Looks great, but is a confused, less than shallow film

Rating: 4/10 (21 March 2017)

They had great cameras in those days, and from this comes the best points about this film - the cameras and how they were used. Very atmospheric, the cinematography is very well done and the visual editing very good.
It's possibly better today at home in its excellent transfer to digital. (I rented the streaming film in SD, which was great quality on a computer monitor which is not large.)
For me, though, that's nearly as far as it goes. The acting has a lot to commend it at times, and Cary Grant pulls off well what is very demanding - trying to tie the script's lack of conviction and film genre identity together.
North by Northwest must be the most contrived of all spy films.
It also fails as a typical Hitchcock entertainment piece, I think because the subject is always on the verge of real seriousness. But the film can never devote itself to such seriousness in the way that classic spy films do and in the way these subjects really deserve actually.
Too far away from Sunday apple pie movie land to be endearing, too bitty, flimsy, theatrical and unsatisfying to be effective in basic thriller terms, and too unserious and kid glove hewn to be worth its salt amongst the lexicon of classic spy films.
North by Northwest was a probably an impressive showpiece for cinematography and the potential of atmosphere and brilliance in the track from camera to cinema screen. But, like a beautiful damsel agent who flirts but is getting paid for her rehearsed attempts to win you, the film has little else of merit beyond its looks and moves.