North by Northwest (1959) Rank 4 Reviews

Crazy for Cinema (Lisa Skrzyniarz)

If you read enough of my reviews, you'll come to realize that I'm a huge fan of Hitchcock. That's not to say that I, or anyone else for that matter, think all of his films are wonderful. Even he made some real stinkers. However, he was always trying to ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Crazy for Cinema (Lisa Skrzyniarz)

DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)

One of the great advents of DVD is the restoration of classic movies. While a majority of the titles get a new picture and possibly enhanced sound, they don't really get the treatment that they deserve. Alfred Hitchcock, quite possibly the greatest ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)

Three Movie Buffs (Patrick Nash)

Nobody built and maintained suspense like Hitchcock. And though that statement has long since become a cliché, it is nonetheless true. North by Northwest was made at the absolute peak of his talents. ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Three Movie Buffs (Patrick Nash)

Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)

A sizzling Hitchcock classic - not the man's very best work, but it's right up there. ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)

IMDB.com

Versatility as one of the ingredients for cinema genius could be clearly observed during Hitchcock's golden phase. NORTH BY NORTHWEST represents another brilliant example of such versatility, especially when we compare this film to Hitchcock's previous ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at IMDB.com

BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)

The Vistavision and Technicolor shooting processes produce rich colours that are beautifully showcased by this immaculate disc. There is a remarkable radiance to the image, which has been sourced from a near-flawless print. While it might appear ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)

Reel.com

Sophisticated, sexy, suspenseful, and stylish, Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest dazzles with a witty Ernest Lehman script, sparkling performances by Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, and two of the most famous scenes in motion picture history â�� the ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Reel.com

Reviews by John Haywood (John Haywood)

Going north by northwest this time of year [the review was originally written in December] may make you shiver--and so will Hitchcock's film of the same name. "North by Northwest" achieves a perfect blend of comedy, romance, and suspense, and is ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Reviews by John Haywood (John Haywood)

DVDActive (Bryan Rickert)

North by Northwest is highly regarded by many as Hitchcock’s greatest film; it ranks number 40 on the American Film Institutes all time top 100 list. It didn’t win any awards, but was and is a favorite of movie-goers. The disc has a stunning ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at DVDActive (Bryan Rickert)

Boxoffice Magazine

It could be argued that "North by Northwest" was Alfred Hitchcock's most influential film, the direct ancestor in more ways than one of today's summer action blockbusters. Indeed, it's still one of Hitch's most popular films and by far his most popular ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Boxoffice Magazine

Aufmuth.com (Jeanne Aufmuth)

Viewer friendly, refreshingly undated, and worth as many repeat viewings as one can stomach. ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Aufmuth.com (Jeanne Aufmuth)

Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)

One of Hitchcock's very best comic thrillers, North by Northwest features scene after unforgettable scene. ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)

rec.arts.movies.reviews (LeRoy Miller)

Hitchcock matched, but never topped this grand tale of mistaken identity and political intrigue. Cary Grant stars as Roger Thornhill, a Madison Avenue ad executive who is mistaken for a spy by the spies' rivals. After escaping an attempt at his life, ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at rec.arts.movies.reviews (LeRoy Miller)

Chris Jarmick (--)

The quintessential Hitchcock film, is not as dark and obsessive as other Hitchcock masterpieces but is a brilliant paranoid's fantasy which eclipses the ideas of 39th Steps, The Wrong Man and Saboteur into a breezy sexy suspenseful stew of Hitch tics, ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Chris Jarmick (--)

Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)

aris, 1959: you are there. Michel, A charismatic young hot-head (Jean-Paul Belmondo) has killed a cop in Marseilles and fled to the capital to hide out with Patricia, his on-off American girlfriend (Jean Seberg). As the authorities close in, Michel and ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)

eFilmCritic.com (Mel Valentin)

My first experience with Alfred Hitchcock was with Rear Window, and excellent suspense flick and one of my all-time favorites, followed by Psycho, which was as chilling as any other movie Iâ��ve seen, then this film came. It was 5:30 in the morning; my ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Mel Valentin)

Urban Cinefile (Urban Cinefile Critics)

It is at once a cool romance and a cool comedy, a hot thriller and a hot adventure. ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Urban Cinefile (Urban Cinefile Critics)

Village Voice (J. Hoberman)

Hitchcock's ultimate wrong-man comedy. ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Village Voice (J. Hoberman)

Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)

More than a clearing house for Hitchcock's auteur tendencies. ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Film Freak Central (Walter Chaw)

Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)

Thrilling, funny, and romantic; it elevates popcorn adventure to art...defines the ideal use of star power....[and] marries deadly intrigue to out-and-out delight. ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Groucho Reviews (Peter Canavese)

Xiibaro Productions (David Perry)

In the 1950's Alfred Hitchcock learned from an associate of a fake secret agent created by British embassy secretaries to throw off the Nazis during World War II. A few years later, Hitchcock had the script with his beloved Mount Rushmore sequence and ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Xiibaro Productions (David Perry)

eFilmCritic

After the preliminary scenes that introduce the protagonist, a Madison Avenue advertising executive, Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) and the setting, New York City (circa 1959), Thornhill is mistaken for an American spy by the gun-toting associates of ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at eFilmCritic

FilmHead.com - Video Pick

North by Northwest is pure cinematic joy. The pace never slows, and Ernest Lehman's witty dialogue is a perfect complement to the exciting action. It is finally available on DVD, complete with a documentary hosted by Saint and an audio commentary from ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at FilmHead.com - Video Pick

Christian Spotlight on the Movies

This film is generally considered one of Alfred Hitchcock's best pieces of work. Once the central character is mistaken for a spy, the pace never lets up. Advertising exec Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), dining out with business associates, stands up ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Christian Spotlight on the Movies

Crazy for Cinema Review

If you read enough of my reviews, you'll come to realize that I'm a huge fan of Hitchcock. That's not to say that I, or anyone else for that matter, think all of his films are wonderful. Even he made some real stinkers. However, he was always trying to ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Crazy for Cinema Review

DVD Net (Paul Dossett)

"One of Hitchcock's most entertaining American thrillers" - so says Pauline Kael, and though the statement reeks of specificity and comes from a woman who retired because she couldn't bear giving bad reviews, the lass has a point. The great director was ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at DVD Net (Paul Dossett)

DVD Movie Central

North by Northwest is the central film in what many fans consider to be Alfred Hitchcock's holy trinity of films, starting with Vertigo and completing with Psycho. For many, it's the quintessential Hitchcock film: wry and funny, suspenseful, ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at DVD Movie Central

Edinburgh U Film Society (Scott M. Keir)

Alfred Hitchcock. Cary Grant. Bernard Herrmann. Eva Marie Saint. What more do you need? North by Northwest is Hitchcock's tale of mistaken identity; a spy thriller with a dash of comedy and romance and a modern classic, weaving a complex plot to a ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Edinburgh U Film Society (Scott M. Keir)

Movie Vault (Mel Valentin)

Hitchock is an odd case in cinema history. Despised for years by critics as nothing but a gimmicky director, he was recognized when European filmmakers like Truffaut expressed their admiration for his work, and now, decades after his death, he's praised ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Movie Vault (Mel Valentin)

At-A-Glance Film Reviews

During the mid to late fifties, Hitchcock was at his prime, churning out classics like it was easy for him. North By Northwest, which came along toward the end of this peak, is the ultimate culmination of his "innocent man thought guilty" films, ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at At-A-Glance Film Reviews

moviediva

The innocent man wrongly accused + the cool blonde temptress + the heartstopping climax = classic Hitchcock. An advertising executive having a drink at the Plaza Hotel is mistaken for a spy and finds himself running for his life from a crop duster in a ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at moviediva

The City Review (Carter B. Horsley)

In the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s, Alfred Hitchcock was the world's greatest film director who bought romance and suspense to new cinematic levels. Famed for conceptualizing his films in his mind in great detail, Hitchcock had a wickedly delicious ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at The City Review (Carter B. Horsley)

Metroactive (Jimmy Aquino)

Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 classic about a Madison Avenue exec mistaken for a spy (Cary Grant) was a 007 flick years before there was such a thing. All the Bondian elements that producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman later borrowed for their franchise ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Metroactive (Jimmy Aquino)

Movie Gazette DVD Review (Gary Panton)

Do not adjust your sets. Yes, it's Cary Grant, and yes - he really is that lovely shade of orange. In this, his fourth and final outing under the gifted eyes of Alfie Hitchcock, the satsuma-faced screen legend produces perhaps the finest performance ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Movie Gazette DVD Review (Gary Panton)

The BigScreen Cinema Guide - Reader Reviews

In this classic Hitchcock suspense thriller, Cary Grant plays an ordinary man caught in a case of mistaken identity by a group of nefarious characters. As he avoids their attempts to eliminate him, ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at The BigScreen Cinema Guide - Reader Reviews

Dimspace Haiku Movie Reviews

your basic case of mistaken identity taken all the way ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Dimspace Haiku Movie Reviews

DVD Review e-zine

I first encountered Alfred Hitchcockâ��s breezy 1959 comic thriller "North by Northwest" in 1982 in the form of a Super-8 "digest" reel. (Grandfather of the home entertainment formats, Super 8mm digest reels telescoped a filmâ��s narrative to roughly 20 ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at DVD Review e-zine

Classic Film Guide

This is certainly my favorite from among his many movies, and probably the ultimate Alfred Hitchcock film, I think. It employs all the successful elements of his previous films including the use of Cary Grant, as Roger Thornhill - "the innocent man, ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Classic Film Guide

Movieline Magazine

For the last 35 years, Hollywood has been trying to come up with an entertainment as witty, stylish and thrilling as Hitchcock's North by Northwest. That outlandish romp through a string of colorful locales was the forerunner of the James Bond movies and ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Movieline Magazine

DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)

...quintessential...Hitchcock at his most playful, Cary Grant at his most debonair. ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)

Jersey Film Society - review

This is Cary Grant of the wonderful suits and incredible charm playing New York man of the town, Roger O Thornhill, a kind of suave playboy used only to the finest restaurants and hotels whose world is turned totally round when he is falsely accused of ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Jersey Film Society - review

Apollo Guide (Brian Webster)

If anyone ever tries to tell you that they didnâ��t make exciting and fun movies in the 1950s, North by Northwest should be your exhibit â��Aâ�� in countering such a dopey claim. Hereâ��s a film from the â��50s thatâ��s exciting. Itâ��s fun. Itâ��s smart. ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Apollo Guide (Brian Webster)

DVD Verdict (Patrick Naugle)

For the low price of around $19.99 you can't go wrong with this classic film from the master of suspense. Warner has taken a gem and given it new polish along with some nice supplements (can you imagine what MGM might have done with this disc? I shudder ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at DVD Verdict (Patrick Naugle)

Parent Previews

In North by Northwest, the hectic schedule of Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) is about to move in an entirely new and more frantic direction when he is accidentally mistaken for a Mr. George Kaplin. The mix-up occurs at a hotel bar when ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Parent Previews

filmcritic.com (Jesse Hassenger)

It was with slight disappointment and definite surprise that I found, after years of intending to see it, Hitchcock’s North by Northwest coming in just under the top tier of his films. Watching Cary Grant hustle through a cross-country ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at filmcritic.com (Jesse Hassenger)

Philadelphia City Paper review by Sam Adams

Some may point to the crop duster attack or Mount Rushmore chase as the crowning moment of Hitchcockâ��s delightful 1959 thriller, but for me the filmâ��s most notable aspect is the banter between Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, the only time Hitchcock ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Philadelphia City Paper review by Sam Adams

Movie Ram-blings

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, the style of film making is composed of a few key traits that results in the movie being ranked high as one of the greatest films in my book: The plot is novel and there are plenty of plot twists that ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Movie Ram-blings

The Greatest Films - comprehensive analysis of classic US film

suppose few things say more about a person's personality than their favorite films. That a Hitchcock flick would appear in my top 10 is hardly surprising. The one I chose is what says something. I could have gone with Rear Window or Vertigo - both ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at The Greatest Films - comprehensive analysis of classic US film

Boulder Weekly (Thomas Delapa)

Hitchcock's direction is a little flabby, but for sheer enjoyment, there's no better primer on the master's methods. ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Boulder Weekly (Thomas Delapa)

FilmHobbit.com

suppose few things say more about a person's personality than their favorite films. That a Hitchcock flick would appear in my top 10 is hardly surprising. The one I chose is what says something. I could have gone with Rear Window or Vertigo - both ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at FilmHobbit.com

The QNetwork Film Desk (James Kendrick)

It was originally titled "In a Northwest Direction." Then it was tentatively called "The Man on Lincoln's Nose." It was produced by MGM in 1959, a once-great movie studio that was then on the brink of financial collapse because it refused to let go of ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at The QNetwork Film Desk (James Kendrick)

DVD Breakdown

North by Northwest manages to combine all of Hitchcock's most entertaining themes, tricks, obsessions and mannerisms into a picture so purely entertaining, it's still hard to beat more than forty years onward. More accomplished than The Lady Vanishes and ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at DVD Breakdown

DVD Journal

Sometimes Alfred Hitchcock could get away with murder. After all, directors past and present are often criticized for their repetitiveness, their inability to create new, interesting films, content rather to fall back on the same genres and plot ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at DVD Journal

Time Out

From the glossy '60s-style surface of Saul Bass' credit sequence to Hitchcock's almost audible chortle at his final phallic image, North by Northwest treads a bizarre tightrope between sex and repression, nightmarish thriller and urbane comedy. Cary ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Time Out

Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)

One of Alfred Hitchcock's great films. North by Northwest is a nightmarish thriller that could almost be about whatever you want it to mean; it's just as inexplicable as its title. The narrative's thread is so bizarre and satisfyingly entertaining that ...read the complete North by Northwest movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)

Critic Reviews

North by Northwest (1959) Rank 4 Reviews

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