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North by Northwest
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North by Northwest (1959) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 37% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Writer:
Ernest Lehman (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for North by Northwest on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 September 1959 (Japan) more
Tagline:
Alfred Hitchcock takes you.... North by Northwest! more
Plot:
A hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(7 articles)
Robert De Niro Collection goes on exhibition
 (From BoxWish. 1 May 2009, 4:03 AM, PDT)

Darth Vader Is 'Most Vile Villain'
 (From WENN. 26 March 2008, 6:26 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
"That wasn't very sporting, using real bullets." more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Cary Grant ... Roger O. Thornhill

Eva Marie Saint ... Eve Kendall

James Mason ... Phillip Vandamm
Jessie Royce Landis ... Clara Thornhill
Leo G. Carroll ... The Professor
Josephine Hutchinson ... Mrs. Townsend
Philip Ober ... Lester Townsend

Martin Landau ... Leonard
Adam Williams ... Valerian

Edward Platt ... Victor Larrabee
Robert Ellenstein ... Licht
Les Tremayne ... Auctioneer
Philip Coolidge ... Dr. Cross
Patrick McVey ... Sergeant Flamm - Chicago Policeman
Ed Binns ... Captain Junket (as Edward Binns)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (USA) (complete title)
Breathless (USA) (working title)
In a Northwesterly Direction (USA) (working title)
The Man in Lincoln's Nose (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
131 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System) | Dolby SR | Dolby Digital
Certification:
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (2000) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:A (1959) | USA:Approved (PCA #19156) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Iceland:L | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) | Netherlands:12 (re-rating) | Netherlands:12 (2008 re-release) | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Australia:G (1959-1998) | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:12 (re-rating) | Peru:14 | UK:PG | West Germany:16 (original rating) | Norway:16

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Cyd Charisse was MGM's first suggestion to play the role of Eve Kendall, however, Alfred Hitchcock did not think she was right for the part. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Vandamm's henchmen put the drunken Thornhill into his car, intending him to drive over the cliff, their heads disappear, as the footage of the actors protrudes into the matte cliff background. more
Quotes:
Roger Thornhill: Then, then your name isn't Kaplan?
Man at Prairie Crossing: Can't say it is, 'cause it ain't.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in 3D: A Brief History (2004) (V) more
Soundtrack:
It's a Most Unusual Day more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
Where is Hitchcock's cameo in this movie?
How does the movie end?
more
11 out of 16 people found the following comment useful:-
"That wasn't very sporting, using real bullets.", 12 January 2009
8/10

Cary Grant handles the twisted expressions of his face, his astonished look, his impulsive smile with professional self-assurance and charm while taking us right in the middle of confusion on a breathless 2000-mile cross-country chase which has its gripping showdown across the giant faces of the presidents sculptured on Mount Rushmore high above Rapid City, South Dakota…

Grant plays Roger Thornhill, a stylish publicist, mistaken for a fictitious Federal agent, plunged into a world of crime and intrigue, hunted down by villains who want to eliminate him because he seems to be on their dishonest dealings…

When questioned by bland Phillip Vandamm (James Mason), Thornhill is unable to convince him that he is a victim of a mistaken identity… His three thugs fill him with bourbon, and place him in a stolen car expecting him to have a drunken accident… After narrowly escaping death, no one believes his story including, obviously, his skeptical mother (Jessie Royce Landis).

In an effort to discover the agent he is being confused with, and using the clues he collected, Thornhill returns to the United Nations Headquarter looking for George Kaplan… There, somebody falls into his arms and unthinkingly, Thornhill draws the blade out of the victim's back and is photographed holding the weapon in mid-air… And thus became a fugitive from justice, pursued by the cops and had to skip by boarding a train to Chicago…

While on the run, he is caught by a provocative platinum blonde (Eva Marie Saint), who comes out as a glamorous woman and a delightful charmer…

James Mason, a polished mastermind spy showed too well to be threatening... His menacing henchman, Martin Landau is also convincingly hurtful...

In his fifth Hitchcock picture, Leo G. Carroll is suave and calm as the devoted intelligence chief…

Directed by a genius behind the camera, "North By Northwest" remains a genuinely exciting film for the dangerous world of spies and counterspies…

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for North by Northwest (1959)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
A Real Life North by Northwest - but 100 percent less awesome! KscILLBILL
Saw this film for the first time today, and I have one question. fortune-448
Something that really bothers me SuburbanSpacemanII
Did EVERYBODY wear suits in 1959? seni-2
Help! theconman9
Question about the ending (spoilers) zxakari
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