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IMDbPro

North by Northwest

  • 19591959
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 2h 16m
IMDb RATING
8.3/10
323K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,138
655
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
  • Action
  • Adventure
  • Mystery
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
323K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,138
655
  • Director
    • Alfred Hitchcock
  • Writer
    • Ernest Lehman
  • Stars
    • Cary Grant
    • Eva Marie Saint
    • James Mason
Top credits
  • Director
    • Alfred Hitchcock
  • Writer
    • Ernest Lehman
  • Stars
    • Cary Grant
    • Eva Marie Saint
    • James Mason
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 697User reviews
    • 186Critic reviews
    • 98Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #98
    • Nominated for 3 Oscars
      • 8 wins & 10 nominations total

    Videos3

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

    Photos202

    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 Thornhillas Roger Thornhill
    Eva Marie Saint
    Eva Marie Saint
    • Eve Kendallas Eve Kendall
    James Mason
    James Mason
    • Phillip Vandammas Phillip Vandamm
    Jessie Royce Landis
    Jessie Royce Landis
    • Clara Thornhillas Clara Thornhill
    Leo G. Carroll
    Leo G. Carroll
    • The Professoras The Professor
    Josephine Hutchinson
    Josephine Hutchinson
    • Mrs. Townsendas Mrs. Townsend
    Philip Ober
    Philip Ober
    • Lester Townsendas Lester Townsend
    Martin Landau
    Martin Landau
    • Leonardas Leonard
    Adam Williams
    Adam Williams
    • Valerianas Valerian
    Edward Platt
    Edward Platt
    • Victor Larrabeeas Victor Larrabee
    Robert Ellenstein
    Robert Ellenstein
    • Lichtas Licht
    Les Tremayne
    Les Tremayne
    • Auctioneeras Auctioneer
    Philip Coolidge
    Philip Coolidge
    • Dr. Crossas Dr. Cross
    Patrick McVey
    • Sergeant Flammas Sergeant Flamm
    Edward Binns
    Edward Binns
    • Captain Junketas Captain Junket
    Ken Lynch
    Ken Lynch
    • Charleyas Charley
    Stanley Adams
    Stanley Adams
    • Lieutenant Hardingas Lieutenant Harding
    • (uncredited)
    John Alban
    • Auction Guestas Auction Guest
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Alfred Hitchcock
    • Writer
      • Ernest Lehman
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details 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
      The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo and part of the opening credits are set against a a green background.
    • 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 reviews697

    Review
    Top review
    Wonderful comedy thriller, not Hitchcock's best but his most sheerly enjoyable
    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?
    helpful•145
    46
    • DrLenera
    • Sep 30, 2004

    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)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • 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
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $3,101,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $66,728
    • Gross worldwide
      • $142,319
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 16 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.50 : 1(VistaVision, original & negative ratio)

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