The story is one of mistaken identity.
Roger Thornhill is a slick talking ad executive who lives the fast life. He’s lose with women and carries himself like he’s the pseudo mayor of Manhattan. Ambiguous bad guys mistake Roger for a government agent that they need to illuminate. “Don’t misunderstand me,” the leader of the bad guys explains to Roger. “The least I can do is afford you the opportunity of surviving the evening.” And the chase is on.
The Golden Age of Hollywood is mythical to envision, and Cary Grant was a king. Grant was one of the top leading men in a career that spanned over three decades. Here we scratch the surface of his appeal.
As Roger Thornhill, Grant runs the spectrum with a character that’s cool and suave, comical, and of course dashing.
Roger is the focus of the story. We the audience know this from the beginning. He’s a character we enjoy following on a crazy cross country chase. And we have Cary Grant’s charisma to thank for it.
The supporting roles are handled with excellence.
James Mason plays Vandamm, the leader of the bad guys. He’s a Cold War spy or something on that front; the specificities aren’t really important. Vandamm is trying to kill Roger and therefore we don’t like him. James Mason is perfect in the performance, wreaking villain with every line he utters. “Apparently the only performance that will satisfy you is when I play dead.” Roger states, to which Vandamm coolly replies “Your very next role, and you’ll be quite convincing, I assure you.” The great Martin Landau plays Vandamm’s top henchman.
Eva Marie Saint plays Eve Kendall, a seductive woman whom Roger meets whilst escaping via train. Eva Marie Saint is great in her acting and, as would be the case for a dame in a film from the 50’s, she has out of this world beauty. Interesting note, in 2020, Eva Marie Saint became the oldest living Academy Award winner. The film was released on July 1, 1959. She will celebrate her 98th birthday on July 4 of this year.
“North by Northwest” has Hitchcock’s artistic pizzazz layered throughout. Scenes are framed well. There’s an excellent degree of suspense that comes from the story as well as the directorial choices. One of the most iconic scenes of all time depicts Roger being chased by a crop duster amidst a baron rural landscape. It’s got an uneasiness that only Hitchcock could craft.
The flaws in “North by Northwest” are enough to keep the grade below perfection. Hitchcock intended to make a blockbuster, and that’s exactly what he did. But having a megastar like Cary Grant did make the pacing suffer. The action packed scenes are excellent, but the road that connects them has some long stretches that kills momentum. The rapport between Grant and Saint is good, but drags at times. I think modern editing could have easily trimmed enough from this 136 minute film to make it perfection.
Today is my personal new year, and this is my 600th film review. “North by Northwest” is excellent, and will leave you wanting to watch more from Hitchcock.
“North by Northwest” is currently available to rent on Amazon.
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