North By Northwest
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Movie Reviews of North By Northwest
Movie Review: No. You don't understand. That's not me.
Summary: 5 Stars
If you were going to leave ten movies in a time capsule for future generations to see what movies were all about (I know you've played this game before) "North by Northwest" should be somewhere near the top.
I forget where I read this but Hitchcock's resume for films goes back to the 20's when he was one of the early craftsman who worked with a moving camera. You know they did have talkies at that time and drama but up to that point it was all done with a stationary camera.
So the old professor really had done it all when he came upon the series of movies which made him famous. This was preceded with the sexy, scary-as-hell "Rear Window" with Jimmy Stewart, who along with Grant might have been Hitchcock's other favorite leading man. While Stewart (very courageous man but that's another story) lacked Grant's debonaire good looks and savoir faire, he was (Stewart) ordinary looking and Grant on the other hand could play ordinary.
Here in NBNW Grant as Roger Thornhill, just on the wagon, obedient to his Mom even though he's in his 40's, gets mistaken for a double agent by the ever sinister James Mason and we're off to the races. We see the old airports, Love Field and the old American Airlines Eagle as Roger and Eve Marie Saint and Mason and Martin Landau chase each other over the 1950 terrain of the USA.
The remarkable thing about Hitchcock is his relentless presentation of the average guy caught in events way, way over his head. Brilliant movie. Brilliant cast. Brilliant Director, really, never to be replaced. 5 stars. Larry Scantlebury
Movie Review: Is this Roger Thornhill or Bond, James Bond?
Summary: 5 Stars
This 1959 Alfred Hitchcock film was the fourth and last "spy" film that he did with Cary Grant. The others are Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), and To Catch a Thief (1955).
I realize that Hitchcock was a close friend of Albert Broccoli (James Bond films)and Cary Grant was the original pick by Albert Broccoli to play James Bond, but the character in this film, Roger Thornhill, reminded so much of James Bond, that I had a hard time trying to convince myself that this isn't a "Bond" film. I realize that Dr. No (the first Bond film) came out in 1962. BUT, was Bond's film character patterned on this wonderful movie? The resemblance is so great, Thornhill even had a martini!
Briefly, Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is mistaken for a U.S. undercover agent, abducted, framed for murder, nobody believes his story so he's on the run. He meets a counter spy (Eva Marie Saint) and has one of the longest on-screen kisses with her.
This movie has so many great scenes. Among them are the stabbing at the United Nations (where Thornhill was framed for murder), A crop dusting plane that attacked our running hero (which incidently was the influence for the helicopter scene in From Russia With Love---again, Bond) and the great chase around the presidents' faces at Mt. Rushmore.
This film also starred James Mason and Martin Landau.
This is one cinema masterpiece! Watch and enjoy, especially if you like James Bond films, but remember it's not...
Movie Review: the best spy suspense film ever made
Summary: 5 Stars
There are few films I have in my film library that is as consistently pleasing as this one. Even though we have nearly memorized every detail, each time it is as fresh, intelligent, funny, and suspenseful as ever. This is one of our all-time favorites.
RoT, the normal man played by Cary Grant, is one of Hitch's greatest creations. He is naive about the situation he has fallen into, but turns out to be resourceful and intelligent enough to stay alive through the most daunting of threats. In the beginning, his skeptical mother is there making sarcastic comments about his explanations with a low key matronly scorn. But RoT is also full of dark humor, even in the ruses he employs to escape or save his skin. The disorderly scene in the auction house, for example, is absolutely classic and we laugh at it every time. Grant's timing is perfect. Then, when he buys in to what is happening, he takes the initiative with admirable cunning. Even the love scenes and the exquisite chemistry between Grant and Eva Marie Saint are believable. The other actors, such as Landau, are first rate.
Though produced at a more innocent time when the CIA was generally in a more positive light than it is today, Hitch's touch makes it instantly suspect to the point that the viewer will question its competence and motives. In a way, the spy they are chasing is more sympathetic, and certainly has more style.
Recommended with the greatest enthusiasm. It is a true classic.
Movie Review: Colorized classic
Summary: 5 Stars
An unfortunate aspect of growing up in America is that the turnover in culture is so fast that many older classics are almost unknown to the modern generation. This is especially so with old movies, which, outside of holiday fare like the Ten Commandments or The Sound of Music, do not make comebacks once a decade or so, unlike clothing fashions. This is why so many young people have never seen an Alfred Hitchcock movie. For the longest time, I was one of the ignorant masses, until my mother told me about this great movie-maker. I picked this up at the local library and watched it, and was amazed. This is probably one of the best movies I have ever seen. Part thriller, part romance, part suspense and part action, this movie presaged modern Hollywood fare such as The Fugitive, National Security, and Enemy of the State for example. There is gunfights, chase scenes, set-ups, cliffhangers (literally), and of course the famous cover shot of Cary Grant getting chased by an airplane in an open field. And like many modern action movies, this one has the climax right at the very end, followed immediately by a cut to the closing kiss of hero and heroine.
This DVD restoration is great. The film and audio quality is flawless. The special effects are also top-notch and comparable to anything seen on network TV today. And most importantly, a great storyline. I highly recommend this movie.
Movie Review: No hotter love scene anywhere...
Summary: 5 Stars
A good film and a great film...
No spoilers here. Simply mentioning things not mentioned (much) in other reviews, here:
The frenetic music as Manhattan traffic is reflected in one of the anonymous AKA boring glass International Style skyscrapers. Hitch's hymn to the worst of modern life. Doreen Lang as Maggie, Grant's cute and long-suffering secretary and their dialogue from the lobby throughout the taxi ride. No hotter love scene anywhere, in any film, ever made, than when Cary Grant ends up at Eva Marie Saint's table in the dining car. Scorching! Grant's line "I've never been in Pittsburgh!" Hitch loves cars and the juxtapositions of them are fun throughout--some of the best and worst models ever made are clustered in this film. Old Westbury looks nice on film. Jessie Royce Landis' lines in traffic court ("Roger, pay the two dollars!") and in the elevator ("You boys aren't really trying to kill my son?"). The auction scene scene. The sunglasses scene. The shaving scene. The female patient's "Stop!...STOP!" classic double take when Cary Grant appears in her hospital room. The pseudo Frank Lloyd Wright hideout. Every detail is dead on. In Summary...
This is without any argument or exception one of the top ten films of all time and Hitchcock's best, bar none.