Alfred Hitchcock created some of the most suspenseful movies ever made during his career as a director. I've seen and enjoyed many of his movies. Over the last few years I have added several of his movies to my DVD collection. North by Northwest is the newest edition to my DVD collection.

Roger Thornhill, an advertising executive in Manhattan, had his life turned upside down when he was mistaken for Mr. Kaplan, a spy. Two men, Phillip Vandamm and Leonard tried to kill Roger. He managed to get away, but not without being picked up for driving drunk. Roger explained what happened and the police went to investigate only to find there was no evidence to support Roger’s story. Roger decided to try to straighten out the mess he was in himself. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up wanted for a murder he didn’t commit. Roger met Eve Kendall on a train. For some reason she was willing to help him even though she didn’t know him. After avoiding the police, Roger confided in Eve about what was going on. She convinced him to let her help him. A meeting that Eve helped set up didn’t go well and Roger’s trust in her was shaken. Roger’s quest to figure out what was going on took him all across the country, ultimately to Mount Rushmore.

North by Northwest was a very entertaining thriller. Withing the first few minutes, Roger was mistaken for a spy and kidnapped. He had no idea what was going on though he managed to adjust to life on the run fairly quickly. Since it wasn’t immediately clear what was going on, there was mystery surrounding what was happening to Roger. The viewers were given a little bit of information before Roger was which did clear up a few things. For the most part, the viewer is as much in the dark as Roger is, adding more mystery to the movie. Roger ended up several very suspenseful situations throughout his adventure. I was very interested in the movie and never bored by what was going on. Even once I thought I had figured out something, there were still surprises in the movie.

Hitchcock developed a reputation for creating very suspenseful movies. He was very good at creating and building suspense throughout his movies without relying on violence or gore. I thought that made his movies, including North by Northwest, very entertaining. Since time was spent to build the suspense, the pace was a little slower for a while. I didn’t feel like it was too slow. Some people may feel like the pace was dragging since it didn’t have non stop action from the beginning. As the movie progressed, there was more action. Probably the best action scene, and one of the most suspenseful as well, involved Roger and a crop dusting plane. That scene is very well known, so people that haven’t seen the entire movie may have seen a clip of it. Another very well known scene happened in the conclusion of the movie. There was a small amount of violence in this movie in the form of a few fights and shootings. People were shot without any blood being shown. It did look a little cheesy and unbelievable when people were shot. The reactions by the characters just didn’t look right, but I think that is because the movie is older. Even though there was some violence in the movie, Hitchcock didn’t depend on it to keep the movie interesting. That is shown by the fact that movie was unrated in the United States when it was originally released. This really wouldn’t be a good choice for younger children since it is almost two and a half hours long.

North by Northwest contained a few things in connection with the relationship between Eve and Roger that were probably considered controversial when the movie was released in 1959 but are rather tame by today’s standards. Eve and Roger met for the very first time on a train when she helped him hide. During the first real conversation they had, Roger made a comment about making love to women that seemed to be his way of propositioning Eve. That night, Eve let him stay in her car even though they were still basically strangers. A little later in the movie, Roger was in Eve’s hotel room and he started undressing so he could send his suit out to be cleaned. There were a few other remarks made that weren’t blatantly sexual, but they did have a sexual overtone. There weren’t love scenes or nudity, though Roger and Eve were shown slightly undressed once or twice. There really wasn’t anything that was offensive in the relationship between the characters. A few things just may have raised some eyebrows when the movie was originally released.

Roger was out of his element when he was mistaken for a spy but he managed to adapt quickly. He was the main character and in almost every scene of the movie. I did think he could have been developed a little bit more. More time was devoted to the situations Roger was in instead of building the character development. Cary Grant was very good and believable in the part. I’ve actually only seen a few of his movies. I do like him and think I’ll try to see some more of his movies. Eve Kendall was around for much of the movie and an important character. There was more mystery surrounding her character than there was Roger. Eva Marie Saint was very good in the part. I don’t remember seeing any of her other movies. I did see that she will be playing Martha Kent in Superman Returns.

Roger’s mother Clara was in a few scenes early in the movie. She was having trouble believing Roger’s story. Jessie Royce Landis, the actress that played Clara, was actually only a year older than Grant when the movie was filmed. When I watched the movie, I didn’t think there was enough of an age difference between them for her to be old enough to be her mother. I didn’t think they were that close in age though. Phillip Vandamm was in several scenes and when he wasn’t actually in a scene, other characters were talking about him frequently. Phillip was the man that thought Roger was a spy and was trying to kill him. I don’t want to say anything else more specific about his character because that could spoil things for people who haven’t seen the movie yet. James Mason was very good in the part. Leonard worked very closely with Phillip and was involved in the attempts on Roger’s life. Martin Landau was good in the part though I didn’t recognize him at first since he was so much younger. He had a much smaller part in Sleepy Hollow. Roger encountered other people during his adventures that weren’t developed at all.

Main Cast

Cary Grant - Roger Thornhill
Martin Landau - Leonard
Jessie Royce Landis - Clara Thornhill
James Mason - Phillip Vandamm
Eva Marie Saint - Eve Kendall

Alfred Hitchcock - Director

North by Northwest is now available on DVD. I found my copy in the bin of $5.50 DVDs at Wal-Mart. It is possible to find some gems in that thing if you are willing to dig. The movie is in the widescreen format. I’m not sure if there is a full screen version available. The movie was updated with a digital transfer and the sound was remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 for the DVD release. The DVD contains a documentary about the making the movie that was hosted by Eva Marie Saint. Martin Landau, the screenwriter Ernest Lehman, Patricia Hitchcock, and other people involved in the making of the movie were involved in the documentary as well. There was also a commentary by Lehman.

North by Northwest was a very entertaining thriller. This movie helped show why Hitchcock was a master at making very suspenseful movies. Fans of any of his other movies should definitely check this one out. People that like Cary Grant may also enjoy the movie.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12