A review by Brooks Rich
In Hitchcock's filmography there are certain levels of popularity and legacy for his films. There are a few films that are less than revered. Films like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Frenzy, and Topaz. These aren't necessarily bad films, but they aren't the films people immediately go to when selecting a Hitchcock film to watch. There are the underrated gems, which are almost as good if not as good as the films considered to be Hitchcock's masterpieces… films like To Catch a Thief, Foreign Correspondent, Dial M for Murder, and The Trouble with Harry. Than there are the films considered to not only be Hitchcock's masterpieces, but also to be some of the greatest films of all time… films like Psycho, Rear Window, Notorious, Vertigo… and the film we're discussing now, the 1959 mistaken identity masterpiece, North by Northwest.
Cary Grant plays Roger Thornhill, an advertising executive who is mistaken for a man named George Kaplan, who is supposedly a spy. Thornhill is kidnapped and brought before spy Phillip Vandamm, played exquisitely by James Mason. Thornhill denies he's this Kaplan person, but of course, no one believes him and soon he's running from the villains and the police in order to clear his name and prevent the villains from smuggling out microfilm with government secrets.
Hitchcock is an expert at stories about innocent people accused of crimes they didn't commit, who are trying to clear their names. North by Northwest is the ultimate “wrong man” story. It's all about the chase and Grant barely getting away from either the villains or the police. The plot almost doesn't matter. It's always more about characters and what those characters are doing. Hitchcock often used to refer to the object the plot is centered around as the maguffin – it doesn't matter what it is. You can find another example of the maguffin is the black powder in Notorious. One example in modern cinema of a maguffin is the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. It doesn't matter what's in it.
North by Northwest is the closest Hitchcock ever came to a pure action film. He made plenty of spy films – but none with the pageantry of the action set pieces in this – whether it be the crop duster chase or the thrilling climax on Mount Rushmore. This is probably Hitchcock's biggest film as far as spectacle goes. It is also the end of his '50s run. After this he would go on to make a little film about a motel in 1960.
If for some reason you have never seen this North By Northwest, go see it immediately. It is one of the greatest films ever made. It still holds up. This is probably a good entry point to Hitchcock as well for those who haven't really explored him. It has a lot of his recurring themes, but it has a faster pace than some of his other films.
In Hitchcock's filmography there are certain levels of popularity and legacy for his films. There are a few films that are less than revered. Films like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Frenzy, and Topaz. These aren't necessarily bad films, but they aren't the films people immediately go to when selecting a Hitchcock film to watch. There are the underrated gems, which are almost as good if not as good as the films considered to be Hitchcock's masterpieces… films like To Catch a Thief, Foreign Correspondent, Dial M for Murder, and The Trouble with Harry. Than there are the films considered to not only be Hitchcock's masterpieces, but also to be some of the greatest films of all time… films like Psycho, Rear Window, Notorious, Vertigo… and the film we're discussing now, the 1959 mistaken identity masterpiece, North by Northwest.
Cary Grant plays Roger Thornhill, an advertising executive who is mistaken for a man named George Kaplan, who is supposedly a spy. Thornhill is kidnapped and brought before spy Phillip Vandamm, played exquisitely by James Mason. Thornhill denies he's this Kaplan person, but of course, no one believes him and soon he's running from the villains and the police in order to clear his name and prevent the villains from smuggling out microfilm with government secrets.
Hitchcock is an expert at stories about innocent people accused of crimes they didn't commit, who are trying to clear their names. North by Northwest is the ultimate “wrong man” story. It's all about the chase and Grant barely getting away from either the villains or the police. The plot almost doesn't matter. It's always more about characters and what those characters are doing. Hitchcock often used to refer to the object the plot is centered around as the maguffin – it doesn't matter what it is. You can find another example of the maguffin is the black powder in Notorious. One example in modern cinema of a maguffin is the briefcase in Pulp Fiction. It doesn't matter what's in it.
North by Northwest is the closest Hitchcock ever came to a pure action film. He made plenty of spy films – but none with the pageantry of the action set pieces in this – whether it be the crop duster chase or the thrilling climax on Mount Rushmore. This is probably Hitchcock's biggest film as far as spectacle goes. It is also the end of his '50s run. After this he would go on to make a little film about a motel in 1960.
If for some reason you have never seen this North By Northwest, go see it immediately. It is one of the greatest films ever made. It still holds up. This is probably a good entry point to Hitchcock as well for those who haven't really explored him. It has a lot of his recurring themes, but it has a faster pace than some of his other films.
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