Roger Thornhill is definitely one of my favorite characters in cinema. He’s cool, calm, thinks a few steps ahead even though he’s confused half the time. And like you said, very Bond-like.
We just watched North by NorthWest last week (for the first time). Thoroughly enjoyed it. It was suspenseful, exciting, enigmatic, beautiful and Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint are very watchable
North By Northwest was the first Hitchcock film I saw after watching some Alfred Hitchcock Presents. But what I also enjoy about Hitchcock is how he takes part of promotions himself which I think shows how much he loves his own films.
@@flickfanatics7948 have you ever seen the 1963 movie Charade? It feels like a Hitchcock movie and I was amazed he didn't direct it. Either way its worth checking out!
I've got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don't intend to disappoint them all by getting myself “slightly” killed
I have watched North by Northwest several times through the years. It’s been said over and over no such direction exists on a compass. I’m again watching it now and when Roger T. Is flying from O’Hare to Rapid City, why he’s flying out Northwest Airlines. Get it. He’s going North by Northwest Airlines. I’m pretty slow at times.
Finally somebody else noticed what I saw. And the fact that the shot of the professor arriving to take him north, hovers for quite a few seconds on the large-lettered NORTHWEST sign. However, if you google the meaning of the title, there are an infinite number of explanations on a variety of sites, yet none of them mentions the Airlines name.
What a wonderful synopsis of the joys of NxNW as well as an excellent comparison with the other films in his catalog. Fabulous job Flick Fanatics. It's people like you that gives me a good sense that the merits of classic cinema will live on forever. Thank you.
Vertigo is visually fantastic , the problem is that the plot of the movie is too unrealistic but Hitchcock I think once said that , the credibility of a story is less important than the value of entertainment and suspense , I'm ambivalent about that issue !
North By NorthWest is incredible and is definitely a top 5 Hitchcock but I think it's tough to pick his single best film. Most people would say Vertigo but I'll just do a top 5: 1. Vertigo 2. Psycho 3. North By Northwest 4. Shadow of a Doubt 5. Strangers on a Train
Branded To Troll, Your list seems pretty OK to me, but I would still vote North By Northwest to be number one. It surprises the one, who watches it, several times and it is extremily entertaining film. The action in this film happens in several very different surroundings, which makes this film very versatile. I would put Vertigo and Psycho to devide the second spot and The Rear Window to be next in my list.
Thanks for this intelligent, thoughtful review of one of my favorite Hitchcock films. "Notorious" is probably my favorite, partly because I've always thought Ingrid Bergman was brilliant, and dazzlingly beautiful. There's a great documentary about her, entitled "Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words."
I like The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps best. For his American films the best are certainly Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, The Birds and Rear Window. Strangers on a Train is good too.
Thank you! This is also my favorite Hitchcock film, and I've seen about 35 of them. It's the most re-watchable and most playful and exciting. The score is epic. The leads are perfect. It's like he took the blueprint for The 39 Steps and Saboteur and took it to the next next level. It just fires on all cylinders. (Psycho is also my 2nd favorite and Vertigo would be 3rd, even though I understand people who say Vertigo is the best film of all time.)
I don't know if it his best film, I think The 39 Steps is up there also. But it is surely in the top five. Cary Grant and Eva Maria Saint were just wonderfully cast.
I loved your comment about this film being the best Bond movie that never was. It is just fantastic! I saw it on the big screen just a week ago. Wow is not enough of an expression. I wished it never ended.
I saw a bunch of films during the first ten or eleven years of my life that have all stuck with me and remain my favourites, and all because they were each in some way different or unique. North by Northwest is one. The others are The Vikings, The Mark of Zorro (Tyrone Power version), For a Fist Full of Dollars, Them!, and This Island Earth. There were certainly better films than these down the years, but none that I would happily watch again every time they pop up on the telly. Each one is, for me, the best example of its type.
Love a review that celebrates this movie, one of Hitch's Top 3, imo (the other two being "Notorious" and "Psycho"). I love this movie for all the reasons you state. I would put Bergman's character in Notorious slightly above Eve Kendall, but, fair enough. NxNW is Hitch's most purely enjoyable film, and that should count for something.
Personally I think Rebecca and Vertigo are his best films, for many reasons, however North By Northwest is without a doubt his most entertaining, it's amazingly well done
Love your channel! Interesting take, I don't have North by Northwest in such high regard, because I don't particularly enjoy Eva Marie Saint for some reason haha... My personal fav from Hitch is Notorious, followed by Psycho... I think just like you made an argument for North by Northwest being his most unique film, same could be said for Notorious imo. It has an emotional sensibility and 'heart' that I did not find in any of his other films. And just as you love Eva Marie Saint, I love Ingrid Bergman :)
Great! I think I feel slightly the opposite way to you, I like this one more because I felt Notorious was a bit cold hahaha, this shows just how subjective films can be :)
Not that this matters to anyone but me, somehow Eva Marie Saint and Tippi Hedren don't seem to possess the dangerous beauty that Ingrid Bergman and Grace Kelly have. However, I regard all four as superb actors.
Couldn't disagree more. Plus Eva Marie Saint was married to the same man all her life, while Ingrid Bergman was an unfaithful wh_re, with multiple extramarital affairs under her oft-removed belt. Plus, Eva Marie Saint was much better looking, and was the best of the Hitchcock blonds. Whilst Bergman wasn't even a blond.
@@JT-rx1eo Yeah so now we're judging somone's artistic merit by their personal marital lives and by who was better looking?😂Ingrid Bergman isn't the typical Hollywood beauty, she's more... her on-screen charisma is up there with the greatest to ever do it.
From the lion roar in the opening credits to highly suggestive train going into the tunnel at the end, this movie is so much fun and attention grabbing entertainment.
This movie was brilliant!! Not to many people nowadays watch classics, but this movie wasn’t my first, my first was To Catch A Thief, and I love that movie also. I love how family guy reference North By Northwest in the one episode with Mel Gibson
Hitchcock never gets enough credit for his comedy, but within dramas, or tragedies , just not on the level of dr Strangelove. Hitxh just had a wicked, subversive dark humor.
My Personal Hitchcock ranking 1: Vertigo 2: Rear Window 3: Psycho 4: Notorious 5: North By Northwest 6: Strangers On A Train 7: Rope 8: Dial M For Murder 9: The Man Who Knew Too Much(34’). Still need to watch Lifeboat and the Birds
I always look at this as like a James Bond prototype.. with added humour. Love this film love Cary Grant. The film looks spectacular and before its time. Such a shame many people will never give it a chance but i love it. My fave Hitvhcick film too and though i am critical with film ratings... this one is hard to find fault with :)
@@flickfanatics7948 I found John very unlikable in the second half. I know that's the point but I couldn't connect with him in the last hour of the film. I respect the film though.
Interesting take. I gotta rewatch this. For me the peak of Hitchcock is rear window but this is up there Edit: i have rewatched now and thoroughoy enjoyed it, probably more than the last time. Loved the characters, scenario, and especially the dialogue. Very fun watch
I really enjoyed listening to your multi level analysis, especially while seeing and hearing many scenes, thanx so much. North By Northwest is one of my ten favorite color movies ever made. So why has Vertigo been receiving most of the cinematic praise and glory for the past few decades at least? Most likely its because Vertigo has been much more emotionally and subliminally relatable to more people?
It shouldn't take more than one viewing 'Vertigo' to appreciate that conveying to audiences the complexity of the psychological/emotional factor of "Scottie" Ferguson in the narrative indeed makes for great filmmaking. It arguably would have been less challenging to do so for 'Psycho.'
Loved this review my friend. Greatly educational, informative review that I wished was a lot longer. Oh by the way, I live here in San Francisco and got the chance to watch Hitchcock in 1957 shoot the scene in Vertigo where Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart visit Mission Delores on Delores St. I was 10 years old my aunt lived just a few blocks from there and invited me and my brother over to watch them film. It was really exciting for us kids to see Stewart because he had been in so many westerns at that point in his career. But the actual filming itself was kinda boring. The finished product was not . Just thought I'd share that
I’ve never understood why Hitchcock’s films are held in such high esteem. With the exception of “Psycho” and maybe one more, his contrived drawing room mysteries and indulgent fictions seem not just dated but dowdy and superficial now. “North by Northwest” is one film that exemplifies all that I find off-putting about his films. Allow me to challenge orthodoxy that has this film in the "classic" category. The plot of this “spy thriller” strains for complexity, the performances are mostly stilted, and the dramatic action so contrived and manipulative that it’s absurd. I’ve read analyses and critical commentary praising the film and even suggesting it’s sophisticated self-parody. Self-indulgent, maybe, but I wouldn’t give it too much credit for parody. Even if I allowed that Hitchcock might be engaged in some kind of subversive spoof of action/thriller films, it wouldn’t acquit the film, because it’s not subversive enough or funny enough to surpass the range of shallow entertainment. And the oft-cited “suspense” in this is really just more creaky contrivance, not genuine emotional edginess. What I will give credit to is the cinematography at times, such as in the scene where Thornhill is dropped off by a bus at a remote country location and ends up battling a crop plane equipped with machine guns. The action is still preposterous, but the visuals are nicely done. Hitchcock seems to pick leading men who are reflective of his indulgence in theatrical artifice. James Stewart and Cary Grant speak in this mannered, stagey vocal delivery that is like a parody of themselves acting. James Mason, a good actor, can never modify his own upper crust British accent very much to fit with a villainous character. Meanwhile, the blond leading ladies are inevitably gorgeous, with hair and makeup always done to perfection, and lacking real three-dimensional human qualities. They have limited traits and behavioral options, shifting from icy to mysterious to promiscuous-qualities that Hitchcock seems to have found seductive. The final “action” scene at a mockup of Mount Rushmore is so artificial and melodramatic, with a loud orchestral music imposed on the action, that it’s downright laughable. While the scene was playing out, improbable as it could be, I found myself envisioning the orchestra playing at max volume with a conductor waving his arms wildly to build the passion of this musical hyperbole. (Maybe this is the comedy that so many critics rave about in lauding the film.) Yet, this kind of indulgent hyper-drama with bombastic music practically drowning out the visual spectacle, represents the ludicrous qualities of the entire film. If it’s entirely a spoof by Hitchcock, then it’s pretty hollow entertainment. If it’s mostly serious, then it’s just phony and pretentious.
Love north by northwest. I didnt really like Notorious and felt that Psycho was okay. Not a big fan of hitchcock but north by northwest was entertaining as hell and Im going to watch it again probably for a lot of times
I agree that this is Hitchcock’s best film. I also loved the auction scene. My favorite line is: “I thought you collected corpses.” The comparison to Bond is interesting but this movie is far superior to any Bond movie ever made and Eva Marie Saint is the greatest Bond girl of all time. By the way, From Russia with Love ripped off the crop duster scene from North by Northwest.
If you havent already seen it, please check out, That Man From Rio - 1964 and tell me/us what you think. Its a truly great movie that never stops moving forward with really breathtaking color cinematography filmed within various international locations.
Imo NBN is the midpoint (literally and in a narrative way) between Vertigo and Psycho. The shifting plot and location of the former and the suspense and danger of the latter. Just feels like a maxed out film tbh
If NbyNW is your #1, and Psycho is #2, what, pray tell, is your #3 film by the Master? P.S. So far we agree on the first two, but #3 is a wee bit harder for me to decide upon ... you?
My favorite Hitchcock movie and one of the GOAT movies. True to form, Hitchcock draws you in immediately and keeps the suspense building. He finishes off with some witty ending too. The true master.
Psycho was not perfect because there was a slow stretch at the 3/4 mark but oddly enough I still vote it as his best. North By Northwest was similar to Vertigo in the sense that it was a long film but still perfect all the way.
I recall seeing this when i was 12-13 years old and recall how boring this was until the end. Today at 59 it still not a film that would be my first choice . I'll go with Rear Windows or Vertigo
N by NW is the quintessence of the Hitchcock 'traveling' or picaresque film. 39 Steps set the mold and The Saboteur 'Americanized it' and is full of wonderful 'bits' but has an aura of B-String acting and a bit too much borrowing. This film's rhythm of humor and suspense is sheer delight.
Hitchcock would have been brilliant directing a Bond movie with Connery. There is information or some mcguffin or uncovering a plot or sceam. There is a love interest that is involved in this who tag's along and alot of travelling to different stunning locations. Action set pieces and just the look of the characters etc. If I was a director about to do the next Bond movie, this would be one of my biggest inspirations. Good analysis!!!
We could call north by northwest the first James bond film before the character was created! Also the same actor that plays the chief is not defending Maxwell smart! Instead they are trying to find George Kaplan!
North By Northwest is no doubt my favorite Hitchcock film. Sure, I love Psycho and The Birds, they're all great classics, but this film takes the cake.
![Tour the North by Northwest Home [CG Tour]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/284iZJ0zzts/mqdefault.jpg)
Roger Thornhill is definitely one of my favorite characters in cinema. He’s cool, calm, thinks a few steps ahead even though he’s confused half the time. And like you said, very Bond-like.
Absolutely!
The idea of James Bond came from Cary Grant's movies The Grass is Greener & North By Northwest
@@nancyperlman3884 Thats for sure.....
Charade came out just after Dr No. It’s also very Bond
Charade came out just after Dr No. It’s also very Bond
We just watched North by NorthWest last week (for the first time). Thoroughly enjoyed it. It was suspenseful, exciting, enigmatic, beautiful and Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint are very watchable
The sublime Eva Marie Saint will be 100 on July 4th, 2024. Her talent and appeal is timeless.
Yay she made it! 💯 Hopefully to enjoy the fireworks
Vertigo and North by Northwest are both absolute legends!
North By Northwest was the first Hitchcock film I saw after watching some Alfred Hitchcock Presents. But what I also enjoy about Hitchcock is how he takes part of promotions himself which I think shows how much he loves his own films.
Absolutely!
He also made cameo appearances in both North By Northwest & To Catch A Thief
I hope Taiki that you have seen more Alfred Hitchock films because there are many great ones, about thirty I would reckon.
As I understand it, the Master lent his name to the tv series, but did not produce or direct any episodes.
@@nancyperlman3884"The Birds" coming out of the pet store.
This is my favorite Hitchcock film and I'm so glad someone else FINALLY agrees!!!!!!
Brilliant!
I just watched it last night, and oh boy, it's definitely his best work!
@@flickfanatics7948 have you ever seen the 1963 movie Charade? It feels like a Hitchcock movie and I was amazed he didn't direct it. Either way its worth checking out!
@@itszaque yes Charade is a great movie
@@65g4 Man, I say you everywhere, but you are writing good stuff, so I am fine with that :D
Vertigo IS a masterpiece but I loved every single second of north by northwest.
North By Northwest is the first Hitchcock movie I saw and loved it
Great review, I’ve seen this movie over 40 times, and it’s still one of the best movies of all time, and the crop duster scene is outstanding.
Wow! That's a lot of viewing. Alfred Hitchcock would be proud of you.
I've got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don't intend to disappoint them all by getting myself “slightly” killed
I have watched North by Northwest several times through the years. It’s been said over and over no such direction exists on a compass. I’m again watching it now and when Roger T. Is flying from O’Hare to Rapid City, why he’s flying out Northwest Airlines. Get it. He’s going North by Northwest Airlines. I’m pretty slow at times.
Finally somebody else noticed what I saw. And the fact that the shot of the professor arriving to take him north, hovers for quite a few seconds on the large-lettered NORTHWEST sign. However, if you google the meaning of the title, there are an infinite number of explanations on a variety of sites, yet none of them mentions the Airlines name.
not slow at all. Anyway, there's also Hamlet's "i am but mad North-Northwest".
It was called Northwest Orient Airlines!!!!!
It was Midway Airport, not O'Hare.
Well said! My sentiments as well :) Truly the greatest of the Bond-Spy-Mystery-Hero films ever made!
What a wonderful synopsis of the joys of NxNW as well as an excellent comparison with the other films in his catalog. Fabulous job Flick Fanatics. It's people like you that gives me a good sense that the merits of classic cinema will live on forever. Thank you.
This is also my favorite from Hitchcock, and it’s his most “perfect” movie. Though I’d argue that Vertigo is his best.
Vertigo is more artistique.....NBNW is pure entertainment.
Vertigo is def the bset
Vertigo is definitely his best “LOOKING” film
Vertigo is visually fantastic , the problem is that the plot of the movie is too unrealistic but Hitchcock I think once said that , the credibility of a story is less important than the value of entertainment and suspense , I'm ambivalent about that issue !
We have been forever blessed that there was a Hitchcock that gave us incredible films.
North By NorthWest is incredible and is definitely a top 5 Hitchcock but I think it's tough to pick his single best film. Most people would say Vertigo but I'll just do a top 5:
1. Vertigo
2. Psycho
3. North By Northwest
4. Shadow of a Doubt
5. Strangers on a Train
It says a lot about Hitchcock that you can make a legitimate top 5 list and leave off Rear Window, although I would not
My favourite 5 too
Branded To Troll, Your list seems pretty OK to me, but I would still vote North By Northwest to be number one. It surprises the one, who watches it, several times and it is extremily entertaining film. The action in this film happens in several very different surroundings, which makes this film very versatile. I would put Vertigo and Psycho to devide the second spot and The Rear Window to be next in my list.
Oh how i wish Psycho was filmed in color and ive actually seen a colorized sequence of Psycho, the shower scene and it was awesome.
Dial M For Murder would be mine
Thanks for this intelligent, thoughtful review of one of my favorite Hitchcock films. "Notorious" is probably my favorite, partly because I've always thought Ingrid Bergman was brilliant, and dazzlingly beautiful. There's a great documentary about her, entitled "Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words."
Shadow of a Doubt is my personal favorite, but I also feel like North By Northwest deserves the same shine Psycho and Vertigo gets when discussed
I love all of them to be honest :)
@Randy White I'll need a ink to those lists
Shadow Of A Doubt was also Hitchcock's personal favorite.
I had the pleasure of watching the 65th anniversary showing of North by Northwest in the theater tonight and it was sensational.
I just saw it this week as well. The screening had some snafus but there is no denying how great the film is.
One of my favs
Fun ride, and it is wonderful to see all the old things, clothes, cars, buildings.
Good video well done just watched the film myself really enjoyed it
I like The Lady Vanishes and The 39 Steps best. For his American films the best are certainly Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, The Birds and Rear Window. Strangers on a Train is good too.
Strangers on a Train is seriously good. One of his more overlooked films
The score! By Bernard Herrman (sp.?).
I saw this last night, and I can tell is pretty awesome. I was a more James Bondie movie than those whose protagonist was 007.
Thank you! This is also my favorite Hitchcock film, and I've seen about 35 of them. It's the most re-watchable and most playful and exciting. The score is epic. The leads are perfect. It's like he took the blueprint for The 39 Steps and Saboteur and took it to the next next level. It just fires on all cylinders. (Psycho is also my 2nd favorite and Vertigo would be 3rd, even though I understand people who say Vertigo is the best film of all time.)
I don't know if it his best film, I think The 39 Steps is up there also. But it is surely in the top five. Cary Grant and Eva Maria Saint were just wonderfully cast.
I loved your comment about this film being the best Bond movie that never was. It is just fantastic! I saw it on the big screen just a week ago. Wow is not enough of an expression. I wished it never ended.
I saw a bunch of films during the first ten or eleven years of my life that have all stuck with me and remain my favourites, and all because they were each in some way different or unique. North by Northwest is one. The others are The Vikings, The Mark of Zorro (Tyrone Power version), For a Fist Full of Dollars, Them!, and This Island Earth. There were certainly better films than these down the years, but none that I would happily watch again every time they pop up on the telly. Each one is, for me, the best example of its type.
Yes...Them!...and i'll add the 1950s creature from the black lagoon and invaders from mars.
My favorite Hitchcock:
1. North by Northwest
2. Rear Window
3. Vertigo
My fav Hitchcock film too. Absolutely Bostin 👌👍👋
Epic classic.. Cary was a titan of class.
Love a review that celebrates this movie, one of Hitch's Top 3, imo (the other two being "Notorious" and "Psycho"). I love this movie for all the reasons you state. I would put Bergman's character in Notorious slightly above Eve Kendall, but, fair enough. NxNW is Hitch's most purely enjoyable film, and that should count for something.
Personally I think Rebecca and Vertigo are his best films, for many reasons, however North By Northwest is without a doubt his most entertaining, it's amazingly well done
Love your channel! Interesting take, I don't have North by Northwest in such high regard, because I don't particularly enjoy Eva Marie Saint for some reason haha... My personal fav from Hitch is Notorious, followed by Psycho... I think just like you made an argument for North by Northwest being his most unique film, same could be said for Notorious imo. It has an emotional sensibility and 'heart' that I did not find in any of his other films. And just as you love Eva Marie Saint, I love Ingrid Bergman :)
Great! I think I feel slightly the opposite way to you, I like this one more because I felt Notorious was a bit cold hahaha, this shows just how subjective films can be :)
Not that this matters to anyone but me, somehow Eva Marie Saint and Tippi Hedren don't seem to possess the dangerous beauty that Ingrid Bergman and Grace Kelly have. However, I regard all four as superb actors.
Couldn't disagree more. Plus Eva Marie Saint was married to the same man all her life, while Ingrid Bergman was an unfaithful wh_re, with multiple extramarital affairs under her oft-removed belt. Plus, Eva Marie Saint was much better looking, and was the best of the Hitchcock blonds. Whilst Bergman wasn't even a blond.
@@mikeletaurus4728Ingid Bergman a beauty? 😂
@@JT-rx1eo Yeah so now we're judging somone's artistic merit by their personal marital lives and by who
was better looking?😂Ingrid Bergman isn't the typical Hollywood beauty, she's more... her on-screen charisma is up there with the greatest to ever do it.
From the lion roar in the opening credits to highly suggestive train going into the tunnel at the end, this movie is so much fun and attention grabbing entertainment.
Thank you for this fabulous video.
This movie was brilliant!! Not to many people nowadays watch classics, but this movie wasn’t my first, my first was To Catch A Thief, and I love that movie also. I love how family guy reference North By Northwest in the one episode with Mel Gibson
Hitchcock never gets enough credit for his comedy, but within dramas, or tragedies , just not on the level of dr Strangelove. Hitxh just had a wicked, subversive dark humor.
My Personal Hitchcock ranking 1: Vertigo 2: Rear Window 3: Psycho 4: Notorious 5: North By Northwest 6: Strangers On A Train 7: Rope 8: Dial M For Murder 9: The Man Who Knew Too Much(34’). Still need to watch Lifeboat and the Birds
I always look at this as like a James Bond prototype.. with added humour. Love this film love Cary Grant. The film looks spectacular and before its time. Such a shame many people will never give it a chance but i love it. My fave Hitvhcick film too and though i am critical with film ratings... this one is hard to find fault with :)
From time to time I need to bask in pure fantasy fun and what better fantasy fun than a Hitchcock film with Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint?
Vertigo is my least favorite, The Man Who Knew Too much, North by Northwest, Rear Window, and then Psycho is my favorite. Great video.
Thanks! Very interesting that most commonly celebrated one is your least favourite :)
@@flickfanatics7948 I found John very unlikable in the second half. I know that's the point but I couldn't connect with him in the last hour of the film. I respect the film though.
Yes, Vertigo my least favorite :(
You can also watch The birds, The Rope, Lifeboats, DIAL M for murder and so on.
I really like Vertigo! So far my least favorite of his is psycho
Interesting take. I gotta rewatch this. For me the peak of Hitchcock is rear window but this is up there
Edit: i have rewatched now and thoroughoy enjoyed it, probably more than the last time. Loved the characters, scenario, and especially the dialogue. Very fun watch
I really enjoyed listening to your multi level analysis, especially while seeing and hearing many scenes, thanx so much.
North By Northwest is one of my ten favorite color movies ever made.
So why has Vertigo been receiving most of the cinematic praise and glory for the past few decades at least?
Most likely its because Vertigo has been much more emotionally and subliminally relatable to more people?
It shouldn't take more than one viewing 'Vertigo' to appreciate that conveying to audiences the complexity of the psychological/emotional factor of "Scottie" Ferguson in the narrative indeed makes for great filmmaking.
It arguably would have been less challenging to do so for 'Psycho.'
The last train shot. 💀
Wonderful analysis. Right to the point! 👍🏼💯
Thank you!
Loved this review my friend. Greatly educational, informative review that I wished was a lot longer. Oh by the way, I live here in San Francisco and got the
chance to watch Hitchcock in 1957 shoot the scene in Vertigo where Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart visit Mission Delores on Delores St. I was 10 years old
my aunt lived just a few blocks from there and invited me and my brother over to watch them film. It was really exciting for us kids to see Stewart because he had been in so many westerns at that point in his career. But the actual filming itself was kinda boring. The finished product was not . Just thought I'd share
that
My favorite scene is the one Cary Grant is in.
Wink
It's a masterpiece !
"Countless", indeed.
Still, never one to polemicise, I have for decades championed 'Vertigo' and 'Notorious'.
I’ve never understood why Hitchcock’s films are held in such high esteem. With the exception of “Psycho” and maybe one more, his contrived drawing room mysteries and indulgent fictions seem not just dated but dowdy and superficial now. “North by Northwest” is one film that exemplifies all that I find off-putting about his films. Allow me to challenge orthodoxy that has this film in the "classic" category.
The plot of this “spy thriller” strains for complexity, the performances are mostly stilted, and the dramatic action so contrived and manipulative that it’s absurd. I’ve read analyses and critical commentary praising the film and even suggesting it’s sophisticated self-parody. Self-indulgent, maybe, but I wouldn’t give it too much credit for parody. Even if I allowed that Hitchcock might be engaged in some kind of subversive spoof of action/thriller films, it wouldn’t acquit the film, because it’s not subversive enough or funny enough to surpass the range of shallow entertainment. And the oft-cited “suspense” in this is really just more creaky contrivance, not genuine emotional edginess.
What I will give credit to is the cinematography at times, such as in the scene where Thornhill is dropped off by a bus at a remote country location and ends up battling a crop plane equipped with machine guns. The action is still preposterous, but the visuals are nicely done.
Hitchcock seems to pick leading men who are reflective of his indulgence in theatrical artifice. James Stewart and Cary Grant speak in this mannered, stagey vocal delivery that is like a parody of themselves acting. James Mason, a good actor, can never modify his own upper crust British accent very much to fit with a villainous character. Meanwhile, the blond leading ladies are inevitably gorgeous, with hair and makeup always done to perfection, and lacking real three-dimensional human qualities. They have limited traits and behavioral options, shifting from icy to mysterious to promiscuous-qualities that Hitchcock seems to have found seductive.
The final “action” scene at a mockup of Mount Rushmore is so artificial and melodramatic, with a loud orchestral music imposed on the action, that it’s downright laughable. While the scene was playing out, improbable as it could be, I found myself envisioning the orchestra playing at max volume with a conductor waving his arms wildly to build the passion of this musical hyperbole. (Maybe this is the comedy that so many critics rave about in lauding the film.) Yet, this kind of indulgent hyper-drama with bombastic music practically drowning out the visual spectacle, represents the ludicrous qualities of the entire film. If it’s entirely a spoof by Hitchcock, then it’s pretty hollow entertainment. If it’s mostly serious, then it’s just phony and pretentious.
Love north by northwest. I didnt really like Notorious and felt that Psycho was okay. Not a big fan of hitchcock but north by northwest was entertaining as hell and Im going to watch it again probably for a lot of times
You make great comments. Love your analysis! Made me understand the film more.
totally agree
I love this movie nice breakdown
I agree that this is Hitchcock’s best film. I also loved the auction scene. My favorite line is: “I thought you collected corpses.” The comparison to Bond is interesting but this movie is far superior to any Bond movie ever made and Eva Marie Saint is the greatest Bond girl of all time. By the way, From Russia with Love ripped off the crop duster scene from North by Northwest.
the most entertaining film in cinema history (Seven Samurai is alo great entertainment). My own Hitchcock favourite (top 3 overall)
If you havent already seen it, please check out, That Man From Rio - 1964 and tell me/us what you think. Its a truly great movie that never stops moving forward with really breathtaking color cinematography filmed within various international locations.
Imo NBN is the midpoint (literally and in a narrative way) between Vertigo and Psycho. The shifting plot and location of the former and the suspense and danger of the latter. Just feels like a maxed out film tbh
Watching a great film Joy Ride with commentary, and the director mentions Hitchcock quite a bit and mentions north by northwest.
Great analysis; thanks for making it 🙂
My favorite one is Vertigo :)
Me too
This film and Rear Window are Hitchcock's best.
If NbyNW is your #1, and Psycho is #2, what, pray tell, is your #3 film by the Master? P.S. So far we agree on the first two, but #3 is a wee bit harder for me to decide upon ... you?
I don't think this film is best but it's definitely the most entertaining Hitchcock film.
Vertigo.
And the birds and rear window.
My favorite scene is Martin Landau's shoe sliding off Grant's hand after the gunshot. Just a few frames, no gore, message delivered.
Hitchcock’s best movie. Saul Bass’ credits, the music, the house...and that suit.
That goddamn suit, and those shades :)
That stunning house isn't real but a combination of matte painting and stage set.
@@oot007 If it was real, i would have bought it!
And the Sexy Dialogue .....
My favorite Hitchcock movie and one of the GOAT movies. True to form, Hitchcock draws you in immediately and keeps the suspense building. He finishes off with some witty ending too.
The true master.
One of my Hitch favorites. Definitely better than Rear Window.
@D.A.R lol really? No
They are VERY, very close imo. Both masterpieces. Vertigo is a masterpiece too, and the most highly critically acclaimed.
Is there something wrong with your eyes?
Yes, they’re sensitive to questions
Psycho was not perfect because there was a slow stretch at the 3/4 mark but oddly enough I still vote it as his best. North By Northwest was similar to Vertigo in the sense that it was a long film but still perfect all the way.
I totally agree, superb film and director........
Where can I order in Spanish in “North by Northwest” (CD/DVD/Stream)??
My wife is Spanish and I want to introduce her to Alfred Hitchcock.
How did you two meet? You have a minute or two?
I recall seeing this when i was 12-13 years old and recall how boring this was until the end. Today at 59 it still not a film that would be my first choice . I'll go with Rear Windows or Vertigo
as fan of alfred hitchcock, bought most his films
Cary grant = ultimate definition of cool.
You should do a review on one of Kubricks films
My second favorite film of all time, surpassed only slightly by Casablanca.
N by NW is the quintessence of the Hitchcock 'traveling' or picaresque film. 39 Steps set the mold and The Saboteur 'Americanized it' and is full of wonderful 'bits' but has an aura of B-String acting and a bit too much borrowing. This film's rhythm of humor and suspense is sheer delight.
The 39 Steps perfected it.
@@starry2006 A masterwork indeed.
Totally agree!!!
I think Vertigo is Hitchcock's best.
Vertigo is fascinating, but Rear Window is nearly perfect
Hitchcock would have been brilliant directing a Bond movie with Connery. There is information or some mcguffin or uncovering a plot or sceam. There is a love interest that is involved in this who tag's along and alot of travelling to different stunning locations. Action set pieces and just the look of the characters etc. If I was a director about to do the next Bond movie, this would be one of my biggest inspirations. Good analysis!!!
I usually don't like Cary Grant but I like this movie.
That was a great review
North by Northwest is the Americanised version of The 39 Steps. Which is the better film?
Both are good, but North by Northwest is best.
9:00 - 9:17 Amen!
I agree. Thank you!
Good video man
Vertigo is the best
Best!? I need to see this movie
You actually really should. It’s so easy to watch and the film flies by
Huh? I take it you have seen all of his works.
Great video
I watched this film last night and didn’t care for it as much as his others. Definitely his most unique though.
My top 3 favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies are
1. North By Northwest
2. Psycho
3. Rear Window
Nice! I think Rope or Strangers on a Train is my third :)
Personally, my favorite Hitchcock film is “To Catch a Thief”. “North by Northwest” is my second.
We could call north by northwest the first James bond film before the character was created! Also the same actor that plays the chief is not defending Maxwell smart! Instead they are trying to find George Kaplan!
Shadow of a Doubt underated
North By Northwest is no doubt my favorite Hitchcock film. Sure, I love Psycho and The Birds, they're all great classics, but this film takes the cake.
Psycho and North by Northwest are also my favorite Hitchcock films!