Watch Out For Low-Flying Planes

I have this list (or at least a general sense) of movies that I should see at some point in my life. I had wanted to see this movie for several reasons. First, there’s that famous crop-duster scene. Second, I figure that I should see at least one Cary Grant movie. In terms of cultural literacy, I’d have to say that’s something that everyone should do. Lastly, along the same lines, it’s a Hitchcock movie; who doesn’t have a favorite Hitchcock movie?

North by Northwest is a story of mistaken identity. Roger Thornhill is an ad executive. He’s a normal guy with a normal life. One day, when meeting a few friends for drinks, he steps aside to call his mother. Before he can get to the phone, two men force him into a car, insisting that his name is George Kaplan. Thornhill has no idea what they’re talking about, but is compelled to do as they say, mostly because one has a gun.

It turns out that these two men are employed by a man that’s under the impression that Thornhill is some sort of spy using Kaplan as one of many assumed names. Thornhill has no idea what he’s talking about, but it appears that he’s simply being uncooperative. At this point, the two abductors force Thornhll to drink a lot of bourbon before placing him in a stolen car and sending him off of a cliff. Thing is that Thornhill manages to escape and land himself in jail for the night.

What follows is an attempt by Thornhill to figure out who this Kaplan guy is and why everyone keeps assuming that the two people are one and the same. Along the way, he’s framed for murder, meets a strange woman that seems to know a lot about him and is set up to be killed by someone in a crop duster. Thornhill is called upon to become part of something larger and even he’s not sure exactly what it is.

Now I see why Hitchcock was said to be the master of suspense. In North by Northwest, we learn a lot of things as Thornhill learns them. There’s also the famous crop duster scene, in which Thornhill is waiting on the side of the road to meet Kaplan, expecting every car that passes by to be Kaplan’s. Instead, he gets chased by a plane. You’re always wondering what will happen next.

The only thing that I didn’t like was the ending. It seemed to drag a little bit, and then came to a conclusion suddenly. I don’t want to say too much for fear of ruining everything. (It would also take too long to explain.) Having the main characters climb down Mount Rushmore was a great scene, though.

The movie was 138 minutes, which is a little on the long side by today’s standards. However, I think it’s worth it. I think that everyone should see at least one Hitchcock movie in their lifetimes. The same goes for a Cary Grant movie. I’m planning on renting at least one more of each.