This year we will be taking a closer look at past cinema treasures on a weekly basis. The first movie in our #50fromthe50s movie review is Alfred Hitchcock’s, “North by Northwest.” This movie was released in 1959 and stars Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint.
Plot line of “North By Northwest”
“North by Northwest” stars Cary Grant, as a man who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when he is mistaken for someone else. Because of this mistaken identity, Roger Thornhill {Grant} is abducted and find himself on the run from bogus murder charges. Along the way, Thornhill meets up with Eve Kendall {Eva Marie Saint}, a potential love interest. However, Kendall may be more than meets the eye and Thornhill may have bitten off more than he can chew in this cross country suspense.
Thoughts On “North By Northwest”
My husband and I watched this movie together and we found it to be very suspenseful and visually appealing. I had also heard of Cary Grant, of course, but I had never seen any movie he was in before that I can recall. I really liked him as an actor and will be looking for more movies that feature him. He reminded me a bit of George Clooney and his character was slightly sarcastic, so I found him pretty funny. I especially enjoyed the music – creepy and suspenseful.
I had mistakenly assumed that Alfred Hitchcock only did horror or scary movies. Apparently that is not the case. “North by Northwest” is not scary, but is suspenseful and is pretty similar to crime dramas of today. So, if you are into action, drama and suspense, I think you will like this movie.
Should You Let Your Kids See This Movie?
Though there are 2 twin beds in hotel rooms, etc., that is typical for cinema in that era, there is a lot of flirtation in the movie that you might want to check out before letting the kiddies see this film. This movie isn’t Mayberry. There is some violence, but it is very non-graphic as compared to movies of today and there is no gore or anything that I recall seeing in this movie. I would let a child watch this, but I know that everyone has different views of what is acceptable for their children, so I thought I would mention this.
How Do We Rate “North By Northwest”?
The folks at Rotten Tomatoes apparently really love this movie. As of this writing, 94% of viewers liked it. North by Northwest is also featured on several lists as one of the best movies of all time. I would give it a definite 4-4.5 out of 5 stars. The only thing I didn’t care for was the ending. But it didn’t bother me enough to dislike the movie. I would definitely watch it again. 🙂
If you want to see “North By Northwest,” there are several places offering it for $2.99, but the cheapest place we found was on an app called MGo on our Smart TV. We rented it for $1.99. We don’t know much about this app, as we just installed it and this was the first movie we watched, but so far, so good.
Have You Seen This Movie? If So, What Did You Think?
Check Out The Rest Of Our #50FromThe50s Movie Suggestions
1. North By Northwest [1959, Cary Grant]
2. Rebel Without A Cause [1955, James Dean & Natalie Wood]
3. How To Marry A Millionaire [1953, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall]
4. The Ten Commandments [1956, Charlton Heston, Yul Brenner]
5. Love In The Afternoon [1957, Audrey Hepburn, Gary Cooper]
I havent seen this one before but I’ve heard of it. I think I’d like to watch it based on what you’ve said here!
Yes I have seen this movie and I love it 🙂 It has been awhile though since I watched it
Thank you for the review and the recommendation. Looks like an awesome movie! And thanks for the source as well 🙂 Would love to watch it sometime this week!
If you do watch it, you should let us know if you like it, too. I hope I didn’t steer you in the wrong directions. 🙂
I have been wanting to watch some classic Hitchcock. My husband has been wanting to get the Birds for awhile now. I have been wanting to watch it and maybe Vertigo. Your review of North by Northwest makes me want to see it too. Thanks
I haven’t seen the Birds or Vertigo, either. Are they from the 50s? If so, I might have to include them in this list, too. Thanks for the suggestions. 🙂
I haven’t seen this one…but if it has Cary in it I am apt to watch it. Thanks for the review
He was very cool. I will definitely be looking for movies with Mr. Grant in them. 🙂
Yes, I’ve seen this and loved it. It has been a very, very long time though. My kids haven’t seen it. Although they are old enough now that I can’t “make them” sit and watch, I’m going to try. Thanks for sharing this awesome information… down memory lane.
I have neither seen nor heard of this movie before. I do like that it seems somewhat kid friendly.
The name sounded so familiar but I could not recall ever hearing of or seeing it. It looks like a great movie though (love my old movies!).
Oh, I love Cary Grant. And true, the old times movies are real treasures I always enjoy them, my favorite still being Gone with the Wind even after watching it for more than 10 times. I would rate North by Northwest a 5 only for Cary 🙂
I am with you on Gone With The Wind! That is definitely one of my all time favorite movies. 🙂
Thanks for the recommendation.. We haven’t seen the movie yet.. will check out the link
Thanks for sharing
I have never seen any Hitchcock movies. My parent’s weren’t into them and I’ve never really looked into them at all. It kind of reminds me of an older Bond movie mixed with a John Wayne movie. A very throughout review.
These are so awesome. I always like old movies.
I’ve never actually seen this movie before but after reading your review, it’s definitely worth checking out. Hubby likes old movies. This could be a good one during our next date night at home. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I love this movie! Me and my husband watched this another night.
I actually love Cary Grant and really love this move! I used to watch it when I was a lot younger with my parents. Now I watch it with my kids lol. Thanks for the great review.
I have not seen this movie. The oldest movie I’ve seen recently is Love Story with Ryan O’Neal and Ali McGraw. I will have to look for a copy of North meets Northwest. You did a good review of it and I believe it is going to worth my search. Thanks for sharing.
I LOVE all the old Hitchcock movies! Now that my kids are older, they are getting into them too (which I love, love, love as well) We try to catch the marathons when they come on cable, since its so hard to find the original movies.
One of my all time faves!!!
I have never seen this movie. I love the movies from this era, if just for the fashion!
I’ve never seen this one but I love older movies like this!
Cary Grant was always one of my favorite actors from the Classic Movie days.
I probably saw this movie years ago. Such a gentleman!
Eliz
I love ‘classic’ films like North By Northwest; the storytelling is so much better without all the sparks and special effects of today’s films. I’ll definitely be watching this again soon!
It’s been so long since I watched this movie. If I remember correctly, it’s one of the films featured in the Great Movie Ride at Disneyworld.
I have never been to Disney yet. What type of ride is the Great Movie Ride?
I’ve seen this, but it’s been a long time. Great reminder to catch up on some old movies. I love Hitchcock movies.
I always love their movies!!! It is one of the films featured in the Great Movie Ride:)
Classic! Takes me right back to film school days. I was the student in the media center handing out the videos…ahem…yes, videos and beta even. Great post!
Beta? Nice – not sure I have ever even seen a beta machine {is that what you call it} in real life. However, we still have some VHS tapes. 🙂
We checked this one out from the library… first time I had seen Cary Grant in anything. I really enjoyed it