North by Northwest (1959)

A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writer:

Ernest Lehman

Stars:

Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason

Top Rated Movies #105 | Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cary Grant	...	Roger 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
Edward Binns	...	Captain Junket

Storyline

Madison Avenue advertising man Roger Thornhill finds himself thrust into the world of spies when he is mistaken for a man by the name of George Kaplan. Foreign spy Philip Vandamm and his henchman Leonard try to eliminate him but when Thornhill tries to make sense of the case, he is framed for murder. Now on the run from the police, he manages to board the 20th Century Limited bound for Chicago where he meets a beautiful blond, Eve Kendall, who helps him to evade the authorities. His world is turned upside down yet again when he learns that Eve isn't the innocent bystander he thought she was. Not all is as it seems however, leading to a dramatic rescue and escape at the top of Mt. Rushmore.

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Plot Keywords:

spy | fugitive | on the run | mistaken identity | mount rushmore | 

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Taglines:

A 2000 MILE CHASE . . . That blazes a trail of TERROR to a gripping, spine-chilling climax !

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Genres:

Adventure | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Thornhill appears on the left side of the screen for almost the entire movie.

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Goofs

When escaping on Mount Rushmore, Roger Thornhill says to Eve Kendall "When we get out of this we're taking the train back to New York". But in the famous tunnel shot at the end, they show a Southern Pacific passenger train, with the Pacific masked out or covered over. Neither Southern Pacific Railroad nor Southern Railway had routes from South Dakota or Chicago to New York.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Roger Thornhill: [coming out of the crowded elevator, dictating to his secretary] If you accept the belief that a high Trendex automatically means a rising sales curve...
Eddie: Mr. Thornhill?

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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.

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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.

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Connections

Spoofed in Freakazoid!: Virtual Freak (1996)

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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 Reviews

North by Northwest and then some

Hitchcock at his sharpest. Art and commerce in a delicious salad with all the right ingredients. A brisk screenplay by Ernest Lehman a Cary Grant that is just pure delight, Eva Marie Saint fresh out of her Oscar from "On the Waterfront" is an icy blonde with a brain. James Mason, the ultimate foreign sinister not to mention Jessie Royce Landis and Hitchcock brings Bernard Herrmann to wrap it all up in one of the most infectious scores imaginable. A real treat.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

18 December 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest

Filming Locations:

Garces Highway 1/10th mile East from Corcoran Road and Kern National Wildlife Preserve, Kern County, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,101,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$73,695

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) Dolby SR Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1