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IMDbPro

North by Northwest

  • 19591959
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 2h 16m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
331K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,322
137
Cary Grant, Alfred Hitchcock, Eva Marie Saint, and Philip Ober in North by Northwest (1959)
Alfred Hitchcock gives a tour of the film in this trailer for the Special Edition DVD and Blu-Ray release.
Play trailer3:25
3 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureMystery
A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
331K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,322
137
    • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Ernest Lehman
  • Stars
    • Cary Grant
    • Eva Marie Saint
    • James Mason
    • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Ernest Lehman
  • Stars
    • Cary Grant
    • Eva Marie Saint
    • James Mason
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 710User reviews
    • 191Critic reviews
    • 98Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #98
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars

    Videos3

    North by Northwest
    Trailer 3:25
    Watch North by Northwest
    'North by Northwest' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:19
    Watch 'North by Northwest' | Anniversary Mashup
    A Guide to the Films of Alfred Hitchcock
    Clip 2:27
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Alfred Hitchcock

    Photos211

    Cary Grant in North by Northwest (1959)
    Cary Grant and Eva Marie in North by Northwest (1959)
    Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest (1959)
    Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest (1959)
    Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest (1959)
    Cary Grant in North by Northwest (1959)
    Cary Grant in North by Northwest (1959)
    Cary Grant in North by Northwest (1959)
    Cary Grant, Ken Lynch, and Patrick McVey in North by Northwest (1959)
    Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest (1959)
    Cary Grant in North by Northwest (1959)
    Cary Grant in North by Northwest (1959)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Cary Grant
    Cary Grant
    • Roger Thornhill
    Eva Marie Saint
    Eva Marie Saint
    • Eve Kendall
    James Mason
    James Mason
    • Phillip Vandamm
    Jessie Royce Landis
    Jessie Royce Landis
    • Clara Thornhill
    Leo G. Carroll
    Leo G. Carroll
    • The Professor
    Josephine Hutchinson
    Josephine Hutchinson
    • Mrs. Townsend
    Philip Ober
    Philip Ober
    • Lester Townsend
    Martin Landau
    Martin Landau
    • Leonard
    Adam Williams
    Adam Williams
    • Valerian
    Edward Platt
    Edward Platt
    • Victor Larrabee
    Robert Ellenstein
    Robert Ellenstein
    • Licht
    Les Tremayne
    Les Tremayne
    • Auctioneer
    Philip Coolidge
    Philip Coolidge
    • Dr. Cross
    Patrick McVey
    • Sergeant Flamm
    Edward Binns
    Edward Binns
    • Captain Junket
    Ken Lynch
    Ken Lynch
    • Charley
    Stanley Adams
    Stanley Adams
    • Lieutenant Harding
    • (uncredited)
    John Alban
    • Auction Guest
    • (uncredited)
      • Alfred Hitchcock
      • Ernest Lehman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      While filming Vertigo (1958), Sir Alfred Hitchcock described some of the plot of this project to frequent Hitchcock leading man and "Vertigo" star James Stewart, who naturally assumed that Hitchcock meant to cast him in the Roger Thornhill role, and was eager to play it. Actually, Hitchcock wanted Cary Grant to play the role. By the time Hitchcock realized the misunderstanding, Stewart was so anxious to play Thornhill that rejecting him would have caused a great deal of disappointment. So Hitchcock delayed production on this movie until Stewart was already safely committed to filming Otto Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder (1959)" before "officially" offering him the role in this movie. Stewart had no choice but to turn down the offer, allowing Hitchcock to cast Grant, the actor he had wanted all along.
    • Goofs
      During the scene in the diner at Mount Rushmore, a young extra boy in the background anticipates the surprise gun shot, fired by Eve. The diners are supposed to be unaware this is going to happen but the young extra boy covers his ears way before she draws the gun. The young extra boy must have known there would be a loud bang from the blank-filled pistol from previous takes and therefore covered his ears on the "printed" take.
    • Quotes

      [Thornhill is wearing sunglasses to hide his identity]

      Ticket Seller: Something wrong with your eyes?

      Roger Thornhill: Yes, they're sensitive to questions.

    • Crazy credits
      Right after his credit as director during the opening credits, Alfred Hitchcock is running toward the door of the city bus just as it slams shut on him!
    • Alternate versions
      The print originally had an acknowledgement for the cooperation of the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service. But they requested it be removed after MGM violated the agreement that no violence would take place near the Mt. Rushmore monument. Some prints, however, were released with the acknowledgement still in.
    • Connections
      Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Le contrôle de l'univers (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      It's a Most Unusual Day
      (1948)

      (uncredited)

      Music by Jimmy McHugh

      Lyrics by Harold Adamson

      Played as background music at the Plaza Hotel

    User reviews710

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    "That wasn't very sporting, using real bullets."
    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
    helpful•44
    16
    • Nazi_Fighter_David
    • Jan 12, 2009

    FAQ14

    • What is 'North by Northwest' about?
    • Is 'North by Northwest' based on a book?
    • What is the title "North by Northwest" supposed to mean?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 18, 1959 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Garces Highway 1/10th mile East from Corcoran Road and Kern National Wildlife Preserve, Kern County, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 16 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby SR
      • Dolby Digital
      • Mono
      • (VistaVision, original & negative ratio)

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