Review of North by Northwest (1959) by Brett C — 03 Feb 2015

Hitchcock is highly praised by critics and the general public as one of the most influential directors of his time and they are not wrong. I have not yet seen all of Hitchcock's work but I have seen most of his films that are commonly regarded as "essential". North By Northwest is one of those "essential" films and it was the one that I felt was the weakest. I am sure that most people will disagree with me but this is how I perceived it after viewing the film three times.

North By Northwest is written by Ernest Lehman, who has worked on highly regarded films like The Sound of Music, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and a personal favorite of mine Sabrina. Lehman has written very ambitious films, showing off things that other writers have not yet thought of. North By Northwest is a prime example on how grand his vision was for the action thriller. The film's premise is quite funny and it does get you intrigued. The film starts small, then it gets bigger and bigger as the film progresses. The set pieces in the film are daring and at times ridiculous (though not entirely in a bad way). My main issue with the script is the way the protagonist is written. Roger Thornhill is too self-centred and at times cocky for his own good which many may appealingly engaging, I found it to be difficult for me to show any empathy or sympathy of his unfortunate conditions. Towards the end of the film after a certain gunshot has been fired, there is a moment where Thornhill and Eve Kendall discuss about being together and this is the first time where Thornhill showed some sort of emotional vulnerability and had me caring and started to see the side of him that refused to be shown during the first three-quarters of the film.

Alfred Hitchcock is not shy in pushing the boundaries once in a while, and this one is definitely a huge push. This Hitchcock film has definitely inspired many action/thriller films in the future and still being used as inspiration in modern filmmaking. I do admire the fact that Hitchcock wants us following a man who in most situations is helpless to do anything. North By Northwest is a film that contains the most memorable action sequences, but ironically the main reason that these set pieces lacked the impact for me is the influence it has made on contemporary films. These scenes have time and time again been replicated and taken inspiration from it that when I actually give this a watch, it loses the magic that these scenes can give off. The effects that are used in this film are very ambitious, and because of this ambition it has aged poorly as time passes. Though these is heading towards late Hitchcock, he still has not lost his touch to create mystery and suspense.

Robert Burks is a frequent collaborator with Hitchcock starting from Strangers on a Train and ending with Marnie (The only film between that he did not work in was Psycho). The relationship between Hitchcock and Burks are an example where both members are in tune with one another. Burks understands Hitchcock's vision, this is why the films they work together are very different from one another and each one has their own style. North By Northwest may be the biggest film that they both have worked on, second being To Catch A Thief. Burks has chosen very wide and huge shots of the environment that the action is taking place, which is one of the key factors that makes this film feel large and ambitious. The crop duster scene or the climax are the key moments where his photography shines. Hitchcock's leading ladies are always a highlight in his films and part of it is due to Burks' soft focus photography when close ups are used to film their beautiful faces. Eva Marie Saint looks gorgeous here because of it. Personally, I much prefer Burks' work on Rear Window and Vertigo but North By Northwest is a force of its own that it cannot be dismissed.

Bernard Herrmann is a legendary composer who has worked on the most iconic of films delivering the most iconic of scores. North By Northwest's score is an example of that brilliant craft with an upbeat and tense composition that sticks with you throughout the movie. The score often builds up throughout and then the action and suspense occurs then it comes in full force. It adds on to the sense of desperation to survive which is something Roger Thornhill constantly has to go through.

Cary Grant is the protagonist of this film and I'm just going to say that currently I am not a fan of him. I am not sure whether it's the roles he picks, or that I just haven't seen enough of his films. Grant comes off here as a hero or invincible even though he is meant to play a man who is very vulnerable and lacks the skills to survive in the face of danger. Grant constantly has an answer for everything and has a sarcastic joke to say with every response, but this may be more due to the writing than his acting abilities. James Stewart in my opinion gives off a better performance when working under the mind of Hitchcock in comparison to Cary Grant but this is just a personal opinion. Eva Marie Saint is another member Hitchcock's list of leading ladies but if I had to rank them, she isn't up there with Grace Kelly and Janet Leigh. Saint still does her role well though, able to project that sexuality that many actresses cannot do and still maintains to be just as equally witty and as Grant. James Mason was a treat to see, he brings this class in his role as the antagonist of the film. The accent and delivery of his lines make gives him a unique quality that other actors of it's time just lack.

North By Northwest will stand the test of time as a classic but in a personal level it just didn't impact me the same way as Rear Window or Psycho had on me. I came into this film open minded with every time I watch it and it does get better with each viewing.