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9/10
FilmFascination Rating
I know I can always rely on Hitchcock, when I want to watch a good movie.
North by Northwest is about Roger Thornhill, played by Cary Grant, a charming advertising executive who gets mistaken for George Kaplan, an undercover detective who no one has ever seen. Thornhill is kidnapped, intoxicated with bourbon, and is sat in a car to stage a drinking-and-driving accident when he says he will not cooperate(I mean he knows nothing). It is awful to see him get tangled in this situation he was never meant to be in. Hitchcock is famous for making movies where an innocent person makes one bad decision which changes his entire life. In Psycho, Marion makes the foolish decision to impulsively steal the money and in Rear Window, Jeff gets involved in something he shouldn’t have.
In North by Northwest, it is a classic case of an innocent person at the wrong place and at the wrong time. Once Roger saves himself from the car accident, he immediately calls his mother. But no one believes him when he tells what really happened. Even the police believe the fake mistress in the house Roger was kidnapped in, who acts as if he was a guest in the house and drank too much at the house party. Roger is all alone in this situation now. He must find this Kaplan to understand what is happening before it is too late. In this chase to save his life, he finds a beautiful and classy blonde Eve Kendall, played beautifully by Eva Marie Saint, who lends him a helping hand. But why would she do that? ‘His nice face’ is her answer. Can she really be trusted?
Although North by Northwest has grim and intense situations, Hitchcock never really makes us feel that way for too long. As a long admirer of Hitchcock, I was used to his movies being intense from start to finish. Being on your toes all the time. But North by Northwest has a different style. With its humour, romance and easy-going protagonist it never feels as threatening as in movies like Psycho. It isn’t meant to be unsettling like his other movies, but rather to be enjoyed and have fun with. Mainly because it was not often that I saw Thornhill scared of the situation. Sure, he was confused and a little worried probably, but not scared. Surprisingly I like this pace of the movie as well. Unexpected yet pleasant.
The movie has its twists and turns as expected from a Hitchcock movie. But above all the chase and the game of ‘tag’ as its trailer says, this movie is, at its heart, romantic. It is driven by love. The sensual scenes in the train seem so much like the Bond movies although this was released before the first one. They are sizzling hot without any need for sex scenes. In fact, the second half of the movie feels like a complete spy movie. Laying the foundation on which the Bond movies were further built.
Also, the script, written by Ernest Lehman, always remains the witty part of the film.
“Something wrong with your eyes?”- “Yes, they’re sensitive to questions.”.
“Then, then your name isn’t Kaplan?” – “Can’t say it is, ’cause it ain’t.”
“So horribly sad. How is it I feel like laughing?”
There are so many of these that will make you giggle even in the most serious of the situations.
Unlike most of Hitchcock’s films which usually take place in one room itself like Dial M for Murder and Rear Window, this movie might just be his most traveled movie. The environment is never quite repeated, and it changes like every other scene. That was something new to see from him. One other thing I noticed was the details. This movie does not care about them. If someone asked me to explain what the bad guys were after or what exactly they did- I would have no idea. In fact, in one of the scenes, important dialogues are cut off due to the noise of an airplane nearby. How arrogant, isn’t it? But it isn’t about the details and that scene surprisingly did not bother me much. Because till that time all we care about is if Roger is going to get out of this ‘alive’.
My immediate thought when I watched North by Northwest (after giving a quick laugh at that ending) was it should have been trimmed a little. It does not need all the 130 minutes. But during that time, my expectations were to see a movie like his others. But for me North by Northwest seems to be very different from his usual style and it is meant to be fun. And about the ending – that transition was straight-up funny. That was such a good way to cut out of all the tense situation. Like I said, this movie does not want to unsettle you.
North by Northwest just feels like a grand result of all the movies Hitchcock made before it.
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