Monday, January 31, 2011

Movie of the Week - North by Northwest

This week’s movie is North by Northwest (1959).

The mystery thriller is about a New York advertising man, Roger Thornhill, who is mistaken for a spy by a group of criminals. Now, chased by both the police and the criminals, he must find the man who he has been mistaken for and try to survive. The film is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most revered and is among AFI’s top 100. Hitchcock collaborates with excellent composer Bernard Herrmann and cinematographer Robert Burks, both of whom worked consistently with Hitchcock on a number of his films. Production designer Robert Boyle only worked once with him, this film also was one of his first production design jobs (though he had worked on many previous film as an art director). The film has a fantastic cast – starring Cary Grant (his fourth and final Hitchcock collaboration) and featuring Eva Marie Saint, James Mason (who Eddie Izzard does a great impression of, about 4:30 in), Martin Landau, Jessie Royce Landis, and Leo G. Carroll. What makes the film great is the wonderful dialog, charisma of Grant and the style of Hitchcock. There are a number of great sequences – a drunken car chase, thrilling crop duster scene and finale on the top of Mt. Rushmore. This is a must see for film fans, Hitchcock fans and Cary Grant fans. It is one of the most entertaining thrillers of all-time. Check out the trailer.

Available on Blu-ray, DVD and to Rent

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