North by Northwest

Rating:
Summary: AT A REPERTORY THEATER
Review: There's nothing like seeing that movie for the first time.You'll probably wonder about the story,but you'll be entertained and certainly won't be bored.No other HITCHCOCK movie can match this one in terms of sheer entertainment.Suspense,comedy relief and unexpected things happening from real one to the end.I still remember the thrill of watching it for the very first time at the CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY's repertory theater.HITCHCOCK's direction,LEHMAN's script and HERRMANN's music blend perfectly.Among my favorite scenes:MASON slapping LANDAU because he missed his assignment;MARIE SAINT's quiet beauty in her love scenes with GRANT;the classic cropdusting sequence;the anxiety of watching GRANT getting away from the mansion etc.This is ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S greatest movie of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Ravishing- from the opening green lion.
Review: This has always been one of my favorite Hitchcock films, mainly because when you view the whole, you realize that it doesn't really fit into the typical suspense or horror category. It dosen't have the graphic gore of PSYCHO or the psychological eeriness of VERTIGO. It is more of an adventure film, a rollicking roller-coaster of entertainment infused with wry comedy, romance, glamour, and superb cinematography which sustains your interest, amazingly, for more than 130 minutes. And all the performances are memorable- from Grant's cynical executive to Eva Marie Saint's beautiful, smoldering agent, to James Mason's urbane, silky, villain. It comes right at the end of probably the director's greatest period of films- his 50's carousel of hits, including STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, TO CATCH A THIEF, REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO, and the redux MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. It also manages to make train travel exceedingly glamorous!!

Rating:
Summary: Avoid the Box Set
Review: I purchased the DVD box set with high expectations. Instead, I received something that appeared more like WB slapping left overs together for $$$. The DVD is what you can purchase in the store. Don't get me wrong, the movie and the DVD are great - I am a die hard Hitchcock fan. The contents of the box set in my opinion are not woth the money. The 8x10s and mini Lobby Cards appear as screen captures - fuzzy. The poster is folded real compact and is blurry as well. I was really hoping the DVD would have extra content from the "regular" version on the market. I just feel WB could have done better with a movie such as this!

Rating:
Summary: classic Hitchcock
Review: This is probably Hitchcock's greatest film. It stands up alongside REAR WINDOW and PSYCHO as his great opus.

Cary Grant teams with Hitchcock for the fourth and final time in this benchmark espionage journey that was recently judged by the AFI as one of their top 100 films.

Grant plays a Madison Avenue executive who becomes mistaken for a Government agent by a team of spies led by James Mason. He unwillingly becomes involved in a series of misadventures and is pursued across the States by both the spies and the Government whilst being helped along the way by a beautiful ice-cool blonde secret agent (Eva Marie Saint).

This all-new restoration boasts a beautiful Dolby 5.1 sound mix and a pristine picture. Outstading acting, the unforgettable cropdusting sequence and Bernard Herrmann's nerve-jangling score all combine in this classic, superlative Hitchcock.

Also featuring Jessie Royce Landis.

The DVD includes the retrospective featurette "Destination Hitchcock: The Making of 'North By Northwest'" hosted by Eva Marie Saint, TV spots, trailers, audio commentary by screenwriter Ernest Lehman, still gallery and a music-only track.

Rating:
Summary: Next to "Psycho," This Is My Favorite Hitchcock Movie
Review: "North by Northwest" is Alfred Hitchcock's followup to 1958's moody "Vertigo." While it's not as "deep" as the latter film, "N by NW" is a first-rate action/mystery film that stands as one of the greatest films of all time. The ever-suave Cary Grant and the striking Eva Marie Saint star in a movie that has all the elements we've come to expect from Hitch: mistaken identity, the intriguing blonde, murder, and deception. And let's not forget the script, which is pregnant with witty one-liners and dodges cliches at all costs. I wasn't around in 1959, but watching a movie like this in the theatre had to have been such an incredible experience. You are literally hooked from the first frame. The DVD itself is an attractive affair. The picture is the best-looking I've ever seen in a Hitchcock movie. In another review, I stated that "Vertigo" is the only film by Hitch available in 5.1 surround sound. I was wrong! "N by NW" is also in 5.1, and while the sound won't necessarily rock your system, it's a pretty decent soundtrack for a movie this old. So, what are you waiting for? I saw this on a friend's recommendation, and I'm kicking myself for not discovering it sooner. "North by Northwest" is action filmmaking at its absolute peak and should not be missed. I repeat: it's one of the greatest films of all time.

Rating:
Summary: Suspense Using A Compass
Review: Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 classic, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, ranks right up there as one of my favorites of his movies. The film, uses one of the director's favorite themes, the main character wrongly accused and fighting to clear his name...Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is a New York Ad Executive, who soon finds himself framed for murder and on the run. Thornhill is being persued by a spy, Philip Vandamm (James Mason), and is captivated by a beautiful woman, Eve (Eva Marie Saint). The film contains two of the most memorable sequences ever seen on the big screen. The "crop duster chase" and the "climax on Mount Rushmore" have been copied but never truly duplicated. These scenes are benchmarks of the film, to be sure, but it is the unassuming acting of Grant, Saint, and Mason that make it work. The script by Ernest Lehman is filled with suspense and wit that makes this film True Hitchcock. Once again composer Benard Herrmann provides a momorable film score that puts "the icing on the cake".

The DVD has a retrospective documentary hosted by Saint, featuring rare footage and interviews with surviving cast and crew members. It also has an audio commentary with recollections from Lehman. This track can be rather "talkie" at times, but is great to have, just the same. Additional features include a music only track, remastered 5.1 sound, theatrical trailers, and a photo gallery. All in all, this is another great Hitchcock classic, on DVD. Highly Recommended as one of Hitchcock's best thrillers

Rating:
Summary: Most sheerly entertaining and enjoyable . . . ?
Review: Not quite. I wanted to see this movie, as I've heard so much about it. It is supposedly one of Hitchcock's greater works. I watched it with high expectations. It wasn't a bad movie. However, it got a little long, and the suspense wasn't that great. If you really want a good Hitchcock, watch "Rear Window," and "Torn Curtain!" These two are, in my opinion much better movies, and much more suspenseful! There are many, many other movies that are a lot better than this. I don't see where critics get their ideas on what is and isn't a good film. If you're a fan of Hitchcock, watch it because of that, but don't hold your breath.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: North by Northwest is one of my all-time favorite movies. From start to finish, NxNW is a roller-coaster ride you'll want to watch again and again. It is thrilling, exciting and at times totally hilarious. Essentially, it's about Roger O. Thornhill, a confident and charming advertising executive, who is mistaken for a government agent and is consequently chased across the country. He is set on the road drunk, forced to hide in train compartments, crop-dusted (a classic sequence), trapped in auction, and finally chased across Mount Rushmore. Movies don't get any better than this.

As for the cast, it is excellent! Cary Grant gives a perfect performance as Roger O. Thornhill - and he is hilarious and charming, as ever! Eva Marie Saint is also very good, as the mysterious and glamorous girl Cary meets on the train. James Mason does a wonderful job playing the debonair but evil villian.

Directed by Hitchcock, this is a great comedy/thriller - in my opinion, it is Hitchcock's best movie! Additionally, it is a good idea to get the DVD, because the movie is astonishingly sharp and clear and there are plenty of special features. 100% worth your money! If you haven't seen this, by all means do, and if you have, get a DVD you can watch again and again!

Rating:
Summary: What is in this package ????
Review: I love North By Northwest and was thrilled to be notified of a limited collectors edition. Belive me you could easily have a customer here for this product.
But what do I get ???
I would think that to ask 70$ for a DVD package you could at least tell us what is in the package !!
Thanks
Regards,
John Hansen
[e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: As close to perfect as a film can get.
Review: When you look at North By Northwest closely, you see many parts from Alfred Hitchcock's other films. The premise, a man accused of a crime he didn't commit, was used in The 39 Steps, Strangers on a Train, To Catch a Thief and The Wrong Man, to name a few. Eva Marie Saint, not known as a glamour girl, was remade by Hitchcock to mimic Grace Kelly's cool, blonde beauty. Cary Grant's escape in the auction scene recalls Robert Donat's similar scene in The 39 Steps. The climax on Mount Rushmore recalls the fight on The Statue of Liberty in Saboteur. Even Cary Grant is, in a way, a "retread," having appeared in Suspicion, Notorious and To Catch a Thief. As one film critic put it, North By Northwest is a summation of Hitchcock's work.

However, to simply dismiss North By Northwest as a retread would be like calling Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band just another Beatles album. EVERYTHING works perfectly in this movie with memorable scene after memorable scene (Grant's drunk driving escape, the murder at the U.N., the cropduster attack, Mount Rushmore, etc., etc., etc.). Robert Burks' terrific photography greatly enhances the actors and the locations. George Tomasini's editing maintains a crisp pace. Bernard Herrmann's score is a standout, even when compared to his large body of great work (that's really saying something considering his great scores for Citizen Kane, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Vertigo, Psycho and Taxi Driver, among others). And Ernest Lehman's script is one of the wittiest and most entertaining screenplays in film history. Add to that the great locations like New York City, Chicago and Mount Rushmore and you've got the elements of a classic.

However, the film's greatest strength lies in its casting and performances, especially by Grant. Grant, Saint, James Mason, Leo G. Carroll, Martin Landau and Jessie Royce Landis form a terrific ensemble. Grant's performance, in particular, is wonderful. Present in almost every scene, Grant is the glue that holds the film together. With a weaker actor in the role, the film would have fallen apart. Like Hitchcock himself, Cary Grant wasn't truly appreciated during his career and was more than the one-dimensional charmer many people took him for. Grant perfectly conveys the situation of a confident Madison Avenue ad man who quickly loses control over his life. He has to express confidence, bewilderment, sadness, panic, lust, betrayal and triumph and does so magnificently. It's a shining moment in Grant's great career.

The DVD is terrific, the best feature of which is a great documentary hosted by Eva Marie Saint. (Among other facts revealed, the original title of the film was "The Man in Lincoln's Nose). It's a fitting presentation for a great film. Along with Vertigo and Psycho, North By Northwest marks the absolute best of Alfred Hitchcock's work. It doesn't get any better than this just about perfect film.