Grant's nightmare is our gain

Rating: 10/10 (16 July 2014)

***Nycritic has an interesting discussion comparing NXNW with the James Bond franchise ("What an Action Thriller Should Be", nycritic, 11 April 2005). Also, Ian Harrison has a good discussion about identification with Cary Grant ("Top-notch suspense /adventure film still looks great after 40 years!", Ian Harrison from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 25 December 2000).***
"North by Northwest" (1959, Alfred Hitchcock), a travelogue, has inspired many. This includes Ian Fleming who created the character of James Bond as a derivation of Cary Grant's Roger O. Thornhill. Many young filmmakers have also studied this film to unlock its secrets. Despite its ludicrous plot (which is a Hitchcock characteristic), it is overflowing with style. NXNW is exquisitely fine art with strong appeal to the masses. Someday, Alfred Hitchcock may dislodge William Shakespeare in public regard.
As with every film by the Master, each image was carefully designed before the filming. The sequences are dazzling with precision. The sublime crop-duster, auction, drunken-driving and Mount Rushmore scenes all reach a level of quality that is hard to believe. NXNW is of course, best viewed on the big screen. Since the Charles Theater has completed renovating its showcase theater this is a great opportunity to luxuriate in the new seats and experience a real gem.
There are sight gags aplenty. We know from Francois Truffaut's famous interview with him that visually Hitchcock was mocking Grant's sexuality. Ergo, making Cary appear uninterested in women is a prominent visual leitmotif. (Although he always denied it, Grant was widely believed in Hollywood to be bisexual. He shared a house for a decade with fellow actor Randolph Scott, and the two were often observed relaxing as if they were lovers. It seems worth noting that the media of the 1930s largely let "sleeping dogs lie"; i.e., Grant suffered little exposure in the press. It may be difficult for people living in this Peeping Tom era to imagine the privacy people in the 1930s enjoyed.)
Here, Cary Grant is never better. The rest of the cast is noteworthy. Silky-voiced James Mason (as Phillip Vandamm) is wonderful to listen to. Hitchcock's villains are always charming, but Mason's particular voice is so sonorous it is the perfect antidote to Grant's mega-watt charisma. Eva Marie Saint (age: 35) is also very effective as a sultry spy. Martin Landau plays the obviously homosexual assistant to Van Damm. Leo G. Carroll, the actor with the most appearances in Hitchcock films (5), is the sympathetic spy master. Jessica Royce Landis, (believed to be) only 8 years older than Grant, plays his mother with comedic flair. Bernard Hermann provides another great film score.
Studio executives quarreled with Hitchcock over NXNW's running time (136 minutes). The bean counters wanted to trim scenes, particularly Cary and Eva Marie in the woods. Hitchcock had his way because his contract granted him final cut. Good thing the brief hospital scene was not left out. When a startled female patient immediately falls in love with passing-through Grant, the moment never fails to bring laughter. Even today, Cary Grant will likely poll as the most handsome actor in cinema history.
The last time I saw NXNW screened in a theater I was very surprised how much more thrilling and emotionally warm experiencing it is instead of watching it on a TV screen. The next time this appears at a movie house near you, do not hesitate to arrive by bus, cab, train and airplane to experience it; avoiding offensive crop-duster pilots on the journey.