North By Northwest (DVD) > Reviews

Advantages: The first of the great Hollywood Thrillers..with all the frills..
Disadvantages: Tame for modern audiences

...movie polls that are released. North By Northwest however is THE first extravagant, technicolour thriller which would’ve shaken viewers by their lapels on the big screen. From the suave hero who is phased by nothing, the sinister villain, the beautiful girl, thunderous music, the humour and exotic location: this film has it all. In fact, Albert Broccoli based his James Bond screen adaptation on this film and picked Sean Connery for the role due to ... Read review

Advantages: Read the title
Disadvantages: Don't be silly!

There! Hopefully that’s got your attention. Now all I have to do is justify it! Ever since I started writing opinions on this site I knew that one day I would have to write one for this movie. It may be an oldie but it is most definitely a goodie. First released in 1959, it is a staple of TV channels, both on terrestrial and cable and I assumed everyone had seen this movie. However, when one of my colleagues professed ignorance, I realised ... Read review

Advantages: Cary Grant and decent soundtrack
Disadvantages: Long, drawn out, boring, over-rated.

In my opinion, this film is highly over-rated. Yes, my Ciao name is carygrant, and yes, I LOVE Cary Grant. But if he weren't in this film, I wouldn't watch it again. As it is, I have watched it zillions of times because Cary Grant looks absolutely georgeous in it. And that includes twice on the big screen. Each time I see it I TRY to like it more, but it just hasn't grown on me. So why am I not a huge fan of this film? Is it because I don't like ... Read review

Advantages: Cast, story, score...
Disadvantages: Possibly a little dated for a modern audience

...to get excited about - North By Northwest (N by NW hereafter) ISN'T a routine spy thriller though. The talent is undoubtedly present but that's no guarantee of success...we've seen that demonstrated all too often. N by NW is almost perfect for Hitchcock in that it allows him to spring surprises on us the audience seemingly at every turn. This is perfect material for Hitchcock as he's given the opportunity to place doubt in our minds: people aren't ... Read review

Advantages: Great Hitchcock film
Disadvantages: None

The advantage of having lived three score years or more is that we've seen most of the old films and know what a good film should be like. Especially those directed by the one and only Alfred Hitchcock. North-by-Northwest is one such film and with Cary Grant as the good guy and James Mason as the ne'er do well, you just know that it will be a good yarn with all the twists and turns of a good thriller. The film opens with Alfred Hitchcock ... Read review

Advantages: Fast paced plot, highly amusing, great musical score
Disadvantages: major plot holes and totally unbelievable

In short - worldy wise advertising exec gets caught in Cold War mistaken identity scenario, then gets framed for murder committed in front of dozens of people in the United Nations HQ. Travels to various picturesque locations around the United States, gets involved with the Secret Service, the head of a shadowy organisation who believes him to be a secret agent and falls for the love interest who just happens to be working for both of the latter. 'Ordinary' ... Read review

Advantages: Never bettered
Disadvantages: None - it's a dewsie!

There is something so magical about Cary Grant, his debonair aplomb and ascerbic wit. Never more engaging than in this, one of Hitch's finest movies. The sheer enthusiasm i have for this film is unabated, Eva Marie Saint plays it frosty cool, and Jimmy Mason is really terrific as the villain of the piece. I particularly love the crop dusting sequence, i don't know why, but i guess it is where Spielberg got his ideas for Duel from. There are ... Read review

Advantages: Great direction, excellent acting
Disadvantages: Not many

This film is in the classics genre and certainly deserves to be there. It is a fifties suspense thriller based around a man (Cary Grant) who is misunderstood to be a spy and is fighting to stay alive and get back his old name. The film has a great plot, which is a little tongue in cheek as it derives from a series of accidents which put Cary Grant's character under suspicion. For example, at one point a knive is thrown into the back of a man, and ... Read review

Advantages: good story line, a classic
Disadvantages: fairly long

...off. I just purchased North by Northwest on DVD at a bargain price of £11.49, only 50p more than it cost to buy on video! If you like this then you will love Rear Window and To Catch a Thief, all Alfred Hitchcock classics that you have to see. ... Read review