Mason for an American operative named George Kaplan (the film's "McGuffan" by the way). Along the way he is seduced by Mason's mistress (Eva Marie Saint) while being pursued by Mason and his cronies from New York to Chicago to South Dakota and ultimately to Mount Rushmore for the film's climax.
"North By Northwest" is full of classic Hitchcock moments. First,there is Grant's frustration and fear as he tries to explain to Mason that he is not the person they are seeking. Next, the scene in the cornfield where Grant is isolated and attacked by a plane is pure Hitchcock. Then we have the art auction where he cleverly escapes Mason's henchmen and finally, the finale at Mount Rushmore in a scene reminiscent of a similar one in "Sabotage" (1942) (which took place at the top of the Statue of Liberty).
The cast, as in most Hitchcock films is excellent. Grant is understandably confused and frightened as the the hero, Eva Marie Saint has never been sexier as the femme fatale, James Mason is suave and sinister as the villain and Martin Landau in an early role, is good as Mason's chief henchman. Hitchcock regular Leo G. Carroll is cold heartedly sinister as the "professor". Jesse Royce Landis as Grant's mother (she was about Grant's real age) is wasted and unnecessary to the plot.
The only problem that I have with this and other Hitchcock films is his over reliance on back projection and soundstage "exteriors". Other than that. "North By Northwest" has to be considered as one of Hitchcock's best. Watch for Hitchcock's hilarious cameo appearance at the end of the opening credits.
"That wasn't very sporting, using real bullets."
Nazi_Fighter_David12 January 2009
Cary Grant handles the twisted expressions of his face, his astonished look, his impulsive smile with professional self-assurance and charm while taking us right in the middle of confusion on a breathless 2000-mile cross-country chase which has its gripping showdown across the giant faces of the presidents sculptured on Mount Rushmore high above Rapid City, South Dakota
Grant plays Roger Thornhill, a stylish publicist, mistaken for a fictitious Federal agent, plunged into a world of crime and intrigue, hunted down by villains who want to eliminate him because he seems to be on their dishonest dealings
When questioned by bland Phillip Vandamm (James Mason), Thornhill is unable to convince him that he is a victim of a mistaken identity His three thugs fill him with bourbon, and place him in a stolen car expecting him to have a drunken accident After narrowly escaping death, no one believes his story including, obviously, his skeptical mother (Jessie Royce Landis).
In an effort to discover the agent he is being confused with, and using the clues he collected, Thornhill returns to the United Nations Headquarter looking for George Kaplan There, somebody falls into his arms and unthinkingly, Thornhill draws the blade out of the victim's back and is photographed holding the weapon in mid-air And thus became a fugitive from justice, pursued by the cops and had to skip by boarding a train to Chicago
While on the run, he is caught by a provocative platinum blonde (Eva Marie Saint), who comes out as a glamorous woman and a delightful charmer
James Mason, a polished mastermind spy showed too well to be threatening... His menacing henchman, Martin Landau is also convincingly hurtful...
In his fifth Hitchcock picture, Leo G. Carroll is suave and calm as the devoted intelligence chief
Directed by a genius behind the camera, "North By Northwest" remains a genuinely exciting film for the dangerous world of spies and counterspies
Grant plays Roger Thornhill, a stylish publicist, mistaken for a fictitious Federal agent, plunged into a world of crime and intrigue, hunted down by villains who want to eliminate him because he seems to be on their dishonest dealings
When questioned by bland Phillip Vandamm (James Mason), Thornhill is unable to convince him that he is a victim of a mistaken identity His three thugs fill him with bourbon, and place him in a stolen car expecting him to have a drunken accident After narrowly escaping death, no one believes his story including, obviously, his skeptical mother (Jessie Royce Landis).
In an effort to discover the agent he is being confused with, and using the clues he collected, Thornhill returns to the United Nations Headquarter looking for George Kaplan There, somebody falls into his arms and unthinkingly, Thornhill draws the blade out of the victim's back and is photographed holding the weapon in mid-air And thus became a fugitive from justice, pursued by the cops and had to skip by boarding a train to Chicago
While on the run, he is caught by a provocative platinum blonde (Eva Marie Saint), who comes out as a glamorous woman and a delightful charmer
James Mason, a polished mastermind spy showed too well to be threatening... His menacing henchman, Martin Landau is also convincingly hurtful...
In his fifth Hitchcock picture, Leo G. Carroll is suave and calm as the devoted intelligence chief
Directed by a genius behind the camera, "North By Northwest" remains a genuinely exciting film for the dangerous world of spies and counterspies
Okay....But It Seemed A Lot Better When I Was A Kid
ccthemovieman-19 April 2006
When I started collecting videos in earnest (by the thousands), I was excited to get this film. I had such fond remembrances of seeing it on the big screen when I was young teen. I remember being terrified when Cary Grant was being chased by the crop duster and then awed at the end with the climactic scene on Mount Rushmore. I saw it maybe a decade or so later on television and enjoyed it again.
Well, seeing the film again five years ago on DVD as a 50-something-year-old turned out to be a major disappointment, mainly because the first hour was so boring. The beginning had scenes that looked too dated and worse, were drawn out too long, such as Grant's drunk scene and the romance between he and Eva Marie Saint.
Once Grant goes on the run, the story improves noticeably and mixing in some comedy with the drama was a good move. From that point, it's still the fun film I had remembered but, overall, didn't have the suspense anymore and, to this day, I believe is an overrated Alfred Hitchcock film. The more I see of Hitch's old films, the more disappointed I am, with the exception of Psycho and Rear Window.
Well, seeing the film again five years ago on DVD as a 50-something-year-old turned out to be a major disappointment, mainly because the first hour was so boring. The beginning had scenes that looked too dated and worse, were drawn out too long, such as Grant's drunk scene and the romance between he and Eva Marie Saint.
Once Grant goes on the run, the story improves noticeably and mixing in some comedy with the drama was a good move. From that point, it's still the fun film I had remembered but, overall, didn't have the suspense anymore and, to this day, I believe is an overrated Alfred Hitchcock film. The more I see of Hitch's old films, the more disappointed I am, with the exception of Psycho and Rear Window.
Hitchcock best movie
randalgraves-2659910 December 2020
Boring and Overated
sokratistoumpoulidis11 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Saw this film today on 11-4-2023 and expected it to be a fine thriller Hitchcock movie. Instead I found out that it was a boring, with a non interesting plot movie. I believe that there are a lot of scenes where even a child would think are ridiculous. The affair between the two main characters is tiring throughout the film, the bad guys could have solved their issues at least 10 times in the movie, the sarcastic Cary Grant makes the thriller to feel like a comedy, and a lot of the action scenes are unrealistic. I don't know how so many people think that this movie is a 9 or a 10,but it did not work for me. I made it until the end, where a plot twist would be expected but boredom was present even there. That's all folks, don't hate me, I just don't think this is what mystery/thrillers should be at their best.
absolutely unbelievable
writtenbymkm-583-90209713 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILER ALERT, please do not read this unless you've seen the movie. Let me assure all you Hitchcock lovers that I also love Hitchcock. Some of my favorite thrillers are Psycho, Rear Window, and Family Plot. I realize you have to "suspend your disbelief" to a certain extent. But I found most of the story in North by Northwest absolutely unbelievable. Spoilers follow. I don't understand why the bad guys jumped to the conclusion that Cary Grant was the spy they were after, a spy they'd never even seen. I don't understand why Cary Grant didn't just start yelling and screaming as they abducted him in front of a big crowd of people. I don't understand why the bad guys decided to kill him, not by merely shooting him, but by bothering to force booze down his throat and putting him behind the wheel of a car, or how he was able to drive at all (rather than passing out). I don't understand why the police didn't find out whose house it was (the U.N. diplomat) and then wonder why anyone was there. I don't understand how the blonde knew which train Cary Grant would take, how she knew who he was (so she could pay someone to have him seated at her table in the club car), and why she helped him at all. I don't understand how a large crowd could witness a diplomat being stabbed by someone throwing a knife, then conclude that Cary Grant did it, or why Cary Grant (the ultimate stupidity) would pull the knife out of the diplomat's back and hold it up for everyone to see. Or why, once he was a hunted man, he did absolutely nothing to alter his physical appearance. I don't understand (skipping forward a bit to shorten my review) why the blonde sent Cary Grant to what should've been his certain death, and why, when he survived and saw her again, it didn't even bother him. I don't understand why the bad guys used such an absurdly contrived means of attempting to kill him again, having a crop duster fly at him, instead of (again) just shooting him. I don't understand why the crop duster pilot couldn't avoid flying his plane into a truck. I don't understand why the bad guys were hanging out in an open house that anyone could get into. And I don't understand how Cary Grant and the blonde (or anyone else) could possibly cling to the monuments with nothing but their bare hands and not fall to their deaths. So, with apologies to everyone who ate this up and loved it, I couldn't believe or understand any of these things.
One of my absolute favourites!
barnabyrudge15 January 2003
North by Northwest will need no introduction to most movie-goers. It's a classic, greatly admired by audiences and critics alike. The story about a befuddled ad-executive fleeing from spies and the police (the spies want him dead because he knows of their plot, the police want him captured because they think he's behind a murder) is done at a breakneck pace and deals with Hitchcock's most frequently used theme: an innocent man on the run.
Cary Grant is urbane and smooth as the hero. James Mason oozes silky menace as the principal villain (Martin Landau also plays a villain, giving his character a seriously nasty toughness). Eva Marie Saint is simply fabulous as the woman whose loyalties seems torn between good and bad.
The set pieces are rightly considered to be moments of cinematic genius. Grant's escape from a crop-duster; the fight atop Mount Rushmore; the auction house bluff; the drunken car journey; the murder at the UN building.... each scene is brilliantly devised by script writer Ernest Lehmann and just as brilliantly filmed by director Hitchcock. Everyone should see this movie... it's a masterpiece.
Cary Grant is urbane and smooth as the hero. James Mason oozes silky menace as the principal villain (Martin Landau also plays a villain, giving his character a seriously nasty toughness). Eva Marie Saint is simply fabulous as the woman whose loyalties seems torn between good and bad.
The set pieces are rightly considered to be moments of cinematic genius. Grant's escape from a crop-duster; the fight atop Mount Rushmore; the auction house bluff; the drunken car journey; the murder at the UN building.... each scene is brilliantly devised by script writer Ernest Lehmann and just as brilliantly filmed by director Hitchcock. Everyone should see this movie... it's a masterpiece.
Smoke and mirrors, without apologies
slokes10 November 2003
Warning: Spoilers
The one famous gaffe people point out in this film is when a small boy can be seen plugging his ears just before Eva Marie Saint brings her café conversation with Cary Grant to a sudden end. Another gaffe, just as egregious and apparent but not nearly as commented on, is when Cary and Eva, clutching an incriminating statute, are rock-climbing around a quartet of famous presidential heads until a bad guy suddenly appears and leaps upon him. Whereupon the surprised, backward-falling Cary has the presence of mind to hand the statute to Eva, who takes his from him whilst in mid-scream. Do me a favor and read that last sentence again. What director today would allow such a scene past the editing room?
But it just doesn't matter: IMDB voters at this writing have placed the 44-year-old `North By Northwest' ahead of all but 18 movies ever made, including 14 which have nothing to do with Frodo Baggins or Darth Vader. That's pretty damn impressive. What the hell were they thinking? The only Hitchcock movie they rate higher is "Rear Window;" I can think of at least seven or eight Hitchcocks I'd rank over "North By Northwest." [None of them are "Rear Window."]
The truth is this film is so popular because it is so good. Not great, but very, very good, in a way that anticipates a lot of the direction of mass entertainment to come and thus speaks to people in a way `Vertigo' or `Strangers On A Train' do not. People talk about how forward thinking "Psycho" is, and it is, but more directors took note of the just-as-clever-but-more-mainstream approach of "North By Northwest." The last four decade have been chock full of flicks serving up suspense, sex, changing locales, and plot twists that play with viewers' expectations, all the while keeping the laughs coming. It's not like "North By Northwest" invented this formula, but it perfected and distilled it into an essence that is imitated, with varying success, to this day.
Cary Grant plays slick adman Roger Thornhill, who gets mistaken for a fugitive named Kaplan and finds himself on the run from a slew of bad guys, led by James Mason at his smug and oily peak as Vandamme. Martin Landau makes his first memorable appearance as Mason's nastiest henchman Leonard (1959 was good to him, as "Plan Nine From Outer Space" premiered that year as well), suspicious, ruthless, and probably gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it was 1959 and that was a little daring.
Daring also is Eva Marie Saint's Eve Kendall, a woman who uses sex, as Thornhill puts it, "the way some people use a flyswatter." Her repartee with Thornhill shows just how erotic two people just talking to each other can be. It also provides further evidence Hitchcock's writers didn't go out on many dates. (Kendall: "I'm a big girl." Thornhill: "Yeah, and in all the right places." And she KISSES him for it!)
The film does chug slowly at the outset, building suspense but also bugging you a bit as the plot gears grind while Thornhill is being pushed through his early paces, right until his moment at the UN. About the time we find ourselves with Thornhill in the cornfield, the picture starts to pick up a serious head of steam, and never loses it all the way to the final, famous tunnel shot. Actually, I like the penultimate scene between Grant and Saint, an elegant and witty way of resolving that most tried-and-true device, the cliffhanger.
As with most of Hitchcock's 50s fare, elegance is behind much of what makes this movie so great. `North By Northwest' manifests an elegance in dress, decor, language, music, and lighting that represents the best of its era while giving the picture a timeless character all the same. Hitchcock's camera movements are very subtle yet brilliant, as during Mason's entrance and Grant's hide-and-seek game around the train. Everyone has perfect hair, lounges about in gowns and jackets, and you never think it should be otherwise.
Grant isn't my favorite actor, but he's smooth enough for the central role when he's not doing that bad Foster Brooks impression behind the wheel of the car. [I docked the movie one point just for that.] His best scene may be at the auction, though he projects real fear in the cornfield. Saint is simply splendid, nailing every line as she walks a tightrope and plays her character's motives close to her décolletage. Hitchcock seemed to lose his ability to direct female actors, and not merely bask in them, with the advent of color, but Saint is one blonde bombshell that gives us a sense of brains and personality behind her mystery.
There's logic gaps in this movie, and bad process shots, but it's an amazing ride all the same, more amazing because it's done with smoke and mirrors and without apologies. You ask the questions and figure out the loopholes only after you walk away, because the movie doesn't let you up much while you are watching it. Hitchcock made other, more challenging movies that attested to his rare vision as an artist, but this is maybe his purest exercise in the craft of good filmmaking. That's why `North By Northwest' has remained so high in people's estimations. Whatever the errors, it's hard not feeling good about that.
But it just doesn't matter: IMDB voters at this writing have placed the 44-year-old `North By Northwest' ahead of all but 18 movies ever made, including 14 which have nothing to do with Frodo Baggins or Darth Vader. That's pretty damn impressive. What the hell were they thinking? The only Hitchcock movie they rate higher is "Rear Window;" I can think of at least seven or eight Hitchcocks I'd rank over "North By Northwest." [None of them are "Rear Window."]
The truth is this film is so popular because it is so good. Not great, but very, very good, in a way that anticipates a lot of the direction of mass entertainment to come and thus speaks to people in a way `Vertigo' or `Strangers On A Train' do not. People talk about how forward thinking "Psycho" is, and it is, but more directors took note of the just-as-clever-but-more-mainstream approach of "North By Northwest." The last four decade have been chock full of flicks serving up suspense, sex, changing locales, and plot twists that play with viewers' expectations, all the while keeping the laughs coming. It's not like "North By Northwest" invented this formula, but it perfected and distilled it into an essence that is imitated, with varying success, to this day.
Cary Grant plays slick adman Roger Thornhill, who gets mistaken for a fugitive named Kaplan and finds himself on the run from a slew of bad guys, led by James Mason at his smug and oily peak as Vandamme. Martin Landau makes his first memorable appearance as Mason's nastiest henchman Leonard (1959 was good to him, as "Plan Nine From Outer Space" premiered that year as well), suspicious, ruthless, and probably gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it was 1959 and that was a little daring.
Daring also is Eva Marie Saint's Eve Kendall, a woman who uses sex, as Thornhill puts it, "the way some people use a flyswatter." Her repartee with Thornhill shows just how erotic two people just talking to each other can be. It also provides further evidence Hitchcock's writers didn't go out on many dates. (Kendall: "I'm a big girl." Thornhill: "Yeah, and in all the right places." And she KISSES him for it!)
The film does chug slowly at the outset, building suspense but also bugging you a bit as the plot gears grind while Thornhill is being pushed through his early paces, right until his moment at the UN. About the time we find ourselves with Thornhill in the cornfield, the picture starts to pick up a serious head of steam, and never loses it all the way to the final, famous tunnel shot. Actually, I like the penultimate scene between Grant and Saint, an elegant and witty way of resolving that most tried-and-true device, the cliffhanger.
As with most of Hitchcock's 50s fare, elegance is behind much of what makes this movie so great. `North By Northwest' manifests an elegance in dress, decor, language, music, and lighting that represents the best of its era while giving the picture a timeless character all the same. Hitchcock's camera movements are very subtle yet brilliant, as during Mason's entrance and Grant's hide-and-seek game around the train. Everyone has perfect hair, lounges about in gowns and jackets, and you never think it should be otherwise.
Grant isn't my favorite actor, but he's smooth enough for the central role when he's not doing that bad Foster Brooks impression behind the wheel of the car. [I docked the movie one point just for that.] His best scene may be at the auction, though he projects real fear in the cornfield. Saint is simply splendid, nailing every line as she walks a tightrope and plays her character's motives close to her décolletage. Hitchcock seemed to lose his ability to direct female actors, and not merely bask in them, with the advent of color, but Saint is one blonde bombshell that gives us a sense of brains and personality behind her mystery.
There's logic gaps in this movie, and bad process shots, but it's an amazing ride all the same, more amazing because it's done with smoke and mirrors and without apologies. You ask the questions and figure out the loopholes only after you walk away, because the movie doesn't let you up much while you are watching it. Hitchcock made other, more challenging movies that attested to his rare vision as an artist, but this is maybe his purest exercise in the craft of good filmmaking. That's why `North By Northwest' has remained so high in people's estimations. Whatever the errors, it's hard not feeling good about that.
From The Master of Suspense Came the Daddy of the Modern Adventure Thrillers
dtb7 February 2004
Many feel this is Alfred Hitchcock's greatest American movie, and I agree! NORTH BY NORTHWEST is the Hitchcock film to end all Hitch films, with all his pet themes covered with maximum wit, panache, and suspense, as well as a romance between Cary Grant and a soignée Eva Marie Saint that's as tender as it is sexy. Grant has never been more engaging and dashing (literally and figuratively :-), though the smoothly villainous James Mason nearly out-suaves him. My husband and I have joked that if Mason had played Thornhill, the film would have been over in mere moments. With all due respect to Grant, if the imperious, unshakably confident Mason asked the Glen Cove police, "Do you honestly believe that this happened the way you think it did?" they would immediately reply, "No, sir, you must be right, you're free to go, sorry we bothered you." :-) Also boasts a great early performance by a reptilian young Martin Landau as Mason's possessive henchman, as well as one of Oscar nominee Ernest Lehman's best screenplays (in fact, he borrowed liberally from it for his script for the film version of THE PRIZE starring Paul Newman) and one of Bernard Herrmann's finest scores. Anybody who wants to write or direct a chase thriller should watch NORTH BY NORTHWEST first to see how it's done!
Hitchcock keeps popping out the classics...
Gmanol0114 November 2001
When you thought that he's all out of ideas and last minute rescues, Hitchcock comes back with more eye candy and great action. North by Northwest is sometimes called Hitchcock's last great film. Carey Grant and Eva Marie Saint have very good chemistry and the inclusion of not one, not two, not three, but severa plot twists makes this film one of Hitchcock's best.
One thing not focused on in this film is the use of camera angles. When Roger is taken to make the telegram, the camera slides from a foreground view of Roger's lunch buddies, to the two standing men in a background view. Also, when Roger awaits George Kaplan in the field, there is a great establishing shot of Roger where there is total silence and calm until the eerie plane is spotted. One last camera technique that Hitchcock perfected was when, in the final moments of the Mount Rushmore chase, Roger Thornhill and Eve Kendall were saved by the sniper. The body of the person shot was shown and then a tilt up to the sniper showed the detectives. Little snipets like these were just a few things Hitchcock did well.
Overall, this movie was one of the best I've seen ever. For a 1950s movie, it is ahead of it's time and paved the way for future films to imitate many of the innovations that the flick brought to the screen. Go out and see this movie!
One thing not focused on in this film is the use of camera angles. When Roger is taken to make the telegram, the camera slides from a foreground view of Roger's lunch buddies, to the two standing men in a background view. Also, when Roger awaits George Kaplan in the field, there is a great establishing shot of Roger where there is total silence and calm until the eerie plane is spotted. One last camera technique that Hitchcock perfected was when, in the final moments of the Mount Rushmore chase, Roger Thornhill and Eve Kendall were saved by the sniper. The body of the person shot was shown and then a tilt up to the sniper showed the detectives. Little snipets like these were just a few things Hitchcock did well.
Overall, this movie was one of the best I've seen ever. For a 1950s movie, it is ahead of it's time and paved the way for future films to imitate many of the innovations that the flick brought to the screen. Go out and see this movie!
Great script and Hitchcock's genius direction makes this film interesting even today
johnny-0830 May 2008
Today, when technology is getting advanced by every new day, movie scenes like the one on Mount Rushmore in "North by Northwest" looks very funny, but I must admit that this movie is great even from todays perception. One of Alfred Hitchcock's best movies has his favorite actor Cary Grant in it, blonde girl Eva Marie Saint and excellent actors like James Mason & Martin Landau. So to say long story short; I enjoyed in this movie and I'm 'only' 19 years old (this movie was made almost 50 years ago!!!). Why? Because of great scenes coming from genius Alfred Hitchcock, brilliant script that makes this movie a great thriller, with twists, good performances and some comedic parts (coming from Cary Grant and Jessie Royce Landis). So if you have opportunity, watch this movie cause it's a classic.
Hitchcock can do action!
tonypeacock-130 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Excellent Alfred Hitchcock film that really is ahead of its time. I say that in several respects which I will allude to.
The film from 1959 is about an innocent man (Cary Grant as Roger Thornhill). Thornhill gets mistaken for a U.S. secret agent in a chase across the country that involves scenes of death, amazing action sequences of suspense and the love of an attractive female. I've heard of Cary Grant of course but I admit to never seeing any of his many films. He immediately reminded me of Sir. Roger Moore with his suave demeanour, one liners whilst under pressure and getting the girl.
Hitchcock films are of course well known for their technical wizardry. North By Northwest doesn't disappoint in this respect. Simple scenes of cars and the interior of train carriages filmed in the studio look realistic long before CGI ever existed.
The film has several dramatic action sequences that wouldn't have looked out of place in a modern spy film. I'm thinking of a chase sequence whilst being followed by an overhead crop duster and scenes in Mount Rushmore. The film has comedic moments intertwined with scenes of murder.
Look out for Thornhill acting the fool at an auction. I never expected to be as entertained by such an old film.
The film from 1959 is about an innocent man (Cary Grant as Roger Thornhill). Thornhill gets mistaken for a U.S. secret agent in a chase across the country that involves scenes of death, amazing action sequences of suspense and the love of an attractive female. I've heard of Cary Grant of course but I admit to never seeing any of his many films. He immediately reminded me of Sir. Roger Moore with his suave demeanour, one liners whilst under pressure and getting the girl.
Hitchcock films are of course well known for their technical wizardry. North By Northwest doesn't disappoint in this respect. Simple scenes of cars and the interior of train carriages filmed in the studio look realistic long before CGI ever existed.
The film has several dramatic action sequences that wouldn't have looked out of place in a modern spy film. I'm thinking of a chase sequence whilst being followed by an overhead crop duster and scenes in Mount Rushmore. The film has comedic moments intertwined with scenes of murder.
Look out for Thornhill acting the fool at an auction. I never expected to be as entertained by such an old film.
They said I led too dull a life.
SendiTolver12 September 2018
One can argue about is 'North by Northwest' the best movie in the long list of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpieces, but it is definitely his most entertaining one. Escapist and unrealistic, sure, but all the characters, their motivations, actions and events depicted on the screen are believable in their own universe that Hitchcock directed based on Ernest Lehman's screenplay. The dialogue is witty and filled with amusing innuendos, and although it might seem that it is all game for the characters, the imminent threat is always present, and doesn't give the viewer (or the characters) too much time to rest from head spinning action. One aspect that is truly amazing (especially for a film like this) is that none of the characters were irritating, especially those who were totally ignorant for the obvious - the police officers and main character's mother (Jessie Royce Landis - what a wonderful performance), who didn't take seriously one single word that Roger Thornhill said about his situation.
Cary Grant, who mostly played himself in his later movies (he did that wonderfully, I might add), gives one of his best performances as Roger Thornhill, a man who is mistaken as government agent and later falsely accused of crime he didn't commit. Eva Marie Saint equally shines as Eve Kendall, a woman whose intentions are unclear. Chemistry between the two leads make the screen sizzle (take that implication how you want) and it is pure enjoyment to watch these two playfully overcome all threats and obstacles. James Mason is perfectly intelligent as the lead villain and Martin Landau as his cruel and cold right hand.
Not many movies can be so easy going and edge on your seat entertainment at the same time, and with such perfection. Timeless classic that has aged graciously without any wrinkles.
Cary Grant, who mostly played himself in his later movies (he did that wonderfully, I might add), gives one of his best performances as Roger Thornhill, a man who is mistaken as government agent and later falsely accused of crime he didn't commit. Eva Marie Saint equally shines as Eve Kendall, a woman whose intentions are unclear. Chemistry between the two leads make the screen sizzle (take that implication how you want) and it is pure enjoyment to watch these two playfully overcome all threats and obstacles. James Mason is perfectly intelligent as the lead villain and Martin Landau as his cruel and cold right hand.
Not many movies can be so easy going and edge on your seat entertainment at the same time, and with such perfection. Timeless classic that has aged graciously without any wrinkles.
"A little more polished than the others... but I'm afraid just as obvious."
The_Movie_Cat5 February 2001
Warning: Spoilers
WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS
One of the better efforts from Alfred Hitchcock, a man who directed extremely well but generally chose substandard material.
There's a frightening lack of innovation on display here. There are the usual aerial shots, and some panning upwards, though nothing as groundbreaking as forward zoom/reverse tracking. Though as with Psycho, this is a film that doesn't need any such gimmickry.
The humour involved in any Hitchcock endeavour his English sense of detached irony meeting the players' American Vaudevillian jars as usual, though Cary Grant does better than most with some witty lines. It starts almost like a comic version of The Trial, with Grant caught in a fight for his life and with reasons he can't fathom. Things soon touch on vague Vertigo territory, with a "meet a duplicitous woman in a hotel room" sequence. By the end, though, the whole thing has been wrapped up as one of the director's ultimately straightest and therefore most accessible works.
Occasionally, the dialogue is a little trite "War is Hell, Mr.Thornhill, even when it's a cold one" though generally the script is quite snappy and sharp for this kind of thing. The shorthand characterisation is exemplified by Grant saying to Eva Marie Saint: "The moment I meet an attractive woman I have to start pretending I have no desire to make love to her." Wouldn't it be great if lines like that worked in real life? They don't, I've tried it. Worst scene is the crushingly bad exposition where the FBI discusses the plot. "Our non-existent decoy, George Kaplan, created to divert suspicion from our actual agent." All the people in the room knew about this event, so why does the Professor (Leo G. Carroll, not a good performance) need to describe it, and the elaborate movements for the ruse? Okay, it's to relay the information to the viewers, we all know that, but it's so badly done. The only high point is that before the Professor starts this clumsy dialogue sequence his shoe squeaks on the floor and it sounds like he's just broken wind. Maybe that was Hitchcock's sly comment on the script? The situation is also redeemed slightly by having the Professor later explain the plot to Grant... only to have it drowned out for the viewers by the sound of an aeroplane. The revelation of the microfilm in the statue is also delivered less than plausibly, though this again may be Hitchcock's lazy sense of humour. Avoid the need for screen realism by presenting it as a joke.
Yet despite these problems, it still largely stands up, though it's always a shock to see black actors cast only as porters or auction menials. The colour is also washed-out, and the use of filmed and scenic backdrops more than a little obvious. Though mere technicalities shouldn't prevent enjoyment of a reasonably fast-paced plot, and it does contain a passable recreation of Mount Rushmore on it's $4 million budget. This is a film that's over forty years old, after all. The crop duster attack is a sequence that has been ripped off/homaged in more films and television than can be counted, an infamous segment. And of course, the swirling, dizzying theme is brilliant. It's an enjoyable light thriller, but blown up to be hailed as a classic it can only disappoint. 7/10.
One of the better efforts from Alfred Hitchcock, a man who directed extremely well but generally chose substandard material.
There's a frightening lack of innovation on display here. There are the usual aerial shots, and some panning upwards, though nothing as groundbreaking as forward zoom/reverse tracking. Though as with Psycho, this is a film that doesn't need any such gimmickry.
The humour involved in any Hitchcock endeavour his English sense of detached irony meeting the players' American Vaudevillian jars as usual, though Cary Grant does better than most with some witty lines. It starts almost like a comic version of The Trial, with Grant caught in a fight for his life and with reasons he can't fathom. Things soon touch on vague Vertigo territory, with a "meet a duplicitous woman in a hotel room" sequence. By the end, though, the whole thing has been wrapped up as one of the director's ultimately straightest and therefore most accessible works.
Occasionally, the dialogue is a little trite "War is Hell, Mr.Thornhill, even when it's a cold one" though generally the script is quite snappy and sharp for this kind of thing. The shorthand characterisation is exemplified by Grant saying to Eva Marie Saint: "The moment I meet an attractive woman I have to start pretending I have no desire to make love to her." Wouldn't it be great if lines like that worked in real life? They don't, I've tried it. Worst scene is the crushingly bad exposition where the FBI discusses the plot. "Our non-existent decoy, George Kaplan, created to divert suspicion from our actual agent." All the people in the room knew about this event, so why does the Professor (Leo G. Carroll, not a good performance) need to describe it, and the elaborate movements for the ruse? Okay, it's to relay the information to the viewers, we all know that, but it's so badly done. The only high point is that before the Professor starts this clumsy dialogue sequence his shoe squeaks on the floor and it sounds like he's just broken wind. Maybe that was Hitchcock's sly comment on the script? The situation is also redeemed slightly by having the Professor later explain the plot to Grant... only to have it drowned out for the viewers by the sound of an aeroplane. The revelation of the microfilm in the statue is also delivered less than plausibly, though this again may be Hitchcock's lazy sense of humour. Avoid the need for screen realism by presenting it as a joke.
Yet despite these problems, it still largely stands up, though it's always a shock to see black actors cast only as porters or auction menials. The colour is also washed-out, and the use of filmed and scenic backdrops more than a little obvious. Though mere technicalities shouldn't prevent enjoyment of a reasonably fast-paced plot, and it does contain a passable recreation of Mount Rushmore on it's $4 million budget. This is a film that's over forty years old, after all. The crop duster attack is a sequence that has been ripped off/homaged in more films and television than can be counted, an infamous segment. And of course, the swirling, dizzying theme is brilliant. It's an enjoyable light thriller, but blown up to be hailed as a classic it can only disappoint. 7/10.
Mr. Thornhill's Thorny Ordeal
frankwiener1 January 2018
Wedged between the making of two very serious, psychological suspense films, "Vertigo" and "Psycho", director Alfred Hitchcock created a very different kind of thriller, one consisting largely of comedy, both subtle and obvious, thanks in part to the talent of scriptwriter, Ernest Lehman. Hitchcock and Lehman started with three seemingly unrelated ideas, (1) a mistaken identity, (2) a chase scene through the United Nations, and (3) a spectacular finale at Mount Rushmore. They then wove these three events into one cohesive story, a fascinating creative process by itself.
As to the acting, I have seen Cary Grant in many movies, including a number of mediocre items and even worse than that, but he provides the perfect Roger Thornhill with his dry, natural wit and suave, elegant appearance. Whenever I am faced with life's adversities, I only need to recall how Roger would approach the situation with his coolness and muted sense of humor. The fact that Grant did not understand Lehman's script only authenticates his genuine state of confusion as he is pursued from New York City to Rapid City, South Dakota by way of Chicago and some very dry Indiana cornfields. As the mysterious Eve Kendall, Eva Marie Saint is a very different woman indeed from her Oscar winning performance as Edie Doyle in "On the Waterfront", and she never ceases to intrigue us as a woman who is far more independent and sexually assertive than we would normally expect in 1959. And who could deliver those caustic, cynical lines as well as James Mason in the part of the deceptively "respectable" villain, Philip van Damm? Grant and Mason are an outstanding match, and they bring this film to a high level (no pun intended when you consider the ending) that it may not have achieved without their dynamic interaction.
Throughout the film, subtle undercurrents flow beneath the surface, including Thornhill's curious relationship with his undermining mother (Jesse Royce Landis), which may by itself explain his previous two divorces. Then there is the quirky jealousy of van Damm's assistant thug, Leonard (Martin Landau). When I first viewed this film at the innocent age of ten, I didn't appreciate the symbolism of the speeding train through the tunnel at the end, but I was nevertheless very impressed by the overall visual power created by Hitchcock, not only here but in many of his other productions as well.
There were many memorable cinematic moments in this film, including an extraordinary aerial shot of Thornhill escaping from the United Nations building, a sudden showdown involving a man, a speeding oil tanker, and a menacing crop duster, and several, breathtaking shots from atop Mount Rushmore, both real and manufactured. As was the case with the Statue of Liberty in "Saboteur", the power of the monument is enhanced even more by the director's dramatic camera angles as it stands as an invincible symbol of the freedom that the evil elements in the film want to destroy.
The success of "North By Northwest" is shaped by a combination of winning attributes, including a very gifted director, a sharp, snappy screenplay by Lehman, superb cinematography by Robert Burks, an effectively moody musical score by Bernard Hermann, and some first-rate acting.
As to the acting, I have seen Cary Grant in many movies, including a number of mediocre items and even worse than that, but he provides the perfect Roger Thornhill with his dry, natural wit and suave, elegant appearance. Whenever I am faced with life's adversities, I only need to recall how Roger would approach the situation with his coolness and muted sense of humor. The fact that Grant did not understand Lehman's script only authenticates his genuine state of confusion as he is pursued from New York City to Rapid City, South Dakota by way of Chicago and some very dry Indiana cornfields. As the mysterious Eve Kendall, Eva Marie Saint is a very different woman indeed from her Oscar winning performance as Edie Doyle in "On the Waterfront", and she never ceases to intrigue us as a woman who is far more independent and sexually assertive than we would normally expect in 1959. And who could deliver those caustic, cynical lines as well as James Mason in the part of the deceptively "respectable" villain, Philip van Damm? Grant and Mason are an outstanding match, and they bring this film to a high level (no pun intended when you consider the ending) that it may not have achieved without their dynamic interaction.
Throughout the film, subtle undercurrents flow beneath the surface, including Thornhill's curious relationship with his undermining mother (Jesse Royce Landis), which may by itself explain his previous two divorces. Then there is the quirky jealousy of van Damm's assistant thug, Leonard (Martin Landau). When I first viewed this film at the innocent age of ten, I didn't appreciate the symbolism of the speeding train through the tunnel at the end, but I was nevertheless very impressed by the overall visual power created by Hitchcock, not only here but in many of his other productions as well.
There were many memorable cinematic moments in this film, including an extraordinary aerial shot of Thornhill escaping from the United Nations building, a sudden showdown involving a man, a speeding oil tanker, and a menacing crop duster, and several, breathtaking shots from atop Mount Rushmore, both real and manufactured. As was the case with the Statue of Liberty in "Saboteur", the power of the monument is enhanced even more by the director's dramatic camera angles as it stands as an invincible symbol of the freedom that the evil elements in the film want to destroy.
The success of "North By Northwest" is shaped by a combination of winning attributes, including a very gifted director, a sharp, snappy screenplay by Lehman, superb cinematography by Robert Burks, an effectively moody musical score by Bernard Hermann, and some first-rate acting.
A Hitchcock classic, but not among his best
FilmOtaku25 August 2004
`North by Northwest', written by Ernest Lehman and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, stars Cary Grant as Roger Thornhill, an advertising executive who finds himself embroiled in a particularly nasty case of mistaken identity. He finds himself being mistaken for a gentleman who is wrapped up in some dirty dealings with Phillip Vandamm (James Mason), his henchman Leonard (Martin Landau) and various other unsavory thugs under Vandamm's employ. He also meets up with Hitchcock's requisite blonde femme fatale, Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) and surrounded by this cast of characters makes a cross-country adventure where his life is threatened several times; all the while with Thornhill having to depend on his wits to keep him alive.
While `North by Northwest' is a good film, I don't consider it to be one of his best, which, at least in my small circle of rabid film friends/relatives, is fairly sacrilegious. I enjoy the vibrancy of the script and the lush cinematography, but there are a couple of things that cause the film to fall short of excellence on my personal Hitchcock scale. Mainly, there's the matter of James Mason as the villain. Mason is a great actor, and has been in some really good films, so his talents were wasted as the tepid Vandamm. There simply really wasn't a part for him in the film; rather, most of the relatively `juicy' bits were relegated to Martin Landau. It seemed that the concentration was solely on Grant's character, which in most cases is adequate, but in a suspense film, I personally like to see the villain have a more pervasive presence.
Of course, there are some masterful elements to this film. The infamous cornfield scene is truly masterful. It isn't even the shot of the crop duster chasing down Grant the image that gets me every time is the very quick shot of Grant standing across the dusty road from the gentleman waiting for the bus. As he is sizing him up, trying to figure out if he is the man that he has traveled a long distance to see, Hitchcock frames the shot much like a classic western. There are many shots like this that, if frozen, would make a compelling photograph. I can also acknowledge, while I am not as much a fan of Hitchcock's comedic moments as I am of the more dark or horrifying ones, that the comic timing with which Grant delivers his lines is excellent. His charisma certainly adds a spark to the film, and there are times when he is so smooth that even if something was completely unbelievable I had to laugh and say, `Hey, it's Cary Grant what do you expect?'
`North by Northwest' was made in 1959 and is more akin to the whimsical and much-eschewed `The Trouble with Harry' than his more story-driven films of the 1940's and his horrifying masterpiece a year later, 1960's, `Psycho'. While I acknowledge that `North by Northwest' is a good film, it doesn't even make my personal `Hitchcock Top Ten' on which his darker films dwell. However, it's kind of the way I feel about the Coen Brothers even a simply `good' film of theirs is usually much better than the average film, so a slightly above-average Hitchcock film like `North by Northwest' garners at least three stars from me.
--Shelly
While `North by Northwest' is a good film, I don't consider it to be one of his best, which, at least in my small circle of rabid film friends/relatives, is fairly sacrilegious. I enjoy the vibrancy of the script and the lush cinematography, but there are a couple of things that cause the film to fall short of excellence on my personal Hitchcock scale. Mainly, there's the matter of James Mason as the villain. Mason is a great actor, and has been in some really good films, so his talents were wasted as the tepid Vandamm. There simply really wasn't a part for him in the film; rather, most of the relatively `juicy' bits were relegated to Martin Landau. It seemed that the concentration was solely on Grant's character, which in most cases is adequate, but in a suspense film, I personally like to see the villain have a more pervasive presence.
Of course, there are some masterful elements to this film. The infamous cornfield scene is truly masterful. It isn't even the shot of the crop duster chasing down Grant the image that gets me every time is the very quick shot of Grant standing across the dusty road from the gentleman waiting for the bus. As he is sizing him up, trying to figure out if he is the man that he has traveled a long distance to see, Hitchcock frames the shot much like a classic western. There are many shots like this that, if frozen, would make a compelling photograph. I can also acknowledge, while I am not as much a fan of Hitchcock's comedic moments as I am of the more dark or horrifying ones, that the comic timing with which Grant delivers his lines is excellent. His charisma certainly adds a spark to the film, and there are times when he is so smooth that even if something was completely unbelievable I had to laugh and say, `Hey, it's Cary Grant what do you expect?'
`North by Northwest' was made in 1959 and is more akin to the whimsical and much-eschewed `The Trouble with Harry' than his more story-driven films of the 1940's and his horrifying masterpiece a year later, 1960's, `Psycho'. While I acknowledge that `North by Northwest' is a good film, it doesn't even make my personal `Hitchcock Top Ten' on which his darker films dwell. However, it's kind of the way I feel about the Coen Brothers even a simply `good' film of theirs is usually much better than the average film, so a slightly above-average Hitchcock film like `North by Northwest' garners at least three stars from me.
--Shelly
Please excuse me while I commit cinematic sacrilege
trickynicky726 June 2001
As it is clearly demonstrated even in this forum, many, many people love this movie. I just finished viewing it myself for the first time, and frankly, I can't say that I agree. Am I nuts? Maybe. All I know is I'd like to put my two cents in, for what it's worth.
For an espionage tale like this, I would have preferred an approach more based on grim realism. Instead, the narrative seemed a bit too convenient and contrived, as if Old Hitch was trying to make the ends meet at the last minute. Somehow, I never felt the `taut' tension of his other films that I've immensely enjoyed (Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, Psycho, The Wrong Man, Vertigo, to name but a few). It certainly doesn't help that the film contains too many scenes that verge on the `fantastical' level. For example, there's a scene in which a gun goes off in the living room of a house. Eva Marie Saint comes out of her room and asks, `What was that noise,' to which James Mason replies, `We were just wondering about that.' Martin Landau just gives a little shrug and all is forgotten. I mean, come on! I'd say it's pretty hard to mistake a gunshot for, say, somebody dropping a glass on the floor. As I mentioned, there are many more scenes like this during the course of the movie, and every single one of them acts as a decelerator' of the narrative. Also, the overall performance of the cast struck me as rather underwhelming, especially when we're talking about some of the finest actors ever to grace the silver screen. James Mason, in particular, sleepwalks his way through, though I can't blame him, given the fact that his character was so painfully underwritten. The bit when Cary Grant acts like he's drunk was pretty difficult to sit through. Humor is fine when it works on, again, a believable level.
I like the idea of having a normal Joe get tangled up in a case of mistaken identity/international espionage. Also, it does feature some memorable scenes, especially the famous crop field/airplane sequence (it really does deserve all the praise it has received) But again, it just proves to me that even a seemingly sure-fire combo like Ernest Lehman-Alfred Hitchcock can still come up short on the goods.
The second 007 adventure, `From Russia with Love', received some hounding because people thought it was basically a rip-off of this movie (there are some obvious similarities), but in this madman's humble opinion, `From Russia with Love' is the one that achieves a better telling of a spy story.
For an espionage tale like this, I would have preferred an approach more based on grim realism. Instead, the narrative seemed a bit too convenient and contrived, as if Old Hitch was trying to make the ends meet at the last minute. Somehow, I never felt the `taut' tension of his other films that I've immensely enjoyed (Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, Psycho, The Wrong Man, Vertigo, to name but a few). It certainly doesn't help that the film contains too many scenes that verge on the `fantastical' level. For example, there's a scene in which a gun goes off in the living room of a house. Eva Marie Saint comes out of her room and asks, `What was that noise,' to which James Mason replies, `We were just wondering about that.' Martin Landau just gives a little shrug and all is forgotten. I mean, come on! I'd say it's pretty hard to mistake a gunshot for, say, somebody dropping a glass on the floor. As I mentioned, there are many more scenes like this during the course of the movie, and every single one of them acts as a decelerator' of the narrative. Also, the overall performance of the cast struck me as rather underwhelming, especially when we're talking about some of the finest actors ever to grace the silver screen. James Mason, in particular, sleepwalks his way through, though I can't blame him, given the fact that his character was so painfully underwritten. The bit when Cary Grant acts like he's drunk was pretty difficult to sit through. Humor is fine when it works on, again, a believable level.
I like the idea of having a normal Joe get tangled up in a case of mistaken identity/international espionage. Also, it does feature some memorable scenes, especially the famous crop field/airplane sequence (it really does deserve all the praise it has received) But again, it just proves to me that even a seemingly sure-fire combo like Ernest Lehman-Alfred Hitchcock can still come up short on the goods.
The second 007 adventure, `From Russia with Love', received some hounding because people thought it was basically a rip-off of this movie (there are some obvious similarities), but in this madman's humble opinion, `From Russia with Love' is the one that achieves a better telling of a spy story.
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