One of Hitchcock's many masterpieces

Rating: 10/10 (29 November 2013)

The word masterpiece seems like a broken record when it comes to Hitchcock movies. The man is responsible for so many classic movies. Not only is Hitchcock the master of suspense, but he's also king of adventure. It's a masterfully crafted adventure that never has a boring moment. It's over two hours long, and the time flies by. I give Hitchcock a lot of credit for delivering expert pacing throughout the movie. There are a lot of things I could list that make Hitchcock distinguishable from the rest. It's the incredible shot from a high building, the amazing cinematography, and It's the little things that he does, such as using matches to help the heroine during a key moment of suspense; the way he slowly masters the cropduster scene. Everything is ordinary at first, but the audience can't help but conjecture that something dangerous is about to commence. The plane trying heavily to run down Cary Grant is still one of the most suspenseful scenes in the history of cinema. And, of course. How could I forget the finale at Mount Rushmore. Hitchock had major tabs on his audience. The puppets are the audience, and Hitchock is the puppeteer. Not only does it feature witty dialog throughout, but it has some great humor thrown in at times as well. My favorites are the auction scene with Grant, and when Grant gets arrested for being intoxicated from alcohol at a police station. I won't spoil them, but I never fail to laugh whenever I see those scenes. Cary Grant plays a wonderful everyday man. He is exuberant, charismatic, with charm to spare. He is the perfect hero. Very confident, suave, but not overly cocky, and that makes all the difference. As much as I love James Stewart, I'm glad Hitchcock stuck with Grant. Eva Marie Saint gives a scintillating show. Her character has twists and turns, and for a viewer who hasn't seen this movie a few times like I have will be in for a treat with her performance. Hitchcock was reportedly fixated on Blondes. At least he always picked talented and elegant ones. James Mason makes for a tremendous bad guy. His subtly sinister performance was a lot of fun, but it's Martin Landau's eerie show as Mason's henchman that makes the biggest impression, at least in my opinion. Jessie Royce Landis is hilarious as the selfish mother of Grant's.
Final Thoughts: This is a timeless film from a director who can do no wrong. If you're a Hitchock fan, there is simply no excuse for you not to see this. It's an amazing movie, quite possibly one of the greatest films of all time
10/10