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North by Northwest

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North by Northwest (1959)

July. 08,1959
|
8.3
|
NR
| Adventure Thriller Mystery
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Advertising man Roger Thornhill is mistaken for a spy, triggering a deadly cross-country chase.

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Artivels
1959/07/08

Undescribable Perfection

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Micitype
1959/07/09

Pretty Good

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Matialth
1959/07/10

Good concept, poorly executed.

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Console
1959/07/11

best movie i've ever seen.

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Steven Torrey
1959/07/12

Like all absurdist theatre, this is suffused with comedy. It is absurd like Gregor Samsa turned into a cockroach. Absurd like the prophet Job tested by God at the behest of Satan to test Job's faith. And we all know by now, that the Book of Job should be read with a laugh track: Eliphar, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu provide irrelevant (and hence unintended absurdist comedy) commentary to Job's affliction. Absurdist like the twists and turns of Oliver Twist... You get the idea.Cary Grant is not playing Cary Grant, he really plays a man bewildered by the chain of events that have beset him. Watch his facial expression as he is drunk driving the car and drunk in the police station; that is acting. He plays the role of absurdity straight, unaware till the end of the parameters of the absurd. And there is nothing more absurd than the spy agencies with the numerous twists and turns in the defense of a nation's integrity. And in the end, the assertion of love (Grant & Eva Marie Saint) is an assertion of sanity and denial of absurdity.But there is unmistakable and intentional comedy in the auction scene where Grant seemingly channels Leo G. Carroll's TV Cosmo Topper's vocal cadences in making irrelevant bids which end up as absurdist non-sequiturs just as Cosmo Topper did. And Grant played the role of ghost George Kirby to Roland Young's Cosmos Topper; while Leo G. Carroll was the TV Cosmo Topper; now that is Hitchcock comedy at its finest!How long should the drama be? As long as it takes to explain something. And sure enough, each part of the unfolding drama contains the needed time for the suspense: the endless road in the corn field adds for the cinematic suspense as does the lone individual waiting for a bus. ("Waiting for Godot") The scene in the Restaurant where Eva Marie Saint shoots Grant with a fake gun. ("The Sting")The scene with Eva Marie Saint in the Hotel Room. The scene at the house just before he warns Eva Marie Saint, that she has been found out. And so on. Each of these scenes have suspense from beginning to end. Even as they harken to other dramatic performances encapsulating absurdity, even if planned absurdity as in "The Sting." This may be Grant's best and finest performance; this may be Hitchcock's best and finest film production, to rival "The 39 Steps". the cast of Grant, Mason, and Eva Marie Saint give the proper balance; Leo G. Carroll is a plus.

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mysbehaviour-87117
1959/07/13

Fast fast speed speed quick quick moving movie

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frankwiener
1959/07/14

Wedged in between the making of two very serious, psychological suspense films, "Vertigo" and "Psycho", director Alfred Hitchcock created a very different kind of thriller, one consisting largely of comedy, both subtle and obvious, thanks in part to the talent of scriptwriter, Ernest Lehman. As a writer of fiction, I was very intrigued that Hitchcock and Lehman started with three seemingly unrelated ideas, (1) a mistaken identity, (2) a chase scene through the United Nations, and (3) a spectacular finale at Mount Rushmore. I'm not suggesting that I have the talent of Ernest Lehman, who wrote the screenplays for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", "Sabrina", and a half dozen or more of the most successful Broadway musicals made for the cinema, but that's exactly how I write my fiction. I take isolated, real events from my own life, and I try to connect them into some form of coherence.As in the case of many of the best films, the success of "North By Northwest" is shaped by a combination of winning components, including one of the most gifted directors, a sharp, snappy screenplay by Lehman, superb cinematography by Robert Burks, an effectively moody musical score by Bernard Hermann, and first-rate casting.As to the acting, I have seen Cary Grant in many movies, including a number of mediocre items and even worse than that, but he provides the perfect Roger Thornhill with his dry, natural wit and suave, elegant appearance. Whenever I am faced with life's adversities, I only need to recall how Roger would approach the situation with his coolness and muted sense of humor. The fact that Grant did not understand Lehman's script only authenticates his genuine state of confusion as he is pursued from New York City to Rapid City, South Dakota by way of Chicago and some Illinois cornfields. As the mysterious Eve Kendall, lovely Eva Marie Saint is a very different woman from her Oscar winning performance as Edie Doyle in "On the Waterfront", and she never ceases to intrigue us here even after many viewings. And who could deliver those caustic, cynical lines as well as James Mason in the part of the deceptively "respectable" villain, Philip van Damm?Throughout the film, subtle undercurrents persistently flow beneath the surface, including Thornhill's strange relationship with his mother (Jesse Royce Landis), which may by itself explain his previous two divorces, and the peculiar jealousy of van Damm's assistant thug, Leonard (Martin Landau). Having the "guts" in 1959 to interpret the role as an effeminate homosexual with a crush on his boss, Landau casts his Hollywood career to the wind, and the gamble thankfully paid off for him. And how about that final scene of the train shooting through the dark tunnel? When I first viewed this film in 1959 at the age of ten, I didn't get he symbolism, but I was still very impressed by the unforgettable visuals. As talented as Alfred Hitchcock was as a director, much of his success is attributed to his extraordinary trust in the ability of others and to his persistence in finding the right people for the right job. The end result is a long list of extremely entertaining movies that continue to endure the test of time.

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AugustGib
1959/07/15

This is a masterpiece in the way the narrative is handled, one of Hitchcock's best films. This film is home to some of the most memorable shots in cinematic history, for me. More specifically; the aerial establishing shots outside of the UN. The influence that Hitchcock has had, with his unique directing style, in many contemporary films. I've seen more than a few Cary Grant films, as well, and this is my favorite. That he has starred in.

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