Between the Pages

One of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest movie achievements.  In North By Northwest, Cary Grant is advertising executive Roger Thornhill, who gets mistaken for a government agent and finds himself pursued across the USA by a group of spies who are determined to kill him.  He finds help in the form of Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint), a beautiful young woman who may or may not be as sincere as she appears.

This film is over two hours long, but passed by in a flash.  It’s regarded as a classic (it appears on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 best movies ever, and also as the fourth best thriller).  As well as some moments of genuine suspense (the Mount Rusmore scenes, and particularly the very famous scene where Thornhill is running for his life from a crop duster plane) there are also some moments of genuine comedy.  The scene where Thornhill deliberately tries to get himself arrested at an auction in order to escape from the bad guys, is laugh-out-loud funny, and I also loved the humour and chemistry between him and Eve Kendall.

Cary Grant is as charming and charismatic as ever, and was perfect for the role.  Eva Marie Saint is also perfect as Kendall, and there is a great supporting cast.

The story takes plenty of twists and turns – things took me by surprise, whereas at other times you could sense the danger that Thornhill was about to walk into.  A thrilling finale finishes the film off perfectly.

Definitely a recommended watch for fans of thrillers, comedy, or just good movies.

Year of release: 1959

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Writer: Ernest Lehman

Main cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason