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North by Northwest (1959)

APPROVED  131 min  -  Adventure | Mystery | Romance   -  17 September 1959 (Japan)
8.6
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Ratings: 8.6/10 from 116,041 users  
Reviews: 404 user | 152 critic

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.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writer:

Ernest Lehman
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Top 250 #37 | Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations See more awards »

Related Videos

North by Northwest -- Alfred Hitchcock gives a tour of the film in this trailer for the Special Edition DVD and Blu-Ray release. North by Northwest -- Trailer two for this Hitchcock classic
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cary Grant ...
Eva Marie Saint ...
James Mason ...
Jessie Royce Landis Jessie Royce Landis ...
Leo G. Carroll Leo G. Carroll ...
Josephine Hutchinson Josephine Hutchinson ...
Mrs. Townsend
Philip Ober Philip Ober ...
Martin Landau ...
Adam Williams Adam Williams ...
Edward Platt ...
Robert Ellenstein Robert Ellenstein ...
Les Tremayne Les Tremayne ...
Auctioneer
Philip Coolidge Philip Coolidge ...
Dr. Cross
Patrick McVey Patrick McVey ...
Edward Binns Edward Binns ...
Captain Junket
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Storyline

Middle-aged Madison Avenue advertising executive Roger O. Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent by a gang of spies. He gets involved in a series of misadventures and is pursued across the States by both the spies and the government whilst being helped by a beautiful blonde. Written by Col Needham <col@imdb.com>  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

It's love and murder at first sight! See more »

Genres:

Adventure | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

(Japan) See more »

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest See more »

Filming Locations:

Bakersfield, California, USA See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$13,275,000 (USA)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) | Dolby SR  | Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

If the fictional Thornhill had plans, as he stated, to attend the Winter Garden Theatre when the movie opened in the U.S. in July of 1959 (when he was kidnapped from the Oak Room), his tickets would have been for "West Side Story." But Thornhill, possibly, implies it was "My Fair Lady" that he had tickets for when he started to sing, while drunk in the Mercedes, "I've grown accustomed to your bourbon..." See more »

Goofs

Continuity: The view out the window during the dinner scene on the train is not consistent. See more »

Quotes

Roger Thornhill: How do we know it's not a fake? It looks like a fake.
Bidder: Well, one thing we know. You're no fake. You are a genuine idiot.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The Leo the Lion/MGM trademark preceding the credits is on a green field, to match the green field used in the credits proper. See more »

Connections

Referenced in "Family Portraits: Alfred Hitchcock" (1995) See more »

Soundtracks

"Singin' in the Rain"
(1929) (uncredited)
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics Arthur Freed
Whistled by Cary Grant in Eva's apartment See more »