Filmmaker reacts to North by Northwest (1959) for the FIRST TIME!
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- Опубліковано 17 гру 2022
- Hope you enjoy my filmmaker reaction to North by Northwest. :D
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Original Movie: North by Northwest (1959)
Ending Song: / charleycoin
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Recently had a great convo with the homie Benoit on his podcast Discover More. Feel free to listen while doing the dishes. Cheers!
Listen to all full-length episodes on audio:
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Apple Music: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/discover-more/id1478666639
Watch the full-length episode here:
ua-cam.com/video/021UQ8JPjfk/v-deo.html
I think you'd really enjoy This is England, it's a very good movie 🤗
the Thin man in the Black suit is Martin Landau who was on TV mission impossible.
the Professor is played by Leo G Caroll the Man from UNCLE TV show,
Even if you have already seen the film "Barry Lyndon"-1975, i would think people would enjoy your take on the beautiful filming and use of natural light. It is 3 hours long but your absorbed into watching it as your just overcome from the visual beauty at times. One of the often overlooked Stanley Kubrick films.
OK, so if you're a fan of film history, you should know that this movie was influential to the original James Bond franchise. So much so that Cary Grant was briefly considered for the lead in Dr No (1962). But if you want to find scenes that were directly inspired by North by Northwest, watch "From Russia with Love," and "For Your Eyes Only."
(That said, I know you have not touched the 007 franchise on your channel. And hey, it could mean that you've already seen the films. But if not, they're worth watching, if not for the fact that Editor Peter Hunt was strongly influenced by the filmography of the late Jean Luc Godard. And furthermore, the franchise had a reputation of promoting its Editors to Director through to the 90s. The early Bond films were a masterclass in post-production of their eras, so I recommend them fully.)
When you first see this movie you think there are an awful lot of cliches there until you realize this is where those cliches originated.
The shot of him running from the plane is one of the most iconic images in all of cinema.
Hitchcock was fascinated by ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. He actually called N by NW a fantasy film. It has a dreamlike nightmare quality to it, but based in genuine fear about who can we trust? and it's ultimately a dreamscape about a man terrified of commitment, suave but mistrustful, until the right dream girl enters the picture. The jump cut at the end clinches that it's all a dream, not in a literal sense, but in a cinematic sense.
Wow, what a great comment! I feel like after reading your insight I can understand the movie a bit better and why it does some of the things it does
Creepy dude was the famous Martin Landau.
Kinda interesting to see how genre-savvy we all are now about spy films, but keep in mind at this time that NxNW was made before the Bond Franchise became a thing and heavily influenced a lot of what eventually became tropes.
Also, Cary Grant's gray flannel single-breasted suit here is considered one of the *BEST* in hollywood history and men's fashion. (And I have to agree.) I think his and Sean Connery's gray suit in Goldfinger are probably my favorites.
"Pay the $2" was a saying which meant that sometimes accepting a penalty is better than fighting it. By the way, the very final shot of the film was symbolic.
One movie I wouldn't want you to overlook is "Charade" (1963) by Stanley Donen, also with Cary Grant. It's not Alfred Hitchcock, but really feels like it could have been. Very fun and twisty.
Also, fun fact: Cary Grant's real name was Archibald Leach. A name so bad that John Cleese borrowed it for his character in the movie "A Fish Called Wanda" (1988), which is another really good film.
Yeah, Charade is a fantastic non-Bond spy film. It's also an interesting story about copyright because before the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act, all copyrighted works legally required a proper copyright notice placed on it. And Universal somehow botched it when it was released. So the film automatically entered the public domain resulting in a buncha copies of the film of varying quality throughout the years.
Charade is also one of my favorites. Suspenseful, funny, and romantic, with a great soundtrack.
I can't believe the train going into a tunnel needs to be explained...
Fun fact regarding Grant and his name:
When someone told Grant all men wish he they could be Cary Grant, he said so does he.
He was very different in real life from his charming extroverted movie persona.
The final shot of the train was retribution because the studio made him change a line from "i like to eat before I talk about sex" to "i like to eat before I talk about love"
Cary Grant mostly known for his comedy but damn when it comes to dramas he instantly kills it very super good!!!
Should do His Girl Friday next
but this is a comedy..at least his role in it is 100% comedic. But generally even in a 'dramatic' role he would take a comedic angle
@@helvete_ingres4717 "I've got two ex-wives & several bartenders dependent upon me" is my favorite line in this movie.
@@billolsen4360 total chad line
@@helvete_ingres4717 🤭
So funny to realize that in the first scene in the mansion between Cary Grant, James Mason, and Martin Landau only Landau ever received a non-honorary academy award. Grant was a genuine movie star and matinee idol who influenced men's style, James Mason had the voice of God and could bring class to any role, and yet Martin Landau who was always around in amazing movies (Cleopatra, North by northwest, the Greatest Story Ever Told, etc.) but didn't have those matinee idol good looks spent so many years elevating anything he was in until he finally won an Oscar for playing Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood, love to see a character actor get their due.
Very good observation.
Landau just disappeared into that role as Bela Lugosi. He really gave that film its heart.
Cary Grant was one of a kind. He was the epitome of class and style for a lead actor. Add on to that Hitchcock and you had a match made in cinema heaven.
I've read somewhere that Hitchcock used his two favourite actors (Grant and James Stewart) for different feelings. Stewart was who he felt he felt he was, Grant was who he wanted to be. So Stewart in more realistic films, the latter in fantasy tales.
The innocent man framed by circumstantial evidence attempting to clear his name while eluding the authorities-this is a story that Hitchcock really specialized in, and more than a few of his films relate variations of it. “North by Northwest” is my personal favorite among his films for sheer entertainment value. I’m glad to see new people discover this great classic.
It is essentially a reworking of The 39 Steps. So many elements of the epic are the same: someone killed with knife in back in presence of the star of the epic, the star is presumed guilty, both police and spies after him, he in pursuit of the after the spies to prove his innocence, escaping on a train north (to Scotland in the former), meets a blonde on the train, causes mayhem in a public audience. Switch chases on the moors for crop dusters and mostly the same pic. Love 39 Steps, but NbNW is top of his game stuff from Hitchcock and his greatest period: mid-late 50s.
But Saboteur, Frenzy are, and though I have not seen it, I presume The Wrong Man, may be similar.
That shot looking down from the UN building while he's running away is a painting. It's a matte shot special effect.
The soundtrack is an absolute banger.
Agreed. Bernard Herrmann is one of my favorite film composers. He did a lot of Hitchcock's films.
YES!!
One of my favorite Spy movies!
The Crop Duster scene is one of the most memorable scenes in film history, and has been spoofed in Family Guy, Robot Chicken, The Simpsons, Futurama, and American Dad.
Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant were briefly considered on making a James Bond, but Grant was in his 50's at the time Dr. No was released and Hitchcock went on to make his slasher thriller Psycho in 1960.
For a great comparison of the crop dusting plane scene with the helicopter scene in "From Russia with love" I recommend this UA-cam clip by
The Royal Ocean Film Society: ua-cam.com/video/-zR1yTLV_XI/v-deo.html
BTW when Thornhill gets shot in public, there is a little boy at a table near by who puts his fingers in his ears before the shots are fired.
I mentioned that too .... I guess Hitch thought it was so funny he didn't edit it out?
Cary Grant's charisma is undeniable, and he pairs well with Eva Marie Saint. But as always, Hitchcock's story telling dominates. My favorite Hitchcock film.
"Charade" features many specific echoes of this film: a man and woman conversing via nearby phone booths, Cary Grant traveling between rooms using the outside of a building, etc.
You know it's a spy movie, it's got the Chief from Get Smart!
Not to sound corny, but I watched this film recently and it was the first film I've seen in a while that gave me a true feeling of adventure.
I always love how AH can weave a comedic moment into suspense when you least expect it. Another great film of his that I’ll watch every time it comes on is “The Man Who Knew Too Much”.
Been waiting for this one! One of my favorites!
Happy to have it up for ya!!
With all the camera movement in the running shots and the crop dusting airplane chasing Cary Grant it's interesting to remember that the VistaVision camera used to photograph this movie was about the size of a refrigerator and weighed as much.
They did mistake him for someone else. It's subtle and easily missed especially if you are younger. Kaplan told his secretary to call his mom. He realizes that his mom won't be in that night so when he is at the hotel bar, he calls the page over to give the secretary the correct phone number. Right as he does this the page says "paging Mr. Thornhill". so when Kaplan holds up his hand to draw the page's attention they naturally think HE is Mr. Thornhill.
BTW this is definitely the template for the James Bond series which started just four years after this came out.
the idea of stretching the duration of sequences you're talking about at around 28:30 that you call 'hyperextension', the pinnacle of this in Hitchcock has to be the climax of Notorious, where he practically makes the final act one walking descent down a staircase that really should NOT take too long. It's also the best Hitchcock film imo, at least it's the most perfect execution of his style even if it's not ground-breaking like Vertigo or Psycho (which have their flaws imo). And it stars Cary Grant too, which is always a good thing. btw I think you were so impressed by the edit from Rushmore to the train that you didn't notice the final shot..
Perhaps Hitchcock's most entertaining film.
Drunken Cary Grant and the auction scene are top tier comedy for the time.
"No, they didn't give me a chaser." 😄
The ending is brilliant. One of my favorite transitions in cinema history.
One of my all-time favorite films!
North by Northwest is in my top 20 favorite movies of all time and my top 50 favorite film scores. Glad you finally got a chance to see it!
Note that books of matches are important several times throughout the film. 1959 was about halfway through the slow post-1952 Supreme Court-ruled death of "production code" restrictions on content, but as in some other Hitchcock films like _Rope_ Leonard is still coded as gay rather than it being stated outright. Roger's mother was played by Jessie Royce Landis, who was only 8 years older than Cary Grant. Like Thelma Ritter (who was in Hitchcock's _Rear Window_ ), she was a delight in almost every film she appeared. Landis was also in Hitchcock's _To Catch a Thief_ , as was Cary Grant, but there she plays the mother of Grace Kelly, who actually was young enough to be her daughter.
This movie has an unstoppable rhythm.
One of my favorite movies. So good! That shot at 16:57 looks like a painting because it actually is. A matte painting shot with the people walking/running composited in. Many movies in the 50s ended that abruptly. There often is not even the tiniest bit of epilogue.
Fun little fact this doy movie had two of the great spy chiefs from 60's TV in it.
Leo G Carrol was Mr Waverly from the man from U.N.C.L.E. and ed platt was the Chief from Get smart.
Love this film, have watched it a hundred times. Just the opening timpani rumbles of Bernard Herrmann's awesome score and the MGM lion roaring against a green background (unusual), can feel my hairs stand on end, and you know you're in for something special...
Also, I love how the action generally does move in a northwesterly direction from NYC up to Illinois to South Dakota (and even within Manhattan, at least initially, from Thornhill's office on 5th Avenue to the Park Plaza hotel).
"It almost looks like an oil Painting" Thats because I believe it was. lol
"that is actually activating a weird fear of heights for me."
Kinda like... Vertigo?
Hahaha, it all makes sense haha.
Or maybe High Anxiety? 😆
This movie is a first of its kind, kind of a first "modern" spy thriller. And it still holds even if it's a movie from the 50s. The whole plot is triggered by randomness at the beginning, a chance. He raised his hands to ask for a waiter the same moment a bell boy was searching for Kaplan. Bad guys on the lookout assumed it was him. It's one of reoccurring motives in Hitchcock movies, a chance being the initiator of a plot, or always having a platinum blonde fem fatale, etc. But the fast cut ending I don't think was a new thing, it's actually something from older movies, even back in the 30s a lot of black&white movies would end so eruptible. Hitchcock did create a lot of genres and things that became tropes in later decades but his most ambitious movie that unfortunately failed because it was wayyy ahead of its time is Marnie. Its I think the first attempt of an erotic thriller, and you just couldn't make them properly in the mid 60s. That movie was kind of an end for him as a mainstream director because of its box office failure.
@@skinheadjon901 In terms of execution I think this movie is way more what became a blueprint for thrillers in like next 30-40y. Mostly the outrageous unrealistic set pieces, that here are tamed, but its 1959. Later it just became more action packed and even more ridiculous. If this was somehow a 90s movie, I would expect Bruce Willis to have a hard fistfight with the bad guy at the top and then blowing him up with a plane.
There as so many great Hitchcock films still to see. I'd recommend Shadow of a Doubt (1943) , Strangers on a Train (1951), and Notorious (1946) for your next forays, but it's hard to go wrong with anything.
"creepy looking dude" is the legendary Martin Landau, in an early performance.
I wish I could speak like James Mason. He sounded so sophisticated
I can and do .... His diction was always so precise!
One of the things about this film that makes me chuckle is that Cary Grant is taken out to a house on Long Island, then he is made drunk and skirts dangerously along the cliffs of California. Long Island is a glacier moraine and mostly flat with at best rolling hills.
I really love watching your channel. Your reactions are so much fun! This is such an amazing movie. I saw a screening at the TCM Film Festival with Eva Marie Saint and Martin Landau on stage prior to the movie. Eva Marie Saint mentioned that in the scene in the cafeteria at Mt. Rushmore, the extra (who is a young child) behind Cary Grant puts his hands over his ears BEFORE the loud noise from the blank. You would never notice it until someone tells you. We watched the movie after she told that story and everyone laughed when we got to that part.
They were no where near Mount Rushmore at anytime during the filming. Brilliant backdrops. Even the forest where the cars brought them to meet was a soundstage. One funny blooper....right before she shoots him with the blank gun you can see a kid holding his ears in the background. He was tired of the multiple takes. I think Alfred left it in purposely. His wink to us.
Did you miss how the mistaken identity occurred? Roger called out to the page boy to send a message, just as the page boy was calling for Mr Kaplan. The henchman assumed Roger was Kaplan answering the page.
This is my second-favorite Hitchcock film, behind _Rear Window._
Once people realized the Hitchcock would appear in all his films, people started looking for him. He realized this would be distracting, so he started putting his cameos near the beginning, where it wouldn't matter as much.
It’s also cool to watch the first few James Bond movies and see how much they took inspiration from the movie, especially From Russia With Love.
Cary Grant is probably one of the most-fitting actors to never play Bond.
Oh shit yeah. A top 10 for sure and laid the foundation for James Bond. Eva Marie Saint went to BGSU in Ohio and in '09 the film class was invited to a 50th anniversary TCM screening of this and we got to meet her and Robert Osbourne. Both had great stories and were the nicest people
What's so great about the bus stop scene: Everywhere he goes something is going wrong/things are not what they seem. He arrives in long lingering shots. You get a chance to get ahead of the story and you KNOW... something is going to happen... and yet... there is NOTHING here... Is that rock on the ground staring at him? Is the sky a suspicious shade of blue? You are now paranoid... is it paranoia when they are actually out to get you?
Hitchcock's Notorious for me is his best film at showing why he is considered the master of suspense. And for a lighter Hitchcock film, The Trouble with Harry is a lot of fun
I saw this film on the big screen for the first time in 2018 at my local theater and it is one of Hitchcock’s best.
My favorite Hitchcock movie by far. In many ways a "proto" Bond film (Grant was asked to play him, but didn't want to do more than one.) Useless trivia: Jessie Royce Landis, who plays Thornhill's mother was only 7 years older than Grant at the time of filming, a similar thing happened again in "Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade" with Sean Connery being only 12 years older than Harrison Ford.
Not only with him pulling her up into the train sleeper but the shot of the train entering the tunnel next. What a innuendo.
Hitchcock story boarded everything, shots, angles, etc. and he never changed anything once filming started. Great reaction!
For you General Hospital fans, that was Dr. Steve Harvey (John Beradino) as Sgt. Emile Klinger and the auctioneer was played by Les Tremayne, who once subbed for David Lewis as Edward Quartermaine.
Something I actually appreciate about older films is that the films end exactly where the story ends. When they are hanging on the cliff, after Leonard has been shot, the only thing we really need to know to wrap up the story is to know if they survive. We see that VanDam is in custody, his henchmen have been killed, the microfilm will be retrieved. We don't need another 5-10 minutes of everyone congratulating each other, seeing Van Dam in jail, or whatever. Just show us that they survived and roll credits. And of course, Hitchcock also lets us know they got married (happy ending), and then the final (famous) shot of the train going into the tunnel (to indicate that they are consummating their marriage). But we didn't actually need to see their wedding, them at the Courthouse or whatever. Too many modern films drag on too long after the story is over. An example I used to use a lot is Gladiator (2000), if you saw that. [SPOILER ALERT, don't read the rest of this paragraph if you haven't seen it and plan to do it on the channel.]Good movie...but the last 10 minutes are pointless. The story was already over. The last shot should have been the fallen Gladiator, who just killed the corrupt king, being carried out of the coliseum in honor. Fade to black, roll credits. But then there is like 10 minutes of seeing him in heaven or whatever with his family, and his friend carrying on some kind of legacy or whatever. All of that is implied and didn't need to be shown. To me the movie peters out. The film, imo, would have had a much bigger impact if you fade to black right after the duel and deaths. There is no more story after that. The whole film led to this revenge duel, so when the duel is over, the story is over. No need to linger, the audience will fill in in their own heads what happens next for everybody else, if they feel the need to. But you know what, that is really the beginning of another story, not the ending of this one. Leave it off camera.
I'm not totally opposed to some end scene credits, as is popular these days, if done well, but it is way overused in my opinion. And even before any end scene credits, too many modern films don't know where their story actually ends.
I also find it interesting that many young viewers (not you James) can't stand opening title credits if they watch an older film. But, I think it sets a mood, like an overture for a Broadway show, and the creativity of some them is top notch...including many Hitchcock films. Hitchcock films to me wouldn't be the same without a Bernard Herman like opening score and some creative, often askew opening credits. Sets the tone, the mood, the suspense, etc.
So true. This movie is a great example of that kind of economy, just showing what needs to be shown, and nothing more. It's very transparent in how technical the movie is in its approach, but its a testament to the filmmaker that he carries it off with such panache that it becomes a piece of art!
This is one of my favourite films. It is like a magnum of cinematic champagne, peerless for what it does, though also not offering massive depth beyond the fizz and thrill of wonderful entertainment. The dialogue is as much of a high-point to me as the amazing visuals, sets, costumes, and soundtrack. So many quotable and memorable, witty one-liners and responses. For example: 'What's wrong with your eyes? They are sensitive to questions'. Brilliant! Cary Grant is the ultimate suave, debonair hero. His suit is as much a character as he is. The fact that it gradually gets more and more dirty the more his life unravels is wonderfully symbolic. That he ultimately then changes into another suit for the final scene perhaps indicates he is a changed man, casting off his Madison Avenue 'grey suit' advertising man career/persona forever?
Oh and the fact that this movie came out years before the first James Bond movie is also quite remarkable, given that it follows a similar structure, albeit that our protagonist is only mistaken for a spy this time!
Responding to an older post. One of the things that always impressed me about Alfred Hitchcock is his choice to use music or not in his films to build tension. "North By Northwest" has this incredible film score that keeps you on the edge of your seat, matching perfectly with the film. In contrast, "The Birds" has no musical background, except for one scene with the children singing in school....and yet created that same level of suspense. So awesome.
A great Hitchcock film! Plus, Cary Grant is always good! If you want to see him in some comedy, I recommend Arsenic and Old Lace.
I'd love it if at some point you'd react to Wings of Desire. I think your filmmaker view on it would be so interesting.
There is also a brilliant theatrical version of this movie where they use elements of old and current film and stage techniques together. How they expose props, projections and green screen in front of the audience is phenomenal
I really appreciate your classic film reviews!! I was a classic film fanatic in my youth (AMC days even before TCM), so it is like I get to live vicariously through you watching these greats for the first time. :-) For older, classic films it is worthwhile to have some context to put the actors in. For ex, Cary Grant's popularity and longevity cannot be overstated. His serious performances are as good as his comedic ones, making him a very versatile actor, in addition to his good looks ad suave manner. The performances are almost as important as Hitch's filmmaking. Eventually, you'll become more familiar with the actors like Cary Grant. James Mason plays a great bad guy - another versatile actor (from England).
The days of uninterrupted AMC were awesome. When they started showing back-to-back Hitchcock on the weekends, I was there every time.
O yeah, AMC used to actually play classic films and even semi cult films like Lady In A Cage!
The "creepy looking dude" is Martin Landau, best remembered for his time on the Mission Impossible tv series, two episodes of The Twilight Zone and academy award winner for Tm Burton's "Ed Wood".
I love that Hitchcock ends the film with letting us know that the Thornhills are "sealing the deal" by using the classic "train entering the tunnel" metaphor! Only Hitchcock could get away with that, which was very daring for 1950s cinema! This film has some amazing dialogue, action and comedy! One of the very best of Hitchcock's filmography! So glad you checked it out!
@24:56... you can't see it in your edit, but a little boy in the background is holding his ears because he knows a gunshot is about to happen. A blooper kept in the film.
Just the word "technicolor" gives me warm feelings lol. And this movie looks so good! It was one of the first movies I bought on blu-ray back in the revolutionary HD days.
The last scene of the movie was not solely him pulling her up into the bed (which couldn't have been shown on TV at the time) but the best scene- the train going into the tunnel. It was a risqué visual double extendre.
Dude! One of my top 5! I can't wait! If you hit The Philadelphia Story, you are my God!
James Mason plays the main Nasty in this movie. Mason's last role before dying was in the dark mystery thriller, "Murder By Decree" from the late 1970s. It combined Sherlock Holmes with Jack the Ripper, and James Mason played the best-ever Doctor Watson, to Christopher Plummer's fantastic Sherlock Holmes.
The reason I mention "Murder By Decree" is that it was directed by Bob Clark, who also gave us one of the most charming Christmas movies, "A Christmas Story", whose season has arrived. Clark also practically invented the Slasher Flick in 1974, with his "Black Christmas".
The stationery camera in the visitors' center was great because it put you in the film, as if you're in the room watching from a fixed point.
To me this is Cary's second best film number 1 would be An Affair to Remember
One of the best "mistakes" in film is in the visitor's center cafeteria scene. They had to film the shooting multiple times, and the gun must have been pretty loud. If you go back and watch it, look at the kid in the background. You'll see him plug his ears, a couple of seconds before the gun goes off.
My favourite film ever. Just a perfect blend of wit, adventure, romance, and suspense. Not to mention the fact that it's visually stunning. Good solid reaction bro, though I do wish you'd included a few more of the funny lines. Peace
I love you're watching more hitchcock films. His films are always a fun watch. Near my college, the Leytonstone train station has this beautiful mosaic of all his filmography when you walk through it as Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone,London.
Cute Triva : In the scene where Eve shoots Roger in the Cafateria, there's a Kid in a blue shirt who puts his fingers in his ears just before she pull the triger! I guess it was a response to several takes?
This was my favourite film for a very looong time. A poster of the iconic crop duster attack scene on my wall for at least a year. Others as my favourite included: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Annie Hall. Both also on the wall. I never found Chungking Express poster, so made do with Days of Being Wild, also by Won Kar-Wei.
NbNW was essentially the Hitch third film - that I know of - of essentially the same film or story, and the best of the three. The others were his early British film The 39 Steps (which alerted Hollywood to Hitchcock's genius) and Saboteur. I highly recommend the former, if demanding of the channel as it is a 1937 film, or thereabouts. British and B&W. I saw it as a child in the 80s, and have seen it a dozen times since. Certainly never stopped drawing me in. Lot of same story elements, but if you are interested in early sound movies, worth a dive.
Shoutout to @JamesVSCinema for being insightful and wise beyond his years ✌🏼
North by Northwest is sometimes call the first Bond film! ..... Grant was actually offered the part of James Bond!
The two best actors to play James Bond: Cary Grant and Sean Connery. 😉
This is in fact, the very first James Bond/Indiana Jones Movie.
The cut from the sleeper coach to the train entering a tunnel at the end of the movie was no coincidence.
I love the quick pacing of this film. In my college intro to film class, I like to pair it with Raiders of the Lost Ark: both examples of "light entertainment" made with high artistry, intricate scenarios, and packed full with whimsy & adventure & action & comedy. I love it.
Fun Hitchcock! He had just made "Vertigo" that confused people so with this one he wanted to go "commercial" and "entertaining". After this he made "Psycho". This isn't my fave of all Hitchcock, but fun. As always, it LOOKS great! After "Psycho", "Rear Window" is the next Hitchcock I tell people to hit. And then "Strangers On A Train" ("Shadow Of A Doubt" is also great. And "Rope", too). Definitely hope you hit "Rear Window", you will definitely like that one. (You'll like ALL the ones I just mentioned).
"Obviously they've mistaken me for a much shorter man." - Roger Thornhill
Tall guy
Cary Grant - the original Bond girl 😉
Also love Hitch's swipe at the censors with that rail tunnel shot at the end. Always makes me smile.
"North by Northwest": As close to a James Bond film as you could get in the 1950's.
Hitchcock was different mannn, crazy how long it’s been since his films AND THEY’RE STILL NOT GETTING TOPPED. Shoutouts to Alfred fr.
I enjoy the scenery of this film. The Phipps mansion in New York, the glamour of traveling by train,Chicago of the 1950's,Midway airport and the Frank Lloyd Wright style of the house in South Dakota.
The high angle tilt down Wide shot of Grant running from down the sidewalk to the cab after the murder. with the cinematography you loved so much that you described it as looking like an Oil Painting... well it is a painting. That is a Matte painting my friend. There is a book called "The Invisible Art", "The" definitive book on the art and history of Matte painting for Films. Gert it! Thank me later.
Duuuude, I got so excited to see this posted. I love this movie! It has one of my all time favorite quotes in it: "I'm an advertising man, not a red herring. 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." Great line, lol. As for the abrupt ending, I think it was a logic choice just because Hitchcock didn't have a way to save them. He does the same thing in Vertigo when Scotty is hanging from that drain pipe at the beginning of the film. You never see how he got out of that situation, it just cuts to another scene. I guess Hitch figured nobody would notice lol.
I love the dialogue in this movie. So witty. And it's fun how Hitchcock makes it so clear that we shouldn't worry too much about the plot, especially in the scene where he has the noise of the plane on the runway covering the conversation where the head of the spies explains things to Roger Thornhill! It's just fun.
Hitchcock did suspense like no one else, before, or, since! Check out "Rear Window" with Jimmy Stewart, and, the incomparably beautiful Grace Kelly. That movie still gives me anxiety every time I watch it.
I’ve seen Rear Window! Great film!
Love your videos and your appreciation of some directors I adore like Kurosawa, Kubrick and Hitchcock. "North by Northwest" is the movie where Hitchcock tried to make "the most Hitchcock movie ever." And he succeeded! If I may make a request, there is a filmmaker that you haven't done any of his movies yet, Charlie Chaplin. He was the writer, director, composer, and producer and had complete control of all his films. I'd be curious to know what your opinion of something like "City Lights" or "Modern Times" is. Two (virtually) silent movies were made after talkies had begun. And Chaplin's clout made them successful. It would seem like silent storytelling would be more challenging.
The "creepy guy" is Martin Landau, he worked with Tim Burton (he played Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood, bio of "the worst movie director ever" a must) Woody Allen and was in Mission Impossible(both the tv show and movies) or The X-Files...among many other things. Amzing actor.
Rear Window has tremendous cinematography and is my favorite Hitchcock. Also has Grace Kelly and her stunning beauty.
17:00 It is a matte painting. As is the bare horizon in the start of the crop-duster scene (removing any hint of civilisation to make Roger seem even more isolated). As is the villains house (as Roger approaches) and various shots of Mt Rushmore.
Merry Xmas James & to your family. Compliments of the Season to your other subscribers & commentators !!
A Masterpiece from the beginning to the end
The last shot, the train entering the tunnel was Hitchcock's way of saying this marriage has been consummated (Ole sly Hitch........🤣) P.S. My fav. Hitch film, have seen this many times, even at the Alabama theatre 15 years ago, and I think the ending is perfect, remember, he nor she were Gov. employees, they were caught up in some Gov. BS, so the only scene left was them getting married, so that cut was perfect, and on a train, and entering a tunnel. Bravo hitch, bravo.
Check out his 39 Steps too - “first action hero”
Love this movie and it was so great to see the snippet of the podcast! 😊
Cary Grant made a lot of great movies. He was a wonderful comedic actor as well. Check out his movie “Father Goose” to see him at his drunken best!
Love this classic! Watched with my mom this year - such an incredible balance of adventure, comedy and thriller. For something a bit similar to it, Rian Johnson's Brick and Knives Out do the job.
I've never actually seen this movie But the whole Mount Rushmore Chase sequence as well as the dust cropping airplane chase have been parodied and homage so many times in modern pop culture It's kind of crazy to see it in its context
Try To Catch A Thief, my favourite Grant/Hitchcock film