North by Northwest
Plot
Roger Thornhill is a respectable advertising executive with a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders who rely on him. When by happenstance he is mistaken for George Kaplin – a seemingly invisible super spy, his world is thrown into turmoil.
As people he comes into contact with appear to be not who they say they are, he is soon framed for murder – and must try to clear his name. when he meets the sultry Eve Kendall, she decides to help him – but who is she exactly??
Direction
Brilliantly directed by Alfred Hitchcock who is able to put so much into his shots. There is brilliant action within, from the amazing plane attack, to the final on top of Mount Rushmore.
Due to the filming restraints such as the year it was made (1959) and the inability to film in certain locations – some scenes were done cleverly with animation – which considering it is a nearly 70-year-old film, holds up extremely well.
Even small moments where the characters of Roger and Eve are chatting, due to the tension between them they are put in different shots/cuts as they slowly come together as the tension dissipates.
There is also some great use of ‘Gods eye’ shot and some better usage of green/blue screen than in movies made 50-60 years later.
Cast/Characters
Cary Grant plays Roger Thornhill, and while he might have been a little old for the role (he was 55 when he filmed this) he is brilliant.
Eva Marie Saint is stunning as Eve Kendal, and is the perfect leading lady for Thornhill. At the time of writing this review, Saint is still alive at the age of 100!
James Mason plays the primary villain, and Martin Landau plays his number 2
Screenplay/Setting/Themes
The mistaken identity arc begins almost instantly, and continues on for the a little over two-hour runtime.
The mid movie scene within the NSIA with the over abundance of exposition feels almost needed, as without it we would be a little lost with who some of the characters are (Mason’s Vandamm, and who exactly the ‘double agent’ could be).
There is a humorous ‘train entering tunnel’ moment at the end when the two leads finally… you know…
Score/Soundtrack
A brilliant score which really adds to the suspense, and mystery as well as the action scenes.
Overall
Still one of my favourite films of all time, and one of my favourite Hitchcock films. Gets you hooked from the get go, and doesn’t stop until the last minutes of the film. Even with the small nitpicks, I still regard this as an amazing film – and nearly flawless. Some movies of today pale in comparison to what Hitchcock could do all those years ago.
5/5
If you’re able to, please “buy me a coffee”