North by Northwest (film)
"North by Northwest" is a 1959 spy thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, widely regarded as one of his most iconic films. The story follows New York advertising executive Roger Thornhill, portrayed by Cary Grant, who becomes embroiled in a case of mistaken identity. After being mistaken for a spy named George Kaplan, Thornhill is pursued by sinister villains, leading him on a thrilling chase across the United States, including key locations such as the United Nations and Mount Rushmore. The film features a blend of Hitchcock's signature elements, such as a charismatic blonde heroine, cunning antagonists, and the use of a "MacGuffin"—a Mexican figurine that conceals vital information.
With its intricate plot, memorable action sequences, and striking cinematography, "North by Northwest" not only influenced the thriller genre but also received critical acclaim, including three Academy Award nominations. The film has been preserved in the National Film Registry and is celebrated for its compelling screenplay and masterful direction, making it a lasting favorite among audiences and filmmakers alike. Its innovative storytelling and stylistic techniques continue to resonate in modern cinema, solidifying its place as a classic in film history.
North by Northwest (film)
- Release Date: 1959
- Director(s): Alfred Hitchcock
- Writer(s): Ernest Lehman
- Principal Actors and Roles: Cary Grant (Roger O. Thornhill); James Mason (Phillip Vandamm); Eva Marie Saint (Eve Kendall)
Like Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock is a rare film director whose name has become an adjective: Hitchcockian. The 1959 spy thriller North by Northwest is not only one of Hitchcock’s best movies, it may be the "most Hitchcockian" of them all. At least, that was the goal when screenwriter Ernest Lehman wrote the movie. Already acclaimed for 1957’s Sweet Smell of Success, Lehman set out to write "the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures" in North by Northwest.
The movie includes almost all of Hitchcock’s favorite devices and the taut pacing that characterizes his movies. It revolves around an ordinary man facing an extraordinary situation. It features a beautiful but icily mysterious blonde heroine. The villains are cunning and calmly sinister. Hitchcock makes a brief on-screen appearance. Monumental settings are key to the action, in this case, the United Nations building in New York and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. And the plot features what Hitchcock called a "MacGuffin." This is an object that has no real bearing on the plot but is pursued by all of the movie’s characters. In North by Northwest, the MacGuffin is a Mexican warrior figurine the villain buys at an auction in which a microfilm is later concealed.
Ultimately, North by Northwest is a top-notch espionage movie combining an extremely talented team: a famed director at the height of his abilities, a top screenwriter, an award-winning movie composer, and an outstanding cast. Even the costuming played a starring role. In 2006 GQ magazine’s fashion experts declared that the gray suit Cary Grant wore for most of the movie was the best suit in film history.
Plot
The many twists and turns of the intricate plot of North by Northwest all stem from a case of mistaken identity. One of the great strengths of the movie is that the series of unlikely events that follow is perfectly plausible.
New York advertising executive Roger Thornhill signals a bellboy immediately after the bellboy pages a man named George Kaplan, and Thornhill is assumed to be the man. This brings Thornhill into contact with a debonair, sophisticated spy named Phillip Vandamm, Vandamm’s secretary Leonard, and Vandamm’s thugs.
In an effort to track down Vandamm, whom he thinks is named Townsend, Thornhill ends up at the United Nations—where the real Townsend is murdered. Because he is photographed with the murder weapon, Thornhill is assumed to be the killer. He flees from the scene.
Later during the same day a group of US intelligence agents under the direction of "the Professor" discuss the murder and Thornhill’s unlucky involvement. They are pursuing Vandamm for selling classified information and have invented "George Kaplan" in an effort to draw out Vandamm. The Professor’s team decides not to intervene because Thornhill creates a smokescreen for an undercover agent in Vandamm’s company.
Still trying to find the fictitious Kaplan, Thornhill takes a train to Chicago. En route he meets Eve Kendall, a worldly blonde who helps him hide from the police. Unaware that Eve is working with Vandamm, Thornhill believes her when the next day she claims to have received meeting instructions from Kaplan. One of the most famous scenes in all of cinema follows. Thornhill waits beside a desolate road while a crop-dusting plane works in the distance. The plane then attacks Thornhill. He manages to escape by stopping a tanker truck with which the plane collides. He then manages to return to Chicago.
Thornhill confronts Eve but meets up with Vandamm and his men. Vandamm bids for a Mexican figurine at an art auction. To escape, Thornhill creates a disturbance at the auction and gets himself arrested. The Professor is also present, and he has Thornhill taken to the airport. There the Professor explains the situation—that Kaplan is a ruse, and they want Thornhill to continue the charade in order to catch Vandamm with incriminating evidence before Vandamm can escape the country.
Thornhill refuses until he learns that Eve is also working for the government and is now in danger. Thornhill agrees to try to trap Vandamm at his South Dakota ranch. In Rapid City, Thornhill sets up a meeting with Vandamm at the Mount Rushmore visitor center. There a staged argument with Eve ends with her shooting Thornhill with blanks. This convinces Vandamm that Kaplan has been killed, which in turn provides an opportunity for Eve and Thornhill to make peace.
Thornhill is disturbed to learn that Eve has to go with Vandamm when he flees the country that night. He makes his way to Vandamm’s ranch and overhears the plot to leave with microfilm hidden inside the Mexican figurine. He also learns that Eve will be killed and tries to warn her.
A lengthy action sequence ends with a pursuit through the rock faces of Mount Rushmore, and finally Vandamm’s henchmen are killed while he is captured. The film closes with Thornhill and Eve married and taking a train back to New York.
Significance
North by Northwest received three nominations for Academy Awards but won none. However, it has received almost every other accolade it could. In 1995 the Library of Congress preserved the movie in the National Film Registry, and the Writers Guild of American lists North by Northwest twenty-first among the 101 Greatest Screenplays ever written. In 1960 the script received an Edgar Award as well. The American Film Institute calls it the fortieth greatest American film and includes it in seventh place among its top ten mystery films.
The movie had a powerful influence on an entire genre of films. Many subsequent thrillers and spy films have mimicked Hitchcock’s use of monumental public spaces for action sequences. Likewise, the movie’s characters, especially the quick-witted hero opposite a suave but evil villain, have appeared time and again in movie series such as the James Bond films. The film’s score practically yanks the viewer into the action, and countless suspenseful movies ever since have tried to recapture its intensity. Even the unique sequence of the opening credits has become a model for establishing tension from the very outset of a thriller.
Awards and nominations
Nominated
- Academy Award (1959) Best Screenplay (Original): Ernest Lehman
- Academy Award (1959) Best Film Editing
- Academy Award (1959) Best Art Direction-Set Direction (Color)
Bibliography
Autiler, Dan, and Stephen Rebello. North by Northwest: The Making of Hitchcock’s Ultimate Thriller. London: St. Martin’s, 2002. Print.
Freedman, Jonathan. The Cambridge Companion to Alfred Hitchcock. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2015. Print.
Lehman, Ernest. North by Northwest. London: Faber, 2000. Print.
Moral, Tony Lee. Alfred Hitchcock’s Moviemaking Master Class: Learning About Film from the Master of Suspense. Studio City: Michael Wiese, 2013. Print.
Naremore, James, ed. North by Northwest: Alfred Hitchcock, Director. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1993. Print.
Stratton, James. Hitchcock’s North by Northwest: The Man Who Had Too Much. Duncan: BearManor, 2013. Print.
Wood, Michael. Alfred Hitchcock: The Man Who Knew Too Much. Boston: New Harvest, 2015. Print.
Wood, Robin. Hitchcock’s Films Revisited. New York: Columbia UP, 2002. Print.