A fun film for everyone

Rating: 10/10 (26 October 2012)

When I was a kid, I was a huge Alfred Hitchcock fan. Even though most of his films were complex and I didn't understand a lot of the big words the actors were using, I just always loved watching them. As a child, I wasn't into older movies. I loved the classic Disney movies, I loved the Universal monster movies, but anything else, I didn't care for. It wasn't until I was about 12 that I began getting into all the classics. This is when my obsession with Hitchcock films began, and continued for years to come. It's hard to pick a favorite film of his because he's made so many classics, but I'm going to ultimately say that North by Northwest is my favorite. Why? Well there are many reasons. First of all the characters are just classic Hitchcock. When I was a kid, I really looked up to Cary Grant's character. I love how he comes off as so smooth, yet so over his head. It's been said that Grant's performance had a great influence on the character, James Bond, and I'm not surprised. Cary Grant just steals the show here. Just the way he talks, and the way he handles things, you believe that something like this would happen to him. The villains are kind of cliché, but that's what makes them so great. And of course, there's Eva Marie Saint as the beautiful female lead. Hitchcock's female characters were always awesome, because on the surface, they just seemed like a pretty face, but as the films unravel, we find out there's a lot more to them. You never know what to expect with these women, and that's what makes them so addicting. The last thing I must mention about this movie is how big it is. Every Hitchcock film has a certain look to it. They're all visually appealing (which is one of the reasons I liked them so much as a kid). Vertigo has a surreal, dream like world. Rear Window has an enclosed, claustrophobic world. North by Northwest just has this grand scope. From the city, to the fields in the middle of nowhere, to Mount Rushmore, this film just has a grand look to it, and goes perfectly with its grand story. Like I said, North by Northwest is just a fun movie. With its great characters, great story, great comedy, great suspense, and great visuals, it feels just like a comic book. I think this is a movie that anyone can get into. If you've never seen a Hitchcock film, North by Northwest is a good place to start (it's what got me into Hitchcock). And one last thing; this movie has my favorite Hitchcock cameo. That is all.