North By Northwest (DVD)

North By Northwest is, at number 23 on the IMDB's greatest films list, one of Alfred Hitchcock's most enduringly popular movies. Made in 1959, it stars Cary Grant as a suave advertising exec fleeing from the police after being caught in the middle of a CIA undercover operation, even though Grant was about 55 years old when it was made! He plays Roger Thornhill, an average kind of guy, albeit with a very well paid job and his own personal secretary. He's going to the theatre with his mother in the evening, but first meeting up with some guys in a hotel for drinks. Suddenly, with no explanation, he is kidnapped and taken to the home of Lester ...  Read the complete review

"I have two wives and a bartender to support" It is hard choosing your all time favourite thing, this film is certainly one of them. But what makes me like it so much? Is it the excellent cast? Hitchcock's pacey direction (or is it misdirection)? Is it the chase by the crop-duster? Or is it because a picture of Cary Grant was included in the creative writing section of my 'O' Level English exam, about which I wrote a story (I had not seen the film at the time) and passed with an A? Whatever the reason may be, this will remain one of Hitchcock's most memorable films. "North by Northwest" contains all the instantly ...  Read the complete review

note: also appears on The Student Room and Flixster Alfred Hitchcock is a master of suspense, and any of his many great films, chiefly, Psycho, Vertigo, and Rope, would rank as his best, but there is one that is undeniably the most entertaining. North by Northwest is an absolute juggernaught of suspense, and is by far his most action packed film. It's also incredibly iconic, particularly as it pertains to its famous crop-duster chase sequence, its lead star - Cary Grant - and its classic romance story. Grant's performance here is among the best of his career, and combines with arguably Hitchcock's best effort also. The sheer style, the exuberance ...  Read the complete review

'From the killer plane in the cornfield to the cliff-hanger on George Washington's nose, it's suspense in every direction!' North By Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock's classic comedy thriller, was first released in 1959 and written by Ernest Lehman. A 'man on the run' adventure in the vein of 'The 39 Steps' with plenty of suspenseful twists and turns, North By Northwest revolves around mild New York advertising executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant). After stopping off for drinks at the Plaza Hotel after work, Thornhill attracts the attention of a bellboy in order to send a telegram. Unfortunately for Thornhill this coincides with the bellboy asking for a certain ...  Read the complete review

Every year there is one film, along with The Great Escape and The Sound of Music, that is guaranteed to make my Radio Times highlighted list of "things I will watch this Christmas" (because obviously I need to see the other two for the 1,283rd time). That film is North By Northwest. And yet every year I would somehow manage to tune in 45 minutes after the start of the film and in my Allen-esque way, refuse to watch the rest (it's incomprehensible by then anyway). A hangover, a DVD and a year later, and having seen and loved it, this year... I tuned in right on time. :) Hitchcock's suspense/romantic comedy/drama is a film deserving of its classic ...  Read the complete review