Rating: 
Summary: NxNW = Perfection Plus!
Review: This is my all time favorite movie, and the perfect film to show certain members of the younger generation who think the art of movie making began with Star Wars or The Matrix. Those who have seen it know this film reaches as close to the pinnacle of perfection as any film ever has--or probably ever will. Screenplay, acting, cinematography, score, editing--they cannot be improved upon. (The only exception to this is some of the optical effects during the Mount Rushmore sequence. Astonishing for 1959, they look rather dated today.)Warner Brothers, which owns the rights to this MGM film, is to be commended for the excellent care they have taken with the restoration. Colors--especially flesh tones--are deeper and richer without looking "colorized." The image is crisp, the print clean and dazzlingly free of artifacts. The sound (the original release was in mono) has been rechanneled for Dolby 5.1--but the restoration team has shown enough restraint not to create extreneous aural effects for their own sake. As for the extras, the documentary hosted by the timeless Eva Maria Saint is an insightful and entertaining look at the making of the film. There are two audio supplements: a running commentary by Ernest Lehman which occasionally sags (one wonders why Saint and Martin Landau did not participate); the music only audio track featuring Bernard Herrmann's superb score is a dazzling demonstration of the importance of film scoring--you can watch this track and understand the film just as much as with the dialogue. There is also an assortment of trailers, including an amusing one with Hitchcock, and a production still gallery. This is a must for every DVD collection!
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Summary: Best Film Of All Time, In My Opinion
Review: Doesn't get any better folks. I've seen it at least 100 times. I can't wait to get the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: they don't get any better than this
Review: i just purchased the dvd...warner bros is to be congradulated on doing a excellent job..although the color is slightly faded,the sound and 5.1 is very good. the crop duster scene feels like the plane is going over you,if you are lucky to view it in surround. it has a isolated score with the great bernard herrmann music. ernest leyman does a good job of giving you his feelings on how he wrote the script and his relationship with hitch.. he gives great insite to how hitchcock worked and his readiness to shoot his picture..he knows exactly how he wants each scene to look..he cares about the movie goer. now with dvd you are back in the theater and feel the emotion,the spirit of north by northwest..it's humor,wit and adventure..if you love great movies,don't let this one pass you by.
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Summary: eat your heart out, bruce willis
Review: north by northwest is a prime cut of hitchcock from that fifties era when he could do no wrong. the master director was at the height of his powers and his reputation, and made the deep, draining vertigo immediately prior to this, and the shocking psycho, which re-invented the thriller yet again. here, he takes something of a lighter touch. north by northwest is not profound but the sheer scale of it is breath-taking. it contains some of the most memorable scenes in celluloid history; even if you haven't seen the film, you have seen that scene with cary grant in the cornfield, being buzzed by the plane copied and parodied to death. likewise with the finale on mount rushmore. north by northwest is an action thriller; it contains glorious set-pieces, and the premise is gloriously absurd - a case of mistaken identity leads grant into a nightmare world he could never have imagined. and cary is, of course, effortlessly cool throughout his ordeals and presents a much more amiable action hero than, say, bruce willis. it is, to some degree, hitchcock tying up some of his old, best tricks in one slick package. there are elements here in common with hitch films as early as 39 steps and blackmail. and with psycho just around the corner, hitchcock would never make another film quite like it. excellent. watch it. you deserve it.
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Summary: Hitchcock Rules
Review: As a fanatical Hitchcock fan, I loved North by Northwest. I have seen it more than 10 times. There is always something you see that you didn't the time before. Hitchcock's style of moviemaking just doesn't happen anymore. The viewer is lead through this movie with action, suspense and intrique, not sex, drugs and murder. You have to make this movie part of your collection if you are a diehard fan of Hitchcock.
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Summary: it's great suspense together with fun
Review: you must see a movie like this because there are little things that makes you happy. it has really much suspense.
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Summary: The Ultimate In Crackerjack Entertainment!
Review: Quintessential Hitchcock. Made just in between Hitchcock's best films; 'Vertigo' and 'Psycho'. 'North By Northwest' is more lighthearted and fun than those films, less psychologically oriented and more glossy good old fashioned entertainment. Hitchcock took the 'innocent man on the run' dilemma he practically invented in 'The 39 Steps' and then further explored in 'Saboteur, but perfected in this classic film. In one of the definitive Cary Grant roles, Grant was in peak form and at his most charming. It's hard to imagine anyone else as Roger Thornhill or any other person who can melt women with just a look, only Grant can do that. Endlessly entertaining and sprinkled with wit and intrigue, one of the classic screen entertainments. This time Eva Marie Saint is the 'icy blonde' a look that obviously appealed to Hitchcock and a lot of actresses are living proof of that; Grace Kelly, Kim Novak, Madeleine Carroll, Janet Leigh, etc. There is an incredibly sexy (and long) kissing sequence that could compare with the one Grand and Ingrid Bergman had in Hitch's 'Notorious', while not as tense or as unbearably sexy it's still as memorable. James Mason is excellent as the villainous Phillip Vandamme and this is one rare occasion when his voice does not seem distracting in fact it kind of fits appropriately. Martin Landau is also equally memorable as Vandamme's thug, there are some homosexual undercurrents to his character. Filled with many memorable scenes like the assassination in the UN, Cary Grant trying to drive a car while drunk and of course the now classic crop-dusting sequence that is pure Hitchcock genius all the way. The cliffhanger ending on Mount Rushmore is incredibly suspenseful and equally memorable. One of the most constantly entertaining films of all time, Hitchcock at his peak and at his most charming. Extras: Hitchcock's usual cameo; this time as the man who barely misses the bus in the beginning credits. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 10!
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Summary: A Second-Tier, but Superb, Hitchcock
Review: It is indeed an extremely enjoyable movie, and the rapid cutting at the end, leading to the erotic train going through the tunnel, is one of the most brilliant visual conceptions of all filmdom. Yet the previous reviewers gush too much. As Hitchcock films go (and they go VERY FAR INDEED) this one is at a high level, alongside "To Catch a Thief," and better than "Marnie." "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (the James Stewart remake) is somewhat better, though slower, than "North by Northwest." But none of the films mentioned so far can compete with the sublime "Vertigo," or "Rear Window." Eva Marie Saint is OK in "North by Northwest," but oh how much better Grace Kelly would have been! When, oh when, are we going to get a decent DVD of "Dial M for Murder" in 3-D? To see Ms. Kelly in three dimensions, as well as to enjoy a Hitchcock movie that, seen in its original 3D, is even better than "North by Northwest" (unless you're a scenery buff), is a need that simply must be fulfilled by the folks who are turning out these DVDs.
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Summary: Hitchcock's best film
Review: Forget "Psycho," disregard "The Birds." This is Hitchcock's finest movie. It has everything: marvelous, stylish acting by the incomparable Cary Grant, fine supporting performances by James Mason and Eva Marie Saint and a plot that will have you on edge throughout. Yes, the plot is contrived and improbable and the Mt. Rushmore sets are obviously fake and unrealistic-looking, but these are minor annoyances. Cary Grant effortlessly charms his way throughout this movie (note the auction scene and Cary's comedic timing. His scens with Saint crackle with sexual innuendo, especially their famous train clinch. This is a movie you watch again and again and you'll always find things you had missed during the previous viewings. If you love Cary Grant, Hitchcock or suspenseful thrillers, this is the movie for you.
Rating:
Summary: North by Northwest
Review: As an avid Hitchcock fan for almost 40 years (since being scared witless by "Psycho" on its first theatrical run), I have managed to see all of his movies and read a number of books about him. He is, I believe, the premier director in film history, and "North by Northwest" is his finest achievement. Even though the screenplay is simply an updating of "The Thirty-nine Steps," Hitchcock manages to make the movie fresh and inventive every step of the way, with suspense, humor, fine acting, literacy, and superior production values. It is a cinematic experience which no one should miss. Let's hope that the upcoming DVD version can do full justice to the movie's greatness. I know that I'll be among the first in line to buy it!
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