North by Northwest

1959
PG
2h 16m

IMDb RATING

8.3/10

354K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer3:25

Spy Action Adventure Mystery Thriller

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.

Director
- Alfred Hitchcock
Writers
- Ernest Lehman
- Gerald Devriès
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.3/10

354K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,302

123

Director
- Alfred Hitchcock
Writers
- Ernest Lehman
- Gerald Devriès
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Top rated movie #103

Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 9 wins & 7 nominations total

Videos7

Trailer 3:25

North by Northwest

Clip 1:19

'North by Northwest' | Anniversary Mashup

Clip 1:19

'North by Northwest' | Anniversary Mashup

Clip 2:27

A Guide to the Films of Alfred Hitchcock

Clip 2:05

North By Northwest: 50th Anniversay Edition (Airplane Explosion)

Clip 1:48

North By Northwest: 50th Anniversay Edition (Scene At The Auction)

Clip 2:04

North By Northwest: 50th Anniversay Edition (Run For Your Life)

Photos256

+ 250

More like this

8.3

Incendies

8.3

2001: A Space Odyssey

8.3

6.5

8.3

8.3

6.0

8.3

6.0

8.3

5.4

The Union

8.2

Dial M for Murder

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 reviews777

Review

Featured review

Classic thriller - I love it!

Roger Thornhill is an advertising man. However when he is kidnapped it is clear that he has been mistaken for someone else. When he tries to find out what's going he is framed for murder and sets out on a cross country run to survive. Along the way he meets danger, adventure and beauty in the shape of the mysterious Eve Kendall. However when he finds the truth he is drawn towards a final showdown with the dangerous Vandamm.

Rightly regarded as a classic and can more than compete with today's thrillers that too often rely on special effects to make up for the lack of genuine suspense. Here the plot requires a great deal of faith, but it is brought off with such style and energy that it is totally absorbing. The action is great and the several main scenes have become part of popular culture and are regularly spoofed on TV etc. The romance works as well and Thornhill and Kendall exchange plenty of good scenes.

The dialogue is great and the direction is faultless from Hitchcock. Many thrillers run over 2 hours - but only the good ones can stand up to repeated viewings. Northwest can take back to back viewings it is so good. The plot may have been put together as shooting went (as was the case with at least

one key scene) but it all stands together well. The acting is also perfect, Grant's rebirth as a thriller man is brilliant and is one of Hitchcock's best everyman characters. Marie-Saint is yet another dangerous blonde but is very good. James `The Voice' Mason is excellent, while Landau adds great homosexual subtext to his character. The ever present Leo G Carroll IS Mr Waverly but is still enjoyable and even support roles like Landis as Thornhill's mother is perfection!

Over 40 years on this film has barely dated. Hearing the music is enough to make me want to see it again, while the direction, set pieces, dialogue and performances are all pitch perfect. A wonderful thriller for young and old - no sex, no swearing, all thrills.