My views: 13
This was the first Hitchcock movie I ever saw, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'd heard that he directed scary movies, which I've never been particularly fond of, but my mom said she thought I'd like this one, and I think I was getting into my Cary Grant phase, so I decided to watch it. That was in 2004. By the end of 2012 I had seen 37 different Hitchcock films a total of 92 times, so while this is the only one to make it on this blog, I think it's fair to say that I'm a pretty big fan. No, I still don't enjoy horror films, but there's a big difference between horror and suspense. And Hitchcock isn't called the Master of Suspense for nothing.
Of all the Hitchcock films I've seen, this is by far my favorite. And it's not just because of Cary Grant, although he is a big part of it. I love everything about his performance in this movie. I love how he manages to look like he has no idea what's going on but still has everything under control. I love how nonchalant he is about having to run for his life. And I love that you can tell he's doing pretty much all of his own stunts. He's like, "Yes, I'm 55 years old, excuse me while I outrun an airplane, scurry up the side of a building, and climb down Mount Rushmore." I'm not trying to make a disparaging remark about people in their 50s, but I'm less than half the age he was then, and I wish I was in half as good of shape as he was in this movie. I guess all that acrobatic training paid off. Anyway, we all know what I think of Cary Grant, so I don't need to go on, and he's not the only reason I love this movie. Eva Marie Saint is pretty fabulous, too. Hitchcock's female characters are usually a lot more than the male character's love interest, and this film is no exception. Eve Kendall is mysterious, and the audience's opinion of her is constantly changing as the camera chooses to reveal her character a little bit at a time. In the hands of a lesser actress, or a lesser director, the character would either be too confusing or too obvious, but Eva Marie Saint's portrayal of the might-be-good, might-be-bad double (triple? quadruple?) agent is as close to flawless as possible.
Then there's the story, which, while far-fetched, is certainly fascinating and unfolds beautifully, with just the right number of twists and turns. I like how the characters go on a physical journey as the story progresses, and it makes me so happy that the climax occurs on Mount Rushmore. My family likes to go on road trips, mostly to sort of middle-of-nowhere places, so we've ended up in South Dakota a few times, and you can't go to South Dakota without stopping at Mount Rushmore. I know they obviously didn't film them climbing on the actual monument, but I always feel more connected to movies if I've been to the places where they're set. For me, Mount Rushmore is associated with happy memories of summer vacations, and it's not prominently featured in too many films, so that's another one of the many reasons to recommend this movie.
I think for a lot of Hitchcock films, the perfect number of views is around two or three. The first time you watch it you have no idea where it's going to end up, so you're completely at its mercy. Then you need to watch it once or twice more when you know what's coming to appreciate how perfectly orchestrated the plot is. But after that, it's harder to appreciate the suspense when you know exactly what to expect, and it starts to feel like it's dragging. This isn't true for all of them, of course, but my point is that it especially isn't true for North by Northwest. I know it backwards and forwards, and I still never get tired of watching it. And that's why it's the only Hitchcock movie on this blog.
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