Favourite Thing: Right Up Lincoln's Nose (North By Northwest (DVD))

Name: gerb

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Product:	North By Northwest (DVD)
Date:	17/07/02 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hitch at his best?

Disadvantages: None

"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 recognisable Hitchcock trademarks and plot devices. Predominantly; mistaken identity and the innocent man accused and alone in the World, the chase across country (check out the "39 Steps" and "Saboteur"), the icy cool blond, in this case Eve Marie Saint, following on from the likes of Grace Kelly and Madeleine Carrol, and blatant sexual innuendo (check out the train going through the tunnel at the end of this film). Of course, the best tradition of a Hitchcock film there is the misdirection. Just when you think you have a grasp on the plot-even when it is explained to you what is happening, it changes and you are left as confused and unsure as the victim. The title itself points to the confusion, there being no such defined direction. So be prepared, by the end of this opinion, although you may end up as confused as Cary Grant, but hopefully that will only serve to make you want to make you watch the film more!

"North by Northwest" concerns the events and coincidences that cause the life Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant), a self centred and rude Manhattan advertising executive, to be turned upside down and involve him in a web of intrigue, deceit and murder. Here is a man who at the start cares for no one but himself, his life organised through the office diary. Bu
t we watch as his identity is stripped away and is slowly replaced with that of a man who nobody has ever seen, and how he finds himself alone has to fight against all the odds to prove his innocence. And, surprisingly, you watch as he becomes a more likeable person.

We first encounter Thornhill emerging from his office, in a rush to get to a business lunch at the Plaza Hotel, and still rapidly firing off memos to Maggie, his secretary (Doreen Land). At the hotel he needs to telegram his mother, and beckons over a bellboy who at that moment is walking round the bar paging a George Kaplan. He is watched by the two sinister looking thugs standing in the lobby who, believing him to be Kaplan strong-arm him into a waiting car. Bemused drive him out to a country estate, owned, says the sign, by a Lester Townsend. In the house, Thornhill is introduced to who he believes is Townsend, but who we know to really be Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) a foreign spy who deals in stolen American secrets. Despite all his protestations as to his real identity, Vandamm believes Thornhill to be George Kaplan, a federal agent he has been tracking across America and who is supposed to be following them to Chicago. So the decision is to eliminate "Kaplan". As ever in the movies, this is not done with any logical or simple method (James Bond tied to a table about to be cut in two by laser for example). It is far easier to shoot these people and be done with it. Instead, Leonard (Martin Landau) one of Vandamm's thugs pours a bottle of bourbon down Thornhill's throat, puts him in a car and points him to a cliff. But he gets away and is promptly arrested for drunk driving. Not surprisingly his story is disbelieved, and his guilt is further proven when together with the police (and his mother) he returns to the Townsend estate where he is greeted as "Mr Kaplan."

So what can he do? Go looking for George Kaplan of course. So, with his mother in tow (h
e had to bribe her to accompany him) he gains entry to Kaplan's hotel room, which does show evidence of occupancy. The problem is both the maid and the valet believe him to be George Kaplan. He wonders if he looks like Kaplan, or indeed if anyone has actually seen Kaplan. Confused? It gets worse and not just for Thornhill! What now? Contact Lester Townsend of course. He is giving a speech at the UN. But it is the real Townsend, and Thornhill is confused as he has never met him. And to further complicate matters, a knife thrown by one of Vandamm's thugs and meant for Thornhill ends up in Townsend's back, killing him instantly. Can it get any worse? Of course it can, this is a Hitchcock movie after all. Thornhill is photographed with the knife in his hand (this ends up on the front page of the newspapers) and finds himself accused of murder.

Thornhill now finds himself in the situation of being on the run from the police and foreign espionage agents, with nobody to believe his story and nobody to help him. The day before he had everything he wanted and now he is a hunted man alone in the world. What can he do? Nothing for it of course but to run. And this he does by getting the next train to Chicago apparently Kaplan's next stop.

And slow fade to a conference room somewhere in CIA headquarters. And here we get an explanation of what has happened so far in the film. But do not be fooled there is still more confusion and misdirection to come. Kaplan, it would appear is being used by the CIA as a decoy to draw attention away from their real agent. They rather cynically are prepared to let Thornhill be chased, knowing full well he is likely to be killed in order to protect their agents. To a certain extent, this scene appears superfluous, personally I would have preferred to remain in the dark about Kaplan and his involvement.

But help is soon at hand. Cut back to the station. Thornhill has been recognised (in spite of "di
sguising" himself with a pair of sunglasses) and is forced by circumstances to jump on the train, ticket-less. Enter the blond, Eve Kendall (Eve Marie Saint). She admits to knowing who Thornhill is yet she hides him from the police in her compartment, where he stays the night. So why is she helping him? Whose side is she on? More importantly who is the recipient of the note she sends to another compartment during the night?

"What do I do with him in the morning? Eve"

What indeed?

So the scene is set; Thornhill has an ally at last. But we still do not know Eve's motives, the police still believe him to be a murderer, and Vandamm believes him to be Kaplan. The only thing we can be sure of is that he is not Kaplan, but that is a far as it goes. But as ever, the answers are there for you to see, it is just a matter of how you interpret them. With Hitchcock you are never too sure of the outcome of a situation. He keeps you guessing all the way,

Did you keep up? Are you confused? I think I am and I have seen this film countless times. And it is not even half way through! I am not going to give away any more of the plot, you will have to watch the film yourselves to see how Thornhill fares and to find out the identity of Kaplan. I would recommend you watch this though. There are some great performances especially from Cary Grant, showing us once again that he is adept at playing bemused (check out "Arsenic and Old Lace" to see him at his surprised best). And then there is Martin Landau, suitably malevolent as Leonard, I am never too sure of the women in Hitchcock's film. We all know he had an obsession with blondes, and picks them on the basis of their looks rather than their abilities, but then I was never a big fan of Eve Marie Saint anyway hopefully you will not find that too sacriligeous). And of course there are the famous set pieces: Cary Grant chased through a field of corn by a crop duster airc
raft, and the final scene played out on Lincoln's face at Mount Rushmore (an alternative working title was "The Man on Lincoln's Nose"). For all its malevolent undertones, the screenplay (by Ernest Lehman) manages to come across with a certain light-heartedness which Grant plays to perfection (see also "To Catch a Thief" his previous outing with Hitchcock). Plus you get a great score by Bernard Hermann and titles by Saul Bass.

And my essay? Suffice to say this film has stood the test of time, unlike my essay. No doubt it was pulped and recycled into a maths textbook. Far more useful!

Jill Murphy asked me to write about one of my favourite things to help her celebrate her fourth anniversary of cancer-free living and to remind ourselves of all the nice things in the world. It takes more muscles to make a frown than a smile you know. If you'd like to join in, whether you've only just joined dooyoo, or you've been here ages, you're more than welcome. Just write about one of YOUR favourite things, make your title "A Favourite Thing: [your choice]" and include this paragraph at the foot of your opinion. And post before Friday, 9th August."

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