North By Northwest (1959)

THE SCOOP
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Plot: A hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive.

Genre: Adventure/Mystery/Thriller
Awards: Nom. for 3 Oscars - original screenplay, art direction-set decor, film editing.
Runtime: 131min
Rating: PG for some violence.

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IN RETROSPECT
What would it be like if Hitchcock stop directing suspense dramas and work on a purely escapist flick? The answer is North By Northwest. The most entertaining motion picture ever made by the legendary filmmaker, North By Northwest has an immense influence on ‘Hollywood chase films’, making them significant fixtures in contemporary cinema, from The Fugitive to the Bourne trilogy. Nominated for three Oscars including Best Original Screenplay, this film ranks almost as highly as three of the director’s greatest critical achievements - Vertigo, Rear Window, and Psycho.

North By Northwest stars Cary Grant (The Philadelphia Story, Notorious) in a role that was written for James Stewart (It’s A Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington) whom Hitchcock claimed was too old for the role (ironically, Grant was four years older leading to rumors of a professional dispute between Hitchcock and Stewart). In less than five minutes, Hitchcock remarkably establishes the plot and paints Grant’s character, Roger, as a well-dressed but fiercely sarcastic man with a strong sense of self-respect and integrity. It does not take long for viewers to get acquainted with him, who plummets from one perplexing situation to another as he tries to make sense of what is going on. By chance, he meets an icy-cold blond, Eve (played by Eva Marie Saint) whose motives appear suspect. In a world of deceit and treachery, who is there to trust?

North By Northwest is as much a comedy as a mystery-thriller. Its screenplay is a delightful blend of dark humor (most of the hilarious lines are uttered by Grant) and cliffhanger moments. Speaking of which, the film contains two of Hitchcock’s most celebrated set-pieces - the tense crop dusting sequence, and the final Mount Rushmore climax. The pacing is just right except for an abrupt jump-cut scene at the end which makes the aforementioned climax a little short-lived. With this film, Hitchcock has nearly perfected one of the fundamentals of thrillers - the picaresque pursuit. Recommended!

SCORE: 9/10

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