North by Northwest
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The name Alfred Hitchcock is synonymous with movies that are both thrilling entertainment and great art. That’s a rare feat that few filmmakers have been able to achieve even once. But in Hitchcock’s case, he did it many times over an astonishing 50-year career. From his inventive use of visuals to startling set pieces, his films brim with the artistic vitality of a master film storyteller.
The Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures.
Of the Hitchcock films that I love—and there are many—1959’s North by Northwest is a thrill ride like none other. By the time he made this film, Hitchcock was well known for creating memorable, one-of-a-kind thrillers about innocent people trapped in a complex web of murder and deceit, and then racing to save themselves before time runs out. When he hired screenwriter Ernest Lehman to develop the story that would eventually become North by Northwest, Lehman said he jumped at the opportunity to write, in his words: “The Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures.” And, boy, did he ever.
The movie stars Cary gGant as a self-absorbed New York advertising exec named Roger Thornhill who’s mistaken for being a spy and narrowly escapes being killed by real spies. While trying to prove his innocence, Grant’s dilemma deepens considerably when he finds himself also accused of murdering a U.N. diplomat. With his photo on the front page of newspapers from coast to coast, he goes on the run with the police and the spies in hot pursuit.
While all of this may sound like just another would-be espionage story—and it’s certainly dressed up to seem that way—Hitchcock and Lehman have more on their minds. What the spies in the movie are up to and why they want Thornhill dead almost does not matter. In North by Northwest, what really matters are the breathless chases, the sudden, unpredictable plot turns, and the stunning use of locations. The crop-dusting sequence and the foot race atop Mount Rushmore are legendary moments in film history. And there’s more. Instead of trotting out creepy, foreboding shadows and maniacal assassins to juice the story, Hitchcock and Lehman layer their tale with the unexpected. They choose easy-going humor and breezy charm over scares, witty conversation over bare-knuckle suspense. The result is irresistible.
No wonder Hitchcock cast Cary Grant in the lead. Grant is the epitome of Hollywood charm. His scenes with the luminous Eva Marie Saint, who plays his love interest, are filled with wonderful and delicious sexual innuendos. Even the menacing bad guys as played by James Mason and Martin Landau are soave, intelligent and fun.
With a richly evocative soundtrack by the great composer Bernard Herrmann and glorious technicolor visuals, North by Northwest is a four-out-of-four-star masterpiece, a tour de force of cinema art as grand entertainment.
