Entertaining, to say the least...

Rating: 10/10 (6 May 2010)

A few days ago, I had watched this movie again after many years; it was during one of the weekly screenings for a film class that I am taking, and it is the only movie this semester which not a single person walked out on (which is understandable, since we had to watch movies like Sergei Eisenstein's "October" and Lois Weber's "Hypocrites" throughout the semester). North by Northwest may be the most entertaining movie Hitchcock ever made, and that is a big deal when you consider how thoroughly entertaining all of Hitchcock's movies are.
North by Northwest is not the most artistic endeavor from the master; in fact, Hitchcock had deliberately set out to make the movie as commercial as possible, without of course compromising on the quality. And that brings us to the question: does quality equate to being artistic? This movie proves that the answer is no. The production quality is crisp, the acting is very competent, and the direction is, as always, great: in short, it is an extremely well crafted movie that leaves the audience fully satisfied and content. The thing that I love most about this movie is the incredible humor, one that reflects the personal sense of humor of Hitchcock. The movie gets into bouts of extremely tense and thrilling moments, and the humor comes in at the perfect moments to give the audience a sense of relief. The movie is a roller-coaster ride of thrill and laughter, but it is entertaining all the way throughout.
Ian Fleming, the writer and creator of the James Bond novels, is said to have been inspired by this movie, having based the character of James Bond on that of Cary Grant in North by Northwest. If only the Bond movies were half as good as this movie