Saturday, July 10, 2010

The 100 Best Movies: #81

81. North By Northwest (1959)



This is the best film by Alfred Hitchcock, in my opinion. It has a great story and screenplay (by the brilliant Ernest Lehman) about the "everyman" who gets mistaken for someone else. Cary Grant is fantastic as the lead character, Roger Thorndike, who is mistaken for a spy. What ensues are the harrowing adventures he has while trying to clear his name and persona. Eva Marie Saint is marvelous as the woman being used by the villain (played by James Mason) to trap Thorndike. Hitchcock makes great use of the suspense in several classic moments including the famous Crop Duster scene and the final fight a top the heads of Mount Rushmore. Bernard Hermann's score is chilling in all the right places. It is a great film and, unfortunately, the only Hitchcock film on my list. Sorry! But it is a great one to have.

Next Post: #80

No comments:

Post a Comment