North by Northwest
Certainly not. But it’s pretty close I’d say. Nothing is comparable to “Rear Window” in my book, especially since I was only mildly impressed by “Vertigo” whose main character was… too crazy for my taste I guess?
“North by Northwest” is nothing like the other more recent Hitchcocks. It’s not a thriller or a horror story, just a plain good old man-runs-away-from-everyone not-really-crime plot. It’s very reminiscent of “The 39 Steps”, but it does everything better. First of all, it has the magnificent Cary Grant who is possibly my favorite actor of all times. He is the one who makes “His Girl Friday” work, or “Bringing Up Baby”, or “The Awful Truth”. This is another one of those films where Cary Grant’s antics and shocked face make the film a million times better than it would have been with anybody else. I absolutely love the humor he brings into the story.
Second, the female character is not as annoying as the one in “39 Steps”. When she flirts with Cary Grant’s character, she does so directly and knowing perfectly what she wants. It’s refreshing to encounter a woman like that, even among femme fatales. There’s an immediate chemistry between them, and they tease instead of fighting. It makes the progression of their relationship sweet and believable.
And finally, I suppose I just liked the story. Throughout the main character’s adventure, Hitchcock was wise to choose some very great backdrops (hahaha Mount Rushmore!) for his film, with the Frank Lloyd Wright style house being my favorite. I think a lot of the greatness of the film comes from the smoothness it moves from one scene to another, and that it does not feel like a film running 130 minutes. The film is speedy and time passes very fast.
More than “The Birds”, which in my book is an exercise in style, this is definitely a must-see Hitchcock. I cannot believe it took me so long to finally do so. (Okay, actually I know – I had the film un-subtitled before and Cary Grant’s fast talking is incomprehensible.)
this film is a total hoot, i agree!
i think the best Hitchcocks are easily the ones most preoccupied with obsession – namely Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho and Marnie.
OMG I still have not seen “Psycho” nor “Marnie” XXXD I have a thing for Hitchcock’s crime stories, I suppose, but then again, he was the kind of guy who could do anything right.
really?! it’s like the prototype of all horror films to come! xD
(and is still fucking creepy LOL!)
Hahaha, I know! Until now, I have always felt like “Shining” is the prototype for all horror films to come. Also, historically, the horror genre was pretty popular during the silent period, so maybe “Nosferatu” or something like that could be considered the first major influence on the genre. I don’t actually know much about horror movies in general, because they are probably my least favorite genre? XD (Too much “Scream” and “I know what you did last summer” during my youth destroyed it for me.)