North by Northwest

Screened: 2nd February 2004
Introduced by Harry Patterson

USA 1959
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Leading players ~ Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason.

Synopsis

This is Cary Grant of the wonderful suits and incredible charm playing New York man of the town, Roger O Thornhill, a kind of suave playboy used only to the finest restaurants and hotels whose world is turned totally round when he is falsely accused of one misdeed after another, including murder. He goes on the run to root out Philip Vandamm (James Mason) and his enemy agents, which involves Mason’s mistress Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint).

Thornhill has no hesitation in manipulating and using her, in a superb example of Grant’s dark side. The interesting thing is that in the film his dark side exists almost parallel to his witty, romantic persona. To an extent one could call it schizophrenic.

Look for the great classic moment, the crop dusting sequence, where an airplane is dusting crops where there are no crops. There is Thornhill, lured as a target in a remote place.

Also watch for the final chase sequence with Thornhill and Kendall on Mount Rushmore with the sculptures of American presidents - this really has to be seen to be believed. The thread of sexuality and innuendo that runs through everything, especially the notorious shot of a train entering a tunnel, is typically Hitchcock.

* * * * * *

With North by Northwest, Grant found himself again with Hitchcock and Saint, the usual Hollywood blonde as Hitchcock always preferred and superior actor, Mason. The film is unmissable and has everything you could possibly want in it.

Most people think of Grant as a totally charming star of romantic comedy, the best dressed man in Hollywood and so on, but there is far more, and another side to him as shown in North By Northwest.
Harry Patterson