familiar man-on-the-run theme, with a twist

Rating: Null/10 (22 April 2003)

*Spoilers possible ahead*
North by Northwest is arguably Hitchcock's greatest thriller, and with good reason. Not only did Hitchcock create wonderful characters, he took them down and built them back up with such success that this film, written by Ernest Lehman, has some of the best subject with plot of any Hitchcock film. There is a familiar theme present in this movie, but this time Hitch has added a twist to it. The theme that Hitchcock weaves into a film is, of course, the man-on-the-run theme present in some of his other movies. However, in this particular film, Hitchcock has taken it to a new level. This time around, the man-on-the-run has lost his identity, only to have another one forced upon him.
At first, our hero has been accosted by the villains, and subsequently forced out of his cushy lifestyle. Then his identity is stripped from him to have another forced upon him. Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is transformed into George Kaplan. At first the transformation doesn't take, but by the end of the movie, he has to accept (and does) his new identity to save himself and the girl he loves. In the Mt. Rushmore scene, Roger Thornhill has accepted that to do what he must do, he cannot be himself, and he needs to be Kaplan. So he does just that, he assumes the role of the man who never existed, creating him out of thin air. At points throughout the movie, Thornhill has been on the run for so long, and had so many people tell him he is someone he isn't that he even begins to doubt who he is. In one scene he is talking with his mother and he has to state to her that it is her son, Roger Thornhill.
Some have said that Hitch has just gone over familiar territory for this film. Specific references have been made to Sabotage and The 39 Steps. However, there are several key differences in these films that set North by Northwest apart from the others. Most importantly, the differences are in relation to character. Hitch has said that he did some things wrong with the previous movies, so he was going to correct them with this film. What he did to correct whatever he thought was wrong with his previous movies worked, because in the end Hitchcock created a masterpiece with this movie.
This movie is also exceptional in the way that Hitch has created Cary Grant's character. When we first meet Roger Thornhill and in the few beginning scenes, we learn that he has planted himself in the everyday business-man lifestyle. He has sheltered himself from any irregularity in his life. This is evident by his relationship with his mother, in one scene he describes how his mother still sniffs his breath to make sure he hasn't been drinking. However, within a few short scenes Thornhill's cushy lifestyle is stripped from him and he is plunged into the chaotic world of George Kaplan. Hitchcock does wonders in showing how precarious our lives can be. Just when we think we have everything under control, an unforeseen element enters the mix and throws everything off. In the end, Hitchcock has created something with such great characters and plot that it not only is one of his best, but one of the best movies of its genre of all time.