Sunday 11 December 2016

North by Northwest (1959 Alfred Hitchcock)

Interesting things with hands going on, e.g. in Grant and Saint's first kiss sequence on board train, then later as Mason's hand is on Saint's neck in auction scene. Also a couple of unusual shots of the back of heads. (Eve Marie Saint from behind on railway platform is replicated exactly in Marnie.)

Most notably though film seems preoccupied with geometry and shapes, from the opening shot of the building and those strangely perspective credits titles; for example, the crop dusting scene is largely composed of different beautifully angled shots of the roadway (figures in a landscape). Even the weird house on stilts uses its construction artfully. Also the scene between Grand and Saint amidst all those perfectly vertical trees.

Many great silent sequences, clever staging, very funny Mount Rushmore climax. James Mason incredibly suave, Martin Landau ominous, Jessie Royce Landis funny as unhelpful mother, Leo G Carroll, Adam Williams.

It's like the personification of a bad dream.

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