North by Northwest is the sort of film that I can always watch when I stumble across it. If it's on TV and I see it, I'll join in from whatever point it is at. It is a fun little adventure that holds up well. It doesn't take much to follow so you can jump right in and it's got a great hook so it catches your attention and holds it until the end.
I sometimes question the tone of the story as Grant seems to be having too much fun for a man who is in the dire straits he finds himself in. There are moments, such as the famous plane scene, where the gravity of the situation seems to dawn on him, but for most of the movie he wanders around cracking jokes, flirting, and generally seeming to be enjoying himself. A man who realizes his life is on the line and has been framed for murder should seem more exasperated than Grant does through most of the film.
But the film works anyway, especially in moments like the plane scene. It is quite cinematic with Grant being dropped off in what feels like the middle of nowhere with big sky all around him. The tension builds as he waits, things pass but nothing to indicate what is coming next. Hitchcock frames this scene so well, setting Grant against the prairie so he stands out so dramatically. Then when the plane flies in the growing sense of dread, the raising sound, it all builds such suspense. I'm not sure it really makes sense to run a man over with a plane but yet the scene just feels so powerful. It is one of my bucket list items to see this on a big screen as I've only experienced it on a TV.
A lot of North by Northwest may not make a great deal of sense but it just works anyway. The plot is just absurd enough and Grant is, as I explained, slightly out of the movie, but damn if I don't want to watch it all play out each time I come across it.
North by Northwest
Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Martin Landau
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer: Ernest Lehman
No comments:
Post a Comment