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North by Northwest (1959)
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Overview
User Rating:
Your Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Ernest Lehman (written by)
Release Date:
17 September 1959 (Japan)
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Tagline:
Alfred Hitchcock takes you.... North by Northwest! See 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 »
Plot Keywords:
Spy
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Agent
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Advertising
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Government Agent
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Murder
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Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars.
Another 4 wins
&
3 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(167 articles)
Not Available on DVD: The Last Embrace
(From WeAreMovieGeeks.com. 10 September 2010, 4:11 AM, PDT)
None But The Lonely Heart DVD Review And Giveaway
(From AreYouScreening. 9 September 2010, 9:13 AM, PDT)
Something’s Gonna Live (documentary)
(From Moving Pictures Magazine. 7 September 2010, 5:35 PM, PDT)
(From WeAreMovieGeeks.com. 10 September 2010, 4:11 AM, PDT)
None But The Lonely Heart DVD Review And Giveaway
(From AreYouScreening. 9 September 2010, 9:13 AM, PDT)
Something’s Gonna Live (documentary)
(From Moving Pictures Magazine. 7 September 2010, 5:35 PM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Wonderful comedy thriller, not Hitchcock's best but his most sheerly enjoyable
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)See more »
Additional Details
Also Known As:
"Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest" - UK (complete title), USA (complete title)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
131 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
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:14 | Japan:G (2009) | Portugal:M/12 | 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
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The studio wanted Sophia Loren for the female lead, and she wanted to do it, but contractual problems resulted in her having to turn it down. The part was eventually given to Eva Marie Saint.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: When coming out of the train, Eve Kendall and Roger Thornhill spot the two agents and walk past them. In the next shot we should see them in the background, but they are nowhere to be seen.See more »
Quotes:
Roger Thornhill:I don't like the games you play, professor.
The Professor:War is hell, Mr. Thornhill, even when it's a cold one.
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The Professor:War is hell, Mr. Thornhill, even when it's a cold one.
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Movie Connections:
Featured in Great Movie Mistakes (2010) (TV)See more »
Soundtrack:
Singin' in the RainSee more »
FAQ
Was VanDamm's mountain home a real home? Was it designed by Frank Lloyd Wright?How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
Where is Hitchcock's cameo in this movie?
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See more (385 total) »
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North By Northwest is not an artistic masterpiece like Rear Window and Vertigo, but it is probably the most purely entertaining picture Hitchcock ever made. It's essentially a rehash of many of his earlier films, with a plot partially derived from The Thirty Nine Steps and the very similar Saboteur, while there are borrowings from Foreign Correspondent and Notorious, among others. However, it is all done with such style and confidence that it doesn't matter if it's essentially just a greatest hits package.
Very few other films of this kind attain the near perfect tone of this one, precariously balanced between seriousness and silliness. Sometimes this film manages the very difficult trick of being both suspenseful and comical at the same time, as in the auction house scene, or the wonderful scene in the lift when the hero's mother turns to two heavies in a lift looking menacingly at the hero and says "you gentlemen are not REALLY trying to kill my son, are you?".
Of course the famous crop dusting plane scene and the Mount Rushmore chase are terrific. The former is really more notable for the amount of time taken to build up to the action than the action itself, while the technical work on the latter still looks pretty good. In a totally different vein is the astonishingly frank seduction sequence on the train. Hitchcock takes his time here as with many of the other scenes, but the film is so crammed with memorable passages that one hardly notices it's 136 mins long.
Ernest Lehman's script is full of wonderful lines, many of them delivered so well by chief villain James Mason that at times we almost want to root for him. "Has any one ever told you tend to overplay your various roles Mr Kaplan....it seems to me you fellows could stand a little less training from the FBI and a little more from the Actor's Studio". Cary Grant is so smooth one almost forgets he's over 50, and of course there's also Bernard Herrmann's vibrant score.
Endlessly enjoyable even with repeated viewings. How many of today's thrillers will be such fun in 25 years time?