A Personal Favourite

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2016)

North by Northwest is a personal favourite of mine. It is Hitchcock's most light and purely entertaining film, a smart change of pace after the darkly psychological 'Vertigo'. It takes his signature wrong man storyline and simply sees how much fun it can have with the idea. It makes the characters as charming as possible, the action grander than ever before, the locations exotic and the situations as exciting as you could want them to be. It's a film that succeeds in its aim magnificently, give the audience a thrilling adventure.
It revolves around suave advertising executive Roger Thornhill who is kidnapped after being mistaken for 'George Kaplan' and interrogated before almost being killed by the shady Vandamm. Nobody believes Thornhill's story so he sets out to find Kaplan himself. However he has to go on the run when he's framed for murder, which draws him into a world of deceit, spies and simply trying to stay alive. This story is not only brilliantly entertaining, but it twists and turns all the time. You don't know who Thornhill can trust or what's waiting around the corner for him, making him a vulnerable hero. A good example being when he meets Eve Kendell, we don't know whether she's a kind stranger, a spy herself or working with the enemy. It is great at keeping you guessing like that.
What always impresses me about the film is how it blends genres so easily. It is a thrilling adventure at heart of course. Yet there are smatterings of mystery, action, romance and comedy throughout. It leaps between all of these without any feeling out of place and without losing sight of the plot. Most of the characters actions drive the narrative forward in that sense, what we initially think is only loosely connected may end having a larger bearing. Almost everything that happens on screen has leads to something else. In fact the humour in the film is something that really stands out. The situations are dangerous yet they can also be wonderfully absurd and the film finds genuine laughs with the idea of a normal person being forced to risk his life in such a way.
The performances are great all round. Cary Grant is delivers one of the most stylish performances of all time as Thornhill. He makes the character so debonair and charming, seemingly unfazed by the deadly situations he finds himself in, with a sharp wit and wisecracks at the ready. He's clearly enjoying himself and is a magnetic screen presence. Eva Marie Saint is effortlessly appealing as Kendell, probably the most humane of Hitchcock's icy blondes. James Mason is just wonderful as Vandamm. He's the perfect villain. Subtle, mysterious, cunning, strangely charismatic, all with a smooth voice and expressive features. The notable supporting performances come from Martin Landau as creepy heavy Leonard and Jessie Royce Landis as Thornhill's sardonic mother.
The film is filled with memorable sequences and imagery. The romantic playfulness of the scenes aboard the train. The brilliant scene where Thornhill deliberately sabotages an auction. The truly spectacular climax that takes place atop Mount Rushmore. One of my favourite sequences in all of film is when Thornhill waits for 'Kaplan' on a stretch of road in the middle of nowhere. The way Hitchcock manages to build a sense of tension and isolation is simply masterfully. It also leads to the noteworthy crop duster sequence. This is how you do action. It might not seem like much, but we really do feel as if Thornhill's life is at risk and that gives it so much more impact than any fancy effects or choreography could.
Hitchcock's direction is as good as ever. The camera-work is very fluid here, it moves gently around the screen at times, almost as if it's surveying the area. His staging of the action sequences and moments of important dialogue help immensely in giving the scenes the weight they need. This is also a handsome looking film. Everything from The hotel interiors to the train carriages to the UN building looks fantastic and is lit well. Ernest Lehman wrote the screenplay and it is a brilliant one, full of witty dialogue that roles off the tongue exquisitely. Apparently he was attempting to write the ultimate Hitchcock thriller, I think it's fair to say that he succeeded in doing so. Bernard Herrmann's dynamic score, and its wonderful main theme, is just the icing on the cake.
In many ways North by Northwest is like the prototype Bond film, except it's unrestrained by any formula and contains Hitchcock's trademark thrills. We have a dashing main character, the beautiful female for him to latch on to, a diabolical but charming villain, a surging plot and visually interesting locations. Of course the difference maker is Hitchcock himself. He has a plot and script that allow him to do what he does best to the most unrestricted level he's ever done. The thrills, the suspense, the action, the excitement, not to mention the subtle comedy and romance. It's all here and it's even grander than before. This is Hitchcock's exercise in escapist fun. It gives us pure thrills without any pretensions and I wouldn't change a thing about it.