Hitchcock's finest hour

Rating: 10/10 (18 February 2004)

North by Northwest is my favourite Hitchcock film. Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is a clean cut Mummy's boy with few vices. He is mistakenly identified as George Kaplan who Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) wants to see the back off.
All the classic Hitchcock plots are here. Thornhill is the ordinary guy that is thrown into an extraordinary situation. Eve Marie Saint is the beautiful blond Eve Kendall who falls for Roger and ends up in grave danger. Vandamm is the sinister bad guy who gets his sidekicks to do the dirty work.
The set pieces in this movie are truly memorable. The UN, crop dusting and Mount Rushmore scenes are breathtaking both visually and for raw suspense. The casting, acting and soundtrack are all excellent and as usual the best plaudits should be saved for Hitchcock. This is a master on top form. 10/10 !!