North By Northwest - Limited Edition Collector's Set

Starring:Ed Binns, Leo G. Carroll, Bill Catching, Philip Coolidge, Lawrence Dobkin, Robert Ellenstein, Cary Grant, Josephine Hutchinson, Martin Landau, Jessie Royce Landis, Ken Lynch, James Mason, Patrick McVey, Philip Ober, Edward Platt, Eva Marie Saint, Les Tremayne, Adam Williams, Robert Williams
Studio: Creative Design Art
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

A strong candidate for the most sheerly entertaining and enjoyable movie ever made by a Hollywood studio (with Citizen Kane, Only Angels Have Wings and Trouble in Paradise running neck and neck). Positioned between the much heavier and more profoundly disturbing Vertigo (1958) and the stark horror of Psycho (1960), North by Northwest (1959) is Alfred Hitchcock at his most effervescent in a romantic comedy-thriller that also features one of the definitive Cary Grant performances. Which is not to say that this is just "Hitchcock Lite"; seminal Hitchcock critic Robin Wood (in his book Hitchcock's Films Revisited) makes an airtight case for this glossy MGM production as one of The Master's "unbroken series of masterpieces from Vertigo to Marnie." It's a classic Hitchcock Wrong Man scenario: Grant is Roger O. Thornhill (initials ROT), an advertising executive who is mistaken by enemy spies for a U.S. undercover agent named George Kaplan. Convinced these sinister fellows (James Mason as the boss, and Martin Landau as his henchman) are trying to kill him, Roger flees and meets a sexy Stranger on a Train (Eva Marie Saint), with whom he engages in one of the longest, most convolutedly choreographed kisses in screen history. And, of course, there are the famous set pieces: the stabbing at the United Nations, the crop-duster plane attack in the cornfield (where a pedestrian has no place to hide), and the cliffhanger finale atop the stone faces of Mount Rushmore. Plus a sparkling Ernest Lehman script and that pulse-quickening Bernard Herrmann score. What more could a moviegoer possibly desire? --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

Colorized classic.......2007-07-04

An unfortunate aspect of growing up in America is that the turnover in culture is so fast that many older classics are almost unknown to the modern generation. This is especially so with old movies, which, outside of holiday fare like the Ten Commandments or The Sound of Music, do not make comebacks once a decade or so, unlike clothing fashions. This is why so many young people have never seen an Alfred Hitchcock movie. For the longest time, I was one of the ignorant masses, until my mother told me about this great movie-maker. I picked this up at the local library and watched it, and was amazed. This is probably one of the best movies I have ever seen. Part thriller, part romance, part suspense and part action, this movie presaged modern Hollywood fare such as The Fugitive, National Security, and Enemy of the State for example. There is gunfights, chase scenes, set-ups, cliffhangers (literally), and of course the famous cover shot of Cary Grant getting chased by an airplane in an open field. And like many modern action movies, this one has the climax right at the very end, followed immediately by a cut to the closing kiss of hero and heroine.

This DVD restoration is great. The film and audio quality is flawless. The special effects are also top-notch and comparable to anything seen on network TV today. And most importantly, a great storyline. I highly recommend this movie.

North byNorthwest.......2007-07-01

The video quality of this DVD is excellent. Though the package doesn't say that it has been remastered, it is better than my previous DVD version. To me, it was worth the cost to upgrade.

It was by reading the amazon reviews that I chose the latest versions of "North by Northwest" and "To Catch a Thief." I want to thank those of you who submitted the previous reviews, and commented on the quality of the video images.

the best classic film ever!.......2007-06-16

What can I say? This movie is great. It has everything, from intense action and mystery that is built up by the amazing score, to the perfect actors and actresses portraying well written and witty, and sometimes sexy, dialogue. As well as the exoticly filmed locations and that 50-60's style. Recommended for everyone.

No hotter love scene anywhere..........2007-06-01

A good film and a great film...

No spoilers here. Simply mentioning things not mentioned (much) in other reviews, here:

The frenetic music as Manhattan traffic is reflected in one of the anonymous AKA boring glass International Style skyscrapers. Hitch's hymn to the worst of modern life. Doreen Lang as Maggie, Grant's cute and long-suffering secretary and their dialogue from the lobby throughout the taxi ride. No hotter love scene anywhere, in any film, ever made, than when Cary Grant ends up at Eva Marie Saint's table in the dining car. Scorching! Grant's line "I've never been in Pittsburgh!" Hitch loves cars and the juxtapositions of them are fun throughout--some of the best and worst models ever made are clustered in this film. Old Westbury looks nice on film. Jessie Royce Landis' lines in traffic court ("Roger, pay the two dollars!") and in the elevator ("You boys aren't really trying to kill my son?"). The auction scene scene. The sunglasses scene. The shaving scene. The female patient's "Stop!...STOP!" classic double take when Cary Grant appears in her hospital room. The pseudo Frank Lloyd Wright hideout. Every detail is dead on. In Summary...

This is without any argument or exception one of the top ten films of all time and Hitchcock's best, bar none.

How do I love NORTH BY NORTHWEST? Let me count the ways...........2007-05-19

1. Excellent shots "on location" (or not?)
[Mount Rushmore, an "abandoned" cornfield in the infamous crop dusting scene, with a low flying plane, coming right at Cary Grant's unsuspecting character.]
2. Wickedly sinister bad guys. [James Mason and Martin Landau]
3. Wonderful music. [A score by the masterful Benard Herrmann.]
4. Wonderful director [It's hard to go wrong with Alfred Hitchcock--though, there have been a couple of his films that have made us question this!]
5. It's available on DVD! [It's about time!]
What else can I say, but go see it today!

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Liane - die weiße Sklavin