With the cultural changes of recent years, many “classic” films have begun to struggle to remain at the top of the list, especially films that bring up complex issues of racism, homophobia, and sexism. These are works that reflect the culture of their time, but one that is uncomfortable and rejected today, and this shelves some content that even has good performances or texts, but that can no longer be praised 100%. North by Northwest is not one of them.

In 2024, one of Alfred Hitchcock‘s best films, certainly one of my top 5 favorites of all time, celebrates 65 years of release and deserves all the praise and honors. After all, it is considered – deservedly – ​​the most influential of all in defining the espionage and adventure genres, being copied to this day in both the 007 and Mission: Impossible films. Nothing short of genius from start to finish.

The wrong man formula with the perfect star for the role

Cary Grant is one of Hollywood’s greatest legends, an actor who was unanimous both behind the scenes and at the box office and who navigated drama, comedy, action, or suspense with the same naturalness and elegance. If he was the public’s favorite actor, why not Hitchcock?

Without Grant in the lead role, we would have a wonderful film, because essentially the story and script are spectacular, but with him, we have perfection. In times when heroism is reserved for “superheroes” or espionage professionals like James Bond or Ethan Hunt, Roger Thornhill (Grant), the publicist who is mistaken for a fictional spy is still the most powerful of all.

In 1959, when he had already achieved idolatry and made Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock proved that he still had a lot to contribute to the seventh art (in addition to North by Northwest, he would also release The Birds and Psycho), even if he would use the same formula as in all his films: the “wrong man”. Of course, what Roger Thornhill experienced when replaced by George Kaplan is in The Man Who Knew Too Much, 39 Steps, undoubtedly in Sabotage and many others, but here technical and artistic maturity are the difference. He and screenwriter Ernest Lehman set out to create their “definitive film,” although when it comes to Hitch, it is virtually impossible and unfair to choose just one. However, they succeeded.

If all the films I mentioned are somehow in INorth by Northwest it is because the two deliberately decided to deconstruct the spy films of the 30s and 40s, using their grandiose plots almost as parody. There was a difference, common today: they included comedy, not slapstick, but that which recognizes the fun of the impossible and that is why it is impossible to think of another actor who knows how to make us laugh while starring in adventure scenes other than Cary Grant. Okay, I know you also see James Stewart doing the role well and you’re not wrong! It almost happened!

That’s right, the director began developing North by Northwest when he was working on Vertigo and commented to Stewart about the film. The actor, understanding that he was the “muse” of the script, was excited about the plot, but Hitch knew it needed to be Cary Grant. Legend has it that, in order not to upset James Stewart, the director delayed the start of production until the actor was involved with another film, and was then invited but forced to refuse. Good strategy, right?

But it almost didn’t work out because at 55, Grant was thinking more about retirement than throwing himself into a cornfield while being chased by a plane. Furthermore, he found the script confusing but ended up accepting the job. As always, Hitch knew how to use all of this to the story’s advantage, so Thornhill’s indignation, as well as his annoyance, are genuine from the actor.

A paradoxically simple and complex story

Let’s get to the intriguing plot: publicist Roger Thornhill is mistaken for a man called George Kaplan and is therefore kidnapped and threatened with death, since Kaplan is a spy for the American government and is committed to preventing a terrorist attack in the United States. The problem is that Kaplan doesn’t exist, he is a CIA strategy to deceive the film’s shadowy villain, Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) about the true identity of the spy who infiltrated his gang, who is none other than his girlfriend, the spectacularly beautiful and elegant Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint). To make matters worse, Thornhill and Eve fall in love, creating a real problem and a threat for Vandamm and from then on there are perfect sequences and dialogues in succession.

Although the film was nominated for 3 Oscars and all for the screenplay (at the time there was a division between Best Screenplay and Best History), North by Northwest lost the year before in the ceremony to Ben Hur. The greatest injustice, however, was not the epic’s overwhelming dominance, but that North by Northwest lost the Oscar to the romantic comedy Pillow Talk.

In any case, Martin Landau‘s debut film as the dangerous Leonard still yields profound theses about his true role in the Vandamm gang, with undeniably gay connotations that are even fun to identify. And of course, how can we escape the greatest irony of all? Years later, Landau would be the big star of the original Mission: Impossible series. Was it written from the beginning?

The gray suit and costumes

Costume designer Harry Cress is not even credited, but no one denies that his pieces in North by Northwest are spectacular. All of Eva Marie Saint‘s dresses are still breathtaking today, I imagine 65 years ago what the reaction was like. However, if there is a supporting character in all this, it is undoubtedly Roger Thornhill’s gray suit.

If we consider that Kim Novak‘s gray suit in Vertigo was an essential part of the plot, this is also the case (and the color) of Cary Grant‘s suit. After all, Roger is kidnapped, arrested, and chased in a space of hours, he doesn’t have time to change his costume, something that is part of the dialogue on more than one occasion.

Cary Grant‘s gray suit in the film is not stained with whiskey, does not wrinkle, does not get dirty, and does not tear even when he throws himself on the ground or rocks to escape with his life. It’s “THE” suit, one that makes the ‘suit guy’ reference seem more like a superhero cape. Again, what’s not to love?

And, returning to Eva Marie Saint, who turned 100 years old a few days ago, in 2010 she fondly remembered behind the scenes and working on North by Northwest, especially the clothes.

“When we finished the movie, Hitch told me, “Women want to go out and see a movie with a heroine who looks the way they want to look. They have no clothes, no hairstyles, no jewelry; they fantasize and have a lot of fun.”, she commented. Although simplistic and misogynistic, the comment is not exactly wrong. “He cared about what his protagonists wore and how their hair looked. He didn’t like the clothes MGM gave me for the film, so he took me shopping at Bergdorf Goodman. I called him my sugar daddy after that. He also had a woman go around Chicago looking for a ruby ​​for one of my necklaces,” she revealed.

Details that made all the difference!

On cinema screens: how it should be
Obviously, a relevant date like this, 65 years old, would not go unnoticed and Martin Scorcese took a restored copy to the Tribeca Festival, in June 2024, followed by screenings in some cinemas in the United States.

Displayed in the original 70 mm, the copies took advantage of the increased resolution of this format, which precisely brings more vivacity to the screens. VistaVision technology was launched in 1954, at the same time as other new formats such as CinemaScope and Cinerama, and was intended to fight for higher quality and get people away from the TV. Recovering this negative was challenging because scanning the image at the highest possible resolution was difficult, especially as the color of the original negative had faded considerably. Another problem? As Hitchcock was famous, there were more copies and this wore down the negative even more.

But everything was performed as expected and even Ernest Herrmann‘s incredible score was remixed. A perfect gift for such a unique film. I recommend seeing, reviewing, and decorating! It never gets old.

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