The Thirty Nine Steps by any other name

Rating: 10/10 (30 August 2011)

North by Northwest set the standard for nearly all action/adventure films that followed its release in 1959. Raiders of the Lost Ark, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon and many other huge action films owe their existence to this exceptional piece of work. Even the well known 'British villain' can be accredited to this film. Alan Rickman, Jeremy Irons, Tim Roth, Gary Oldman etc all owe their careers to the wonderful James Mason in his role in this.
North by Northwest is the big budget 'innocent man suspected of a crime he didn't commit' plot that Hitchcock was so fond of. And, in fairness, it's the best of those particular films.
Cary Grant plays Roger Thornhill, a marketing executive with two ex wives, a mother and a bartender relying on him. Then, one day, he's kidnapped by two men working for the mysterious Phillip Vandamm (James Mason). Vandamme accuses Thornhill of being a spy, and threatens him with death unless Thorhill comes clean. Of course, Thornhill says he has no idea what Vandamm is talking about and he's almost killed. He escapes and starts to investigate his own kidnapping, only to then be accused of the murder of an important UN worker. He goes on the run as he attempts to clear his name, and as he does he meets a woman (Eva-Marie Saint), becomes embroiled in a CIA plot and is almost killed in two of the best action scenes of all time (the unforgettable crop dusting scene and the final climax on Mount Rushmore).
This film sparkles because everything in it works perfectly. The script by Ernest Lehman is very sharp with some brilliant dialogue. The cast is perfect. The directing is, as with most Hitchcock films, breathtaking. The musical score by Bernard Herrman is, as always, perfect for the film and is now a classic.
In terms of directing, this is Hitchcock at his best. In particular, the actions scenes are so well directed that there are very few films that haven't borrowed from this. Certainly the crop dusting scene is one of the best action scenes in history, and is iconic as the shower scene in Psycho. And the final scene at Mount Rushmore is a hugely worthy climax. The pace is nothing but breathtaking, and Hitchcock uses the camera cleverly to show us different emotions.
The acting equal the directing in this. Cary Grant is wonderful as Roger Thornhill, the man on the run. Eva-Marie Saint is elegant in her role as the woman being used. And Leo G.Carrol is gives a solid performance as the CIA boss who uses many people to get his way.
But, as with any film, there is a stand out performance. In this film, that performance is given by James Mason as Phillip Vandamm, the villain. Mason absolutely purrs through this movie, never raises his voice, is always in control of everything he does and his people do. He set the standard for all villains in film, and in particular gave birth to the 'British villain' that we have all become so used to.
There are two points that hold this film back from being perfect. The first is that I think sometimes the motives of other characters are not explored deeply enough. Certainly Eva-Marie Saint's character is never entirely explained. And in some ways, Vandamm's motives are unexplained too. You don't notice this right until the end, where after the Rushmore sequence, the film ends a little too abruptly.
The second point is that this film isn't original, yet claims to be. This film is in fact a very clever adaption of John Buchnan's The Thirty Nine Steps. Read the book, see a few of the other adaptions, and you'll realize that this film is The Thiry Nine steps in all but name. And because it gives no credit to that original plot, I can't say that it's perfect.
But, overall, those two points won't detract too much from what is a fast paced ride across America, with some exceptional action sequences along the way.