North by Northwest (1959)

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writer:

Ernest Lehman (written by)

Release Date:

17 September 1959 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Alfred Hitchcock takes you.... North by Northwest!

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.

Plot Keywords:

Spy | Agent | Advertising | New York | Government Agent

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Cary Grant	...	Roger O. 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 - Chicago Policeman
Ed Binns	...	Captain Junket (as Edward Binns)
Ken Lynch	...	Charley - Chicago Policeman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stanley Adams	...	Lieutenant Harding (uncredited)
Andy Albin	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Anne Anderson	...	Woman (uncredited)
Ernest Anderson	...	Porter on Twentieth Century Ltd. (uncredited)
Malcolm Atterbury	...	Man at Prairie Crossing (uncredited)
Tol Avery	...	State Police Detective (uncredited)
Baynes Barron	...	Taxi Driver #2 (uncredited)
John Beradino	...	Sergeant Emile Klinger (uncredited)
Sara Berner	...	Telephone Operator (voice) (uncredited)
Stephen Bolster	...	Man with Camera (uncredited)
Taggart Casey	...	Shaving Man (uncredited)
Bill Catching	...	Auction Attendant (uncredited)
Bob Coe	...	Cropduster pilot (uncredited)
Walter Coy	...	U.S. Intelligence Agency Official (uncredited)
Jimmy Cross	...	Taxi Driver #1 (uncredited)
Lucille Curtis	...	Woman (uncredited)
Patricia Cutts	...	Hospital Patient (uncredited)
Jack Daly	...	Train Steward (uncredited)
John Damler	...	Police Lieutenant (uncredited)
Lawrence Dobkin	...	U.S. Intelligence Agency Official (uncredited)
Tommy Farrell	...	Eddie - Elevator Starter (uncredited)
Jesslyn Fax	...	Woman (uncredited)
Josephine Forsberg	...	Friendly Passenger (uncredited)
Sally Fraser	...	United Nations Receptionist (uncredited)
Paul Genge	...	Lieutenant Hagerman (uncredited)
Ned Glass	...	Ticket Seller (uncredited)
Tom Greenway	...	Silent State Police Detective (uncredited)
Norm Heffron	...	Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Len Hendry	...	Police Lieutenant (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man Who Misses Bus (uncredited)
Eugene Jackson	...	Security Guard at Auction (uncredited)
Bobby Johnson	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Sid Kane	...	(uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Extra Leaving Office Building (uncredited)
Madge Kennedy	...	Mrs. Finlay (uncredited)
Doreen Lang	...	Maggie - Roger's Secretary (uncredited)
Bill Lloyd	...	Extra (uncredited)
Alexander Lockwood	...	Judge Anson B. Flynn (uncredited)
Frank Marlowe	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Nora Marlowe	...	Anna - Housekeeper (uncredited)
Tom Marshall	...	Police Officer in Chicago (uncredited)
James McCallion	...	Plaza Valet (uncredited)
Maura McGiveney	...	Attendant (uncredited)
Carl Milletaire	...	Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Howard Negley	...	Conductor on Twentieth Century, Ltd. (uncredited)
Charles Postal	...	(uncredited)
Maudie Prickett	...	Elsie - Maid (uncredited)
Hugh Pryor	...	(uncredited)
Ralph Reed	...	Bellhop (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Man at Mt. Rushmore Cafeteria (uncredited)
Harry Seymour	...	Victor - Captain of Waiters (uncredited)
Robert Shayne	...	Larry Wade (uncredited)
Doris Singh	...	Indian Girl (uncredited)
Jeremy Slate	...	Policeman at Grand Central Station (uncredited)
Olan Soule	...	Assistant Auctioneer (uncredited)
Helen Spring	...	Bidder (uncredited)
Harvey Stephens	...	Stockbroker (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Man at United Nations Building (uncredited)
Harry Strang	...	Assistant Conductor (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	...	Ranger (uncredited)
Ray Weaver	...	Policeman at Grand Central Station (uncredited)
Susan Whitney	...	Attendant (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	Herman Weitner (uncredited)
Robert Williams	...	Patrolman Waggoner (uncredited)
Paula Winslowe	...	Woman at auction (uncredited)
Wilson Wood	...	Photographer at United Nations (uncredited)
Carleton Young	...	Fanning Nelson (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Ernest Lehman		(written by)

Produced by
Herbert Coleman	....	associate producer
Alfred Hitchcock	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Bernard Herrmann

Cinematography by
Robert Burks		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
George Tomasini

Casting by
Leonard Murphy		(uncredited)

Production Design by
Robert F. Boyle		(as Robert Boyle)

Art Direction by
William A. Horning
Merrill Pye

Set Decoration by
Henry Grace
Frank R. McKelvy		(as Frank McKelvey)

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup artist
Peggy Shannon	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Stanley Smith	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Ruby Rosenberg	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Saunders	....	assistant director
Mickey McCardle	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Harry Edwards	....	props (uncredited)
Henry Greutert	....	sculptor (uncredited)
Mentor Huebner	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
John Ricardo	....	second props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Franklin Milton	....	recording supervisor
Tom Hadley	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Van Allen James	....	supervising sound editor (uncredited)
Bert Mott	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Tom Overton	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Howard Voss	....	sound mixer (uncredited)
Charles Wallace	....	sound mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special effects
Lee LeBlanc	....	special effects
Doug Hubbard	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Cliff Shirpser	....	optical matte camera operator (uncredited)
Matthew Yuricich	....	matte artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Ray Austin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Catching	....	stunts (uncredited)
Leonard P. Geer	....	stunts (uncredited)
Sol Gorss	....	stunt double: Cary Grant (uncredited)
Robert F. Hoy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Stader	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Kenny Bell	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Howard Bradner	....	grip (uncredited)
Howard Cashion	....	camera mechanic (uncredited)
Bobby Greene	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Mike Joyce	....	camera loader (uncredited)
James V. King	....	camera operator: crop-dusting sequence (uncredited)
Bud McNeil	....	best boy (uncredited)
Bill Shaw	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Tom Smith	....	grip (uncredited)
Leonard J. South	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Felix Trimboli	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Paul Weddell	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Harry Kress	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Charles K. Hagedon	....	color consultant
Edward K. Milkis	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Other crew
Saul Bass	....	title designer
Robert Foss	....	location auditor (uncredited)
Peggy Robertson	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) (presents)
• Loew's (produced by) (as Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1959) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1959) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1959) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1959) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1959) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1967) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2000) (Brazil) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (France) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (2007) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Asociácia slovenských filmových klubov (ASFK) (2007) (Slovakia) (theatrical)
• Seven Films (2007) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Filmmuseum Distributie (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Vidéo (????) (France) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Solters & Digney  publicity (uncredited)
• Turner Entertainment  current copyright proprietor

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest (USA) (complete title)
Breathless (USA) (working title)
In a Northwesterly Direction (USA) (working title)
The Man in Lincoln's Nose (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

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 | 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:

Bakersfield, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

It was journalist Otis L. Guernsey Jr. who suggested to Alfred Hitchcock the premise of a man mistaken for a nonexistent secret agent. He was inspired, he said, by a real-life case during WW2, known as Operation Mincemeat, in which British intelligence hoped to lure Italian and German forces away from Sicily, a planned invasion site. A cadaver was selected and given an identity and phony papers referring to invasions of Sardinia and Greece. A British film, The Man Who Never Was (1956), recounted the operation.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Thornhill sees the car with Eve and the others arrive and stop on the same level as him while he's on the observation deck outside the cafeteria at Mt. Rushmore. The parking lot is actually a couple hundred feet below.

Quotes:

Roger Thornhill: When we get out of this, you can ride the train with me again.
Eve Kendall: Is that a proposition?
Roger Thornhill: It's a proposal, sweetie!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "McCloud: Bonnie and McCloud (#7.1)" (1976)

Soundtrack:

It's a Most Unusual Day

Top-notch suspense /adventure film still looks great after 40 years!

For Christmas this year, I received my first to-own DVD: Hitchcock's classic, NORTH BY NORTHWEST. After over 40 years, this rip-racing adventure-thriller still packs a punch and looks great on widescreen. This movie came along during a renaissance period for the Old Master, between masterpieces like VERTIGO and PSYCHO, but this excursion into the world of suspense is so different from anything else Hitchcock had created up to that point. Never did he challenge our endurance to keep still in our seats for such a long period of time, and yet the film's 135 minutes go by so fast it could only be explained by movie magic itself.

Cary Grant is one of those actors that a filmgoer either falls in love with or deeply envies. His debonair manner is displayed to the full in this film, even though the peril that his character goes through would cause any normal dude to break into a maddening sweat. The dialogue Roger Thornhill delivers alongside Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) in this film is sometimes too hilarious to be true, but wouldn't any woman fall for it? (I'm merely guessing here) Ernest Lehman's screenplay is so lighthearted and yet very ominous. With all the traps and pitfalls Grant goes through in this film, you would have to find comedy in it. Grant does and to great appeal. I absolutely love the sequence at the auction when Roger tries to get himself arrested by yelling out flaky bids and accusing the auctioneer of selling junk worth no more than $8. I also admire the scenes with Saint on the train to Chicago; I was tempted to jot down some of his pick-up lines, but then I realized it's just a movie (or is it?)

Hitchcock was famous throughout his career of setting up death-defying sequences with major landmarks as backdrops. Here, Mount Rushmore will never be looked at the same again afterwards. We may never enter the United Nations again without peering behind our backs for a notorious knife-thrower. And, I dare say, I will never walk alongside a highway where a cropduster could swoop at any minute. I love the line during the Rushmore incident when Grant says his two ex-wives left him because he lived too dull a life. Go figure!

It has been said that Hitchcock's many films each contain a personal side of the director inside them. The archetypes of the Master of Suspense are here amid the chasing and running across the U.S. The mysterious blonde, played to a tee by Eva Marie Saint, is a common fixture of many Hitchcock jaunts. Saint joins Grace Kelly and Tippi Hedren in this feature. The protagonist is again awkward when faced with the opposite sex, but unusually casual when wrapped up in danger. The hero has an attachment to his mother, continually under his nurturing wing. And of course, the macguffin has fun with us again (government secrets my foot!)

Whenever I see action-packed epics today like "The Fugitive" or the James Bond series, they all seem to quiver in comparison to this film. It amazes me that Hitchcock is able to hold the audience in the palm of his hand throughout the whole length of the journey. We become Grant as he runs away from the police and the secret agents who have chosen him as their dupe. But throughout the squabble, we sense that Grant is getting off on the whole jaunt, just as we want the chase to continue, not looking at our watches for a minute. However, it's fascinating to note that Roger Thornhill is not a born adventurer, nor is he an archeologist with a flair for escaping impossible situations. We are experiencing the Cary Grant in all of us, running away from an enemy we do not know they are or what they want. Is this symbolism of some kind? I say who cares; just watch the film and have fun!