North By Northwest [DVD] [1959]

Of course the best of Hitchcock's films. Seen many times, but I bought this version because of the special features with a lot of background information.

ordered from Canada seller,item shipped from Great Britan. dvd does not work on my expensive machines. works only on my grand sons cheap machine.

one of the all time best Hitchcock film noirs!!

This is a great movie, but I'll never know by this particular DVD; it was not designated Region 2 in the description, and I cannot play it!! I bought it because it was cheaper now I know why.... I guess you just must pay top dollar for one of those expensive 'Classics' versions. It IS a great movie, though.

During a span of 51 years, Alfred Hitchcock made 57 feature films, from "The Pleasure Garden (1925)" to "Family Plot (1976)". I've watched nearly one-third of them and should say that "North by Northwest" is the fastest, funniest and most beautiful of his caper/thrillers. Actually, the premise for "North by Northwest" is nothing new: a case of mistaken identity. An "ordinary man" accused of a murder he did not commit, and he must clear his name by assuming different identities. "The 39 Steps", "Young and Innocent", "The Wrong Man" and "Saboteur" were based on a similar theme. But what makes "North by Northwest" so special is its rarity in combining a twisted plot with a dazzling cast, great action, ingenious direction to create a yummy blend of suspense, adventure, deceit and Hitchcockian style of wry humor. If any movie shall be called "true cult classic", it is "North by Northwest". Along with lots of deadly one-liners, the film hosts a bunch of the most memorable scenes in motion picture history: the murder in the lobby of the UN building, Thornhill's witty escape in the auction house, the attack of mysterious crop-duster in the middle of nowhere, all scenes on the train, and the climatic chase atop Mt. Rushmore. Hitchcock proves here again he was master of substitution of the language of the camera for words. Take the crop-duster scene. Without any music or special effects, no other director can afford to create such a claustrophobia on an open space in broad daylight just using natural sounds and complex suspense elements in the rhythm of events and cutting. The film has a strong subtextual ideologic base too. Far ahead of its time in that it captures the political zeitgeist of late 1950s perfectly: moral relativism dominating the Cold War era. Very good epitome of how the State sacrifices the "ordinary man" for secretive causes involving the national interests. Last word: pure, plain and vibrant. Despite 50 years have passed since its making, it is still fresh and highly watchable.