Harder to love than to solve a mystery

Rating: 7/10 (9 June 2012)

This is, to me, my second favorite Hitchcock movie, next to "Vertigo". Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is kidnapped by two thugs working for a crafty criminal, played by James Mason; Grant is mistaken for purely someone else. He finds himself soon taken with Eve Kendall, a beautiful-yet-cold woman played excellently by Eva Marie Saint, who is a double agent for all practical purposes, working for the CIA(?) and the crafty criminal who must be caught. Grant is his suave self, and Eva Marie Saint is very appealing.Yes, it is easier for him to solve the mystery into which he is unvoluntarily absorbed than to win Eva Kendall's affection. The three settings (New York, Chicago, and Mount Rushmore) contribute to the intrigue of the movie. The climb around Mount Rushmore is tense, though, of course, it is not the real mount itself, just a large, convincing replica. The South Dakota scenery, however, is beautiful, the comical aspects of the movie are entertaining, and the well-constructed a la Alfred Hitchcock plot maintains well the viewers' (viewer's) attention. An outstanding cinematic feat for Mr. Hitchcock.