Danny B’s review published on Letterboxd:
(Cinema) (The Prince Charles Cinema - London)
"An advertising man, Roger Thornhill, lands himself in big trouble when he is mistaken for George Kaplan. On the run from the police and a foreign spy, he meets Eve, which leads to a bigger problem."
A Hitchcock classic I've been meaning to rewatch for years as I didn't think I appreciated it enough the first time I saw it. Having seen a lot more Alfred Hitchcock joints since I saw this last, I've definitely picked up a lot more of his traits that are visible seeing this again, but what hit me was how much bigger in scale and broad this feels compared to some of his other works. It's also by far the funniest of his films I've seen, unfortunately the stretched runtime does show itself and the prominent romance at the centre really hasn't aged well.
This is a classic "Mistaken identity" plot where an ordinary man finds himself in extraordinary circumstances through no fault of his own as he crawls deeper and deeper down a rabbit hole with far-reaching consequences. This features some of Hitchcock's most well put-together and biggest set-pieces of his career. There's some really exciting stuff that's all wonderfully put together like the iconic cornfield plane chase that's been spoofed and parodied endlessly, as has the Mount Rushmore set finale. It's all framed impeccably well with strong filmmaking that feels ahead of its time to feel tense and fun.
Cary Grant makes for a wonderfully charming lead and really digs into his comedic roots to make his character a bit of a loveable goofball while also embracing the frustrating situation he finds himself in. Eva Marie Saint is your typical Hitchock blonde who has her own agenda and mystery behind her, but unfortunately her chemistry with Grant is lacking at times and makes for a forced romance that never quite lands, even with some charming moments, mostly from Grant. James Mason does make for an intimidating villain, he's not the most interesting or rich of bad guys, but he makes for some menacing scenes as a lingering threat throughout.
As much as a breezy and engaging watch as this can be with its engaging mystery plot, I did feel the length at times, especially towards the end as I really started to want things to wrap up. It does at least end on a very high note with the tense Mount Rushmore chase and then abruptly ends with a very solid gag. I just feel it does run overlong quite a bit and could have been tighter, even if it is brilliant, tense and funny mostly all throughout. I will say this almost feels like Hitchcock's audition for a Bond film that never was, as this very much an espionage adventure with several Bond like elements and the charged set-pieces you'd expect from the genre and time. I have no idea if Hitchcock himself had any interest in making a Bond film, but based on this he would have most likely nailed the tone and gone hard with it.
North by Northwest is another excellent film from Alfred Hitchcock, featuring so many of the elements that make his films great. It does go on a little long and has a few pacing issues, but the large scale set-pieces, compelling mystery surrounding this espionage adventure, Cary Grant's charming leading performance and the ahead of its time filmmaking making still makes this understandably a classic. It's great, but not just not my favourite Hitchcock, although I understand why many do find it his best.
8/10 Dans
