Review of North by Northwest (1959) by Patrick O — 29 Nov 2012

Ah, the classic case of mistaken identity. No, not that Brad Pitt film. That's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (3/5 if anyone's wondering). North by Northwest stars Cary Grant as a guy who gets wrapped up in all the wrong business for all the wrong reasons. If you're wondering whether or not you've seen this film, you probably have (in one way or another). This is the movie with the climactic finale on Mt. Rushmore and the cropdusting plane that tries to kill Cary Grant. Family Guy has parodied it, Richie Rich even did something like this from what I remember. This is one of those films that will always pop up throughout cinematic history and pop culture.

The director of this didn't ever really go on to do anything else with his career as far as I know. Some guy named Alfie Hitchcock? What's that? You've never heard of him? Me neither. Eh, it's too bad. Such potential was shown in the film. Anyways, let's get down to business and get on the train. Quickly, we're wanted men. This is North by Northwest.

Alfred Hitchcock is practically synonymous with the name Bernard Herrmann. If you don't know the name, this is the guy behind a majority of the musical scores that are put in Hitchcock's films. Some of his most notable works include the scores for Psycho, North by Northwest, The Birds, and Vertigo. Herrmann also did the music for some films called Citizen Kane, Taxi Driver, The Day The Earth Stood Still, and Farenheit 451. John Williams and Danny Elfman have wet dreams about being this guy. The reason I'm bringing up Bernard Herrmann is due to the fact that one of the most memorable things about this film had to be its wonderful score. The same basic theme plays throughout the entire film and really sticks with the viewer, all the while adding an air of suspense to the film.

The acting is pretty good and Cary Grant is a pretty likable character throughout the entirety of the movie. Within the first five minutes, we are introduced to Grant's character and we see him as a businessman who just gets swept up into an over-the-top espionage thriller that takes him halfway across the country. Of course, he doesn't have it all that bad. He meets a love interest of questionable alliance on a train after being framed for murder and the two hit it off like a little league baseball game. Wuv, twue wuv. Grant's love interest is played by none other than the charming Eva Marie Saint, who I know absolutely nothing about. Let's be fair, though; I hardly know anything about Cary Grant.

The story is fast-paced and entertaining. At times, North by Northwest feels like a crazy James Bond, U.S.A. type of thing but still holds its own as several twists and turns are taken. With the movie being about the length of 2 hours and 16 minutes, this is a film that you don't really want to slow down. Rest assured that the action keeps stacking higher and higher like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, never letting up until the nail-biting finale atop Mt. Rushmore.

Speaking of Mt. Rushmore, the scenes thatare considered "iconic" are indeed that. In my case, my mind took me back to Family Guy's episode "North by North Quahog." Yes, I understand that I should be ashamed. My nostalgia is bad and I should feel bad. I have seen the actual dust cropper and Mt. Rushmore scenes elsewhere, though, so don't think I'm only relating it to a terrible cartoon.Also, if my memory serves me right, I saw a Simpsons episode parodying the film as well.

North by Northwest is a great film. I enjoy it, along with what it has done for Hollywood. This is one of the first movies that really got action flicks started, as far as I know. I even read somewhere (not Wikipedia. Okay, Wikipedia) that this is referred to as "the first James Bond film." A film that can hold that title is definitely something I have to respect, especially since I adore James Bond and his skanky hoes.

One problem that I do have with the film is its pacing, though. I know I said that I wanted it to be fast but it can be a bit too fast in some areas. The action keeps rolling and the hits keep coming, which is great to watch but a tad unfulfilling for the plot. And what about the ending, anyways? I get that the way the film was going is difficult to segway from, especially for the time. But it almost made me think that Hitchcock was trying to pull an "it was all a dream" escape route for a second. These are minor problems, sure, but they matter just as much as anything else.

So what else can be said about this classic film? Not much, that's for sure. Great acting? Check. Great scenes and memorability? Check. Immortality in Hollywood for the many years to come? Checkity check. Although we had some problems that probably came with age and previous films that I've seen, North by Northwest gets 4 fugitive stars out of 5. Definitely worth picking up if you're in the mood for something exciting that can keep away from being as shallow asmost action-thrillers in Hollywood are today. I'll definitely recommend this one if people ask, and it's one of Hitchcock's best.