Guillermo Del Toroisn’t just a legendary director with hits likePan’s Labyrinth,Hellboy, andThe Shape of Water—he’s also a curator of creativity with hisCabinet of Curiositieshorror anthology miniseries that platformed talented, underrated directors. In March,he shared his Director Picksfor the month withTurner Classic Movies, starting with the beloved classicNorth by Northwest(1959).The action thriller is arguably one ofAlfred Hitchcock’sstrongest films, and directly inspired theJames Bondfilm seriesthat would go on to captivate audiences worldwide a few years later.Although Hitchcock made many influential films throughout his career, includingPsycho,Rear Window, andNotorious,North by Northwestis the most monumental.
The film was a massive success, grossing over $13 million worldwide from an already-generous $3 million budget. It featured a star-studded cast ofCary Grant,Eva Marie Saint,James Mason, and the iconicJessie Royce Landis. The film’s production also brought together some of Hitchcock’s closest collaborators, including editorGeorge Tomasini, screenwriterErnest Lehman, composerBernard Herrmann, and cinematographerRobert Burks. This paid off, as the film was nominated for threeOscars(Best Editing, Best Art Direction, and Best Original Screenplay), and won anEdgar Awardfor Best Screenplay.
What Is The Premise of ‘North by Northwest’?
North by Northwestrevolves around Roger O. Thornhill (Grant), anadvertising executive who ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time.He falls victim to a case of mistaken identity, and is kidnapped by men who confront him and subsequently attempt to stage his death as a drunk-driving crash. Thornhill survives, but continues to be pursued by the criminals, led by foreign agent Phillip Vandamm (Mason) who falsely believes he’s a government agent who knows too much. Thornhill then embarks on a cross-country journey in a nonstop game ofcat and mouse, meeting an elusive love interest, Eve Kendall (Saint) along the way. Thornhill continues to elude Vandamm’s henchmen while also trying to uncover the truth of what’s really happening.
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“Dry your eyes, baby. It’s out of character.”
For Hitchcock, filmingNorth by Northwesthad its challenges. Hewasn’t able to get permission to filminside the United Nations, so he sneakily had the building’s exterior filmed and used it as a reference to re-create on a sound stage. He also initially had permission to shoot on-site on Mount Rushmore, but the U.S. Department of the Interior later revoked his access as they didn’t want Grant and Saint to scramble across the faces of the monument, as they found it disrespectful, and were also concerned about depictions of violence. Consequently, Hitchcock had an elaborate studio set built atMGMso he could still achieve his vision for the epic climax.He also had to stand his ground when MGM pressured him to shorten the film to under two hours,and refused to budge since he had absolute control over the final cut, which was the best possible decision for the film’s long-term admiration and success.
Why Guillermo Del Toro Loves ‘North by Northwest’
For TCM’s March Movie Picks,Del Toro describedNorth by Northwestas one of Hitchcock’s most “canonical, perfect films.”He emphasized the director’s overall talent, and ability to seamlessly blend comedy, drama, action, and suspense, which the film brilliantly exemplifies. Del Toro also praised the film’s flawless pacing and engrossing cinematic atmosphere. It’s packed with Hitchcock’s iconic tropes, like the overbearing mother (Landis), the “banal” hero, the upper-class villain, and of course, theHitchcock Blonde. Del Toro is such a fan that this wasn’t his first time discussing the film. He participated in the 2009 documentary short,North by Northwest: One for the Ages,alongside other celebrated directors likeWilliam FriedkinandCurtis Hanson, and alsobrought up the filmwith Far Out Magazine when mentioning Hitchcock’s best spectacle movies.
North by Northwestdirectly inspired theJames Bondseries, but the film’s influence doesn’t stop there. The use of grand, elaborate sets had a huge impact onspyand action films, whether by utilizing historic landmarks for an epic finale or orienting a chase scene in an open field. Its multi-genre story is a flawlessly paced, thrilling 136-minute spectacle. Understandably, the film was preserved in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 1995, and now it’s available to stream for free onTubi.If you don’t want to miss out on an action-packed spectacle that was way ahead of its time, be sure to addNorth by Northwestto your next movie night.
North By Northwest
