North By Northwest

North By Northwest

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Photographed by Robert Burks

1959

Starring: Cary Grant, James Mason, Eva Marie Saint

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I recently experienced the luxury to catch a screening of Sir Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest. Often regarded as the first Bond Movie without James Bond, the story follows Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), an advertisement executive who gets mistaken with a secret agent. The way the mistake is shown on screen is not only clever but evident and efficient. Us as the audience, don't really think too much of it, but it's not simple to communicate this misconception. Hitchcock did it through strictly visual means, this being his forte coming from the silent film era. Hitchcock always said that a scene should have the same impact with or without sound. In a Hitchcock film, the camera usually haves complete freedom, it can leave the room or it can show us things the characters inside the cinematic universe have no idea about. Although Cary Grant was in the starring role, I do have to say that I think James Mason stole the show. Mason's character is to me the most perfect Bond villain that never was. The film's exceptional plot unravels at a perfect pace, giving us just enough information as it goes, leaving us wanting more. Another great accomplishment lies within the film's script. Like I mentioned before, this story is quite unusual and even confusing to understand at times, but that's where the genius of Hitchcock's directing came into play, making the picture clear for us. The sexual innuendos are definitely a big part of this project, written in a very slick way to avoid unwanted ratings. Perversion always draws attention. Although not my favorite Hitchcock picture, I would dare to say it is one of his most accomplished works.