NORTH BY NORTHWEST: FANDANGO/TCM RETURNS HITCH'S CLASSIC TO CINEMAS

Alfred Hitchcock's suspense masterpiece, North by Northwest, returns to the big screen for its 65th anniversary via Fandango & TCM on May 19 & 22 (hosted by the ever informative Ben Mankiewicz). 

North by Northwest is the tale of a Madison Avenue businessman, Cary Grant's Roger Thornill, who becomes embroiled in a matter of misconstrued identity that leaves him on the frenetic lam, with tension and twists building until the bitter and breathtaking, Mount Rushmore end. 

Grant is joined by Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Martin Landau, Adam Williams, Leo G. Carroll, Jessie Royce Landis, Josephine Hutchinson, Edward Platt, John Beradino, Les Tremayne, Philip Coolidge and Malcolm Atterbury, who inject the ominous proceedings with an aesthetic consistency that pleases the eye and accelerates the heart. (Bernard Herrmann's pulse-pounding score braces every tense step of their absorbing exchanges.)  

North by Northwest, which was penned by the incomparable Ernest (Family Plot/Black Sunday 1977) Lehman, acts as a precursor to AMC's Madmen (in its officious look and feel), while predating the exotic zeal of cinematic 007 by only a few years.  

To see this one again on the big screen will be a major treat. Be certain to check local listings for times and theater locations.  

HAPPY 60TH, NORTH BY NORTHWEST!!!

Alfred Hitchcock was a master at placing innocent, identifiable people into extraordinary, harrowing circumstances.

One of the director's best examples is MGM's "North by Northwest", which hits its 60th anniversary release date (per its Chicago premiere) on July 1.

"North by Northwest" is a tale of mistaken identity, where Cary Grant's Roger Thornhill, a New York businessman cut from the "Mad Men" cloth, is framed for murder in an enemy-agent attempt to smuggle some top-secret microfilm from the United States.

The content is pulpy and sweeping, featuring on-the-run, Bondian intrigue and piles of paranoia. 

To stir these ingredients, Ernest "Sabrina" Lehman's script streams with cunning calculation: an astute match for Hitch's jolting build-ups. The Mount Rushmore finale is stupendous and nail-biting; the moments with Grant and Eva Marie Saint's Eve Kendall are intelligent and steamy. (Saint is an excellent example of Hitch's proverbial icy blonde, but her character also applies a welcoming warmth that fills several, important interludes.)

The rest of the cast is as adroit, with Jessie Royce Landis as Thornhill's supportive but doubtful mom; James Mason as the wily Phillip Vandamm; Martin Landau as his stony henchman, Leonard; and Leo G. Carroll as the helpful, agency-with-no-name Professor. I'm also fond of Malcolm "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" Atterbury's cameo as the "crossroads man", whose enigmatic appearance proves the perfect prelude to one of cinema's most memorable moments.   

To add to the production's high caliber, Bernard Herrmann's score is pure, agitated grandeur, as are Saul Bass' ominous, opening graphics. Robert Burk's photography is rich and refined, creating one of Hitch's best looking efforts.

In all aspects, "North by Northwest" is the pinnacle of the thriller genre. To mark its superiority, re-experience it today or enter its splendor for the first time. "North by Northwest" isn't called a classic for nothing: Satisfaction guaranteed.