For Film Friday #42, Madison watches North by Northwest for the first time. #northbynorthwest Website: madisonthames.com Instagram: @madisonkthames Twitter: @madisonkthames Facebook: @madisonkthames
The producers of the Bond films were so impressed with this film that they wanted Alfred Hitchcock to direct the first Bond film and wanted Cary Grant to play Bond. Grant didn't want to commit to multiple films and Hitchcock wasn't interested. However he did praise From Russia With Love and noticed the similarities between the helicopter scene in that film and his cropduster scene in this one. BTW the spy chief was played by Leo G Carroll, who played a similar role in the 60s spy series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.. Van Damme's right hand man was played by Martin Landau, who went on to play another spy in the TV series Mission: Impossible.
Roger Thornhill (Grant) takes is in a cab with his secretary and tells her to call his mother to confirm the time of the show he was planning on attending that. But just as the cab it driving off he remembers his mother is not at home but out with friends. Roger yells to the cab to notify her of the new phone number but the cab is too far. In the hotel bar Roger meets up with friends and as a page is wandering around calling out the name "Kaplan" Roger calls out to the page so he can telegram his secretary. The two bad guys knew set the page to call for Kaplan because they knew he was at hotel but not what he looked like. Roger called for the page just after he said Kaplan, and the bad guys figured it must be Kaplan. That is how they found him. It's a blink and you miss it kind of thing, but might be easier to figure out if you lived in the 50s and knew about pages. It seems you love this movie as much as I do. I'd recommend Vertigo next as it's Hitchcock's best If you want something more romantic but still with bit of an edge ala Hitchcock, then try Notorious or Rebecca
Hi Madison, Yes, put up your older reactions! Have them posted when you're on vacation or whatever. This is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies. I'm so glad you liked it as well. Just to let you know - Eva Marie Saint is still with us, born 7/4/1924. Please consider Somewhere in Time (1980) with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. I promise you'll love the romantic story, the John Barry music and the Grand Hotel.
If you enjoyed this one, I'll recommend "Charade", 1963 Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, George Kennedy, James Cobern. It's not a Hitchcock movie, but it sure could be - directed by Stanley Donnen. It's a wonderful flim.
For some reason, Charade isn't copyrighted and you can watch the entire thing for free on youtube. (And I would think your reaction could be as long as you want>)
The “train” entering the “tunnel” at the end was Hitchcock‘s not so subtle way of letting us know what happened next, before you could show sex scenes in movies
Almost all movies have subtle clues to hidden meanings . ie-The girlfriend in Cast Away was not in love and going to break up with Tom Hanks character after he came back from his flight, Deniro's character in Once a Time in America was really murdered in 1930's and the movie was him high on opiates thinking of 1960's. The Bible "Turn the other cheek" has very little to do with forgiveness. The story is mainly about standing up for what you believe in. Those writers are some tricky people!
One of the great movie bloopers of all time happens at 23:35. Hard to see on your video, but the kid in the background knew the gunshot was coming so he puts his fingers in his ears
Now that you've seen several Hitchcock films and have the feel for them, I'd recommend Mel Brooks' "High Anxiety" for a great parody. It's very well done in regards to story, characters and visual devices/camera angles etc.. of course tempered with Brooks' subtle and not so subtle humor.
The editing, especially the famous crop duster scene, is superlative. Hitchcock really nailed this film. He's in peak form. I remember the old lodge at the base of Mt. Rushmore when I was a kid. It was a nice, rustic place and then they tore it down and put in buildings that make the area look like one big granite mausoleum. All the charm is gone. Though the back of the monument doesn't look anything like what is depicted in the film, it still has a very interesting man made cavern with a copy of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Gettysburg Address encased there. It's like backup copies in case the originals are destroyed.
Until "Jaws" in 1975 and "Star Wars" in 1977, the crop duster chase of Cary Grant was one of the most famous action set pieces in all of cinema. It was right up there with the chariot race in "Ben Hur".
Yes, Madison, put up all your previous reactions. No excuses or reasons necessary. We’ll enjoy you reacting to them. Thanks, and have a great vacation.
One of Cary Grant's unique strengths was his wonderful COMIC ability. What other leading man could have made such a comic tour de force out of that early drunk driving sequence? Genius!
A few other Cary Grant classics: My Favorite Wife, Arsenic & Old Lace, and Bringing Up Baby. Grant was great in dramatic, romantic, and comic roles, often mixing all three. Also, I hope you won't shy away from B/W films. There are so many great ones!
Thanks for reacting to some of these great classics! Cary Grant is so great in this movie, he is effortlessly charming. This is a true masterpiece from the Master of Suspense, one of the great action-adventure-thrillers to ever be on screen. It would be great to see the reactions to the movies you mentioned in the introduction that are on Rumble. Thank you for all your work!
The 2 kidnappers asked the bellhop to page George Kaplin. At that exact moment he decides to call the bellhop to telegram his secretary. The 2 guys saw him respond to the page. So they assumed it was him.
I commend you on the excellent choice of film to react to. North By Northwest is easily my favourite Alfred Hitchcock movie; I can watch it again and again, without ever getting bored. 👍 +1 for you posting your previously unseen reaction videos. And if you want a recommendation for an older, lesser known film: check out "The Medusa Touch" starring Richard Burton and Lee Remick.
Hitchcock is not known as "The Master of Suspense" for nothing. This is one of my favorite films of his. The crop duster scene is iconic and one of the top memorable moments in cinema history. I would like to see those 'lost' reactions here on RU-vid. Perhaps as you edit them, if you could include a short video disclaimer that the films are pre-recorded and you are uploading them out of sequence. That way, viewers would understand what's happening. The same disclaimer can be used for each video. You wouldn't have to record a new one for each reaction. Your detective skills are exemplary Madison. I give you props for figuring out the possibilities of what's about to happen beforehand. Enjoy your vacation. Have fun! 🧳🌞 📽❤
Great reaction Madison. A Hitchcock film, Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, put these 3 talents together and you have a great film. Unbelievably Cary Grant, who made so many great films never won an Oscar. Though he was awarded one for his lifetime of work. Notorious is one of his finest. I love the old films. Thanks again for taking this one on. By the way as of this writing Eva Marie Saint is still with us at 99 years of age.
Great movie, one of my fav. Hitchcock films. Yes, it is pronounced E (as in the name Eve but change the final e to an a making it 2 syllables) Eva. Rear window, The Lady Vanishes, Psycho, Rope, so many more - hard to go wrong with Hitchcock. Another great film with Eva Marie Saint is On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando. An absolute brilliant film with many great performances winning many Oscars (Picture, Director, Actor, sup. Actress, on and on). As far as the unseen reactions, please edit/upload them. Even if quality is a bit off, we are here for your great reactions. tc
There is an old comedy starring Jimmy Stewart called "Harvey" that I think you would enjoy. It was a Broadway play for years before it was produced as a film and many of the actors from Broadway made the transition to the film production. Considering the story and who the actors and actresses were acting against was odd even for then.
"Harvey" was one of the classiest, wittiest comedies in movie history, and James Stewart's performance was delightful. But I don't think it could be made today, for reasons of political correctness (which I won't specify, but you know what I mean.) But the film is out there, and I'm sure Madison would love it. Great suggestion!
To answer your first question: absolutely would love to see any of your reactions, if you've got a backlog of stuff that never got posted here, that would be great if you could edit them down. And I LOVE that you are going to keep hitting these old classics from time to time; THANK YOU! It's so much fun being on this journey with you! (Ok, now on to the reaction ;)
A: Yes, please post your archived reactions! What kind of person watching this channel wants fewer videos? You could always record a introduction that explains when the video was filmed and why it's being posted now. _North By Northwest_ set the standard for the action film. The James Bond franchise definitely took notes. In 1959 it was very, very rare to shoot anything on location, so the crop dusting sequence was then what an IMAX sequence would be today. It really pops. I'm so thrilled you liked this, Madison. I first saw this as an 18-year-old film student and it sure made an impact on me.
5:55 You seem to have missed the key part of the movie. When Roger is looking to send a telegram at the start of the movie he attracts the young man at the exact point that the messenger is looking for Caplin. So the villains assume that he’s Caplin trying to accept the message he was being called for. So from the off they had the wrong man.
@@gallendugall8913 Only if you're not paying attention! I caught the Kid putting his fingers in his ears at the Mount Rushmore Cafeteria. Hitch must have thought it was cute so he left it in!
One of Cary Grant's movies you will enjoy "Bringing up Baby" a comedy. A well-known Broadway musical " A funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum" was made into a movie, I think you will enjoy it.
Very influential. So many movies - including bits of the Bond films - have borrowed liberally from this fun film. Hitch had made movies like this before, but on a much smaller scale. Studio-bound, small budgets. Here, there was a lot of on-location shooting. Cary Grant standing in an elegant suit in the middle of nowhere under a real hot sun was quietly revolutionary.
Without trying to sound too much like my parents, especially my dad. Can never go wrong with classic Hollywood movies. I've got two that you might want to take a gander at. One is called The Great escape which came out around I don't know 1960ish or so. With an All-Star cast. It takes place inside a World war II prisoner of war camp. With many American and allied prisoners. It's an All-Star cast and in a nutshell. And it's about the mammoth undertaking trying to tunnel underground. Out of a Nazi prisoner of war camp during World war II. The next one which features an All-Star cast as well. And I think which came out around the year I was born, 1965. Was an incredible screwball comedy. That when we were kids in the 1970s would come on once a year. And everyone would always watch. Basically it's a mad multi car and multiple participant effort. To find the buried money. That was mentioned in the beginning of the film by one person. In front of most of those that stopped to help him. After his car went off the road and down in an embankment. He basically talked about this money in front of most of the cast on his death bed. If you do decide to do these movies they are a little long. So you may have to do them in two parts each. But I promise you, you will not regret doing so. Again the films are called. The Great Escape and it's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World. Take care stay safe and be well always. P.S. Slip one of the ones you said are in your archives you did a while back. Once every two weeks or so
Ahh, I think this was one of my suggestions! Getting ready to watch your reaction, can't wait. Edit: So fun to see you totally immersed in the "prairie stop" scene, trying to figure out what's going. Pure Hitchcock genius.
I think the older reactions would be a great addition to RU-vid. It would make life easier for you when you go on vacation, but there is no reason to wait -- use them to post 2 a week for a couple months and see what does for your subscriptions. At the very least, I enjoy your reactions so it won't be a complete waste. :-)
wow MADison, YOU are the only one in my reactor follows who got EVE Kendall's role . Most seemed to think she was just bad guy's G/F - THis is one of my fave all time mystery/ action and some romance films. REAR window by HITCH wth JIMMY Stewart and the lovely Grace Kelly is right there too.
My favorite actor of a time is Gregory Peck, and for female actress it's Audrey Hepburn. They act together in ROMAN HOLIDAY, which is like my dream come true for best actors/actresses. Would you consider reacting to it? It's a classic romance movie and you get to see 2 of the greatest performers ever! Please? Keep smiling 🤘 🙂
You figured Eve out really fast, compared to most people who've seen this film. The title of the film comes from Hamlet: "I am but mad north-northwest; when the wind is from the south, I can tell a hawk from a handsaw." Roger's arc is from a person of near-total selfishness to someone who is willing to risk his life for something bigger than himself. To answer your question, I'd be pleased to see your missing reactions. :)
The director supposedly asked Frank Lloyd Wright to design the cliff house. He quoted them something like $200,000.00 and the director said that's too much to spend on building a movie set, can you do something cheaper. Wright replied, "That's not to build it, that's just for the design" So, the production designer was tasked to come up with a design that was "Frank Lloyd Wright" in appearance.
I am so glad you enjoyed this movie! Another Cary Grant Hitchcock movie I would highly recommend is “Notorious” which also stars Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains. As far as the new/old content goes, if it hasn’t been seen on RU-vid, than it’s new and appreciated.
Haven’t seen this film for a while so enjoyed seeing the clips of it & your reaction. After “Vertigo” (his previous film) received a not entirely positive response Hitchcock seems to have deliberately served up a crowd-pleasing “blockbuster” with “North By Northwest” & did so in style. As for uploading existing videos I would watch them. Keep up the good work 👍👍
For me this is Hitchcock at his best. Cary Grant, James Mason and a twisty plot that leaves you unsure who's on what side. I often feel Mason is underrated these days - he's an old favourite of mine from his starring role in Odd Man Out, but this is one of his best.
My favourite Hitchcock movie! I had the pleasure of first seeing it on one of Montreal's largest movie screens, in the mid-1980s. It was a brand-new film print, in amazing Technicolor, with a full audience making it a great experience. I dislike crowds, except for in movie theaters and plays.
Hitchcock had used the theme of mistaken identity two years earlier, in The Wrong Man (1957), with Henry Fonda as a man prosecuted for a crime he didn't commit. It is based on a real-life incident.
Such a classic film !!! BTW, you asked if you should watch CASABLANCA, yes please. my late wife and I enjoyed that film on our 3rd movie date. Such a classic, and fairly introspective on relationships from the era.
Very nice post-watch review! Your observations are quite detailed, as one would expect from someone who creates art as well as you do. I know/have known some very talented artists, and you certainly have that same touch for creating compelling, beautiful works. I did pay a visit to your Rumble archive, and the one reaction I noticed right away was Casablanca. I watched, and very much enjoyed your reaction, and post commentary. After years of watching it countless times, including watching the initial restoration in one of Hollywood's oldest, grand movie theaters, I only recently began to see it entirely from Ilsa's POV. It hit me hard realizing just how central to the story she was. She carried the biggest emotional burden, right up to the end as she listened to Rick lying to Victor, knowing he felt the opposite when saying their romance was over long ago, that she was only pretending to still be in love with him to get her way, and that he let her pretend. She had to hear that, right then and there, just moments after realizing Rick wasn't leaving with her. Imagine being her in that moment! Whew...
You should react to some other Carey Grant movies, like Bringing Up Baby and Philadelphia Story(with Jimmy Stewart and Katherine Hepburn). This would be content distinct from most reactors.
I'd love your old reactions! All is good. NxNW is one o' those Yet Another Hitchcock films that didn't seem like a whole lot to me when I first watched it, but the more times I rewatched it and the more I familiarized myself with film history of that era, the more I grew to both appreciate and love it.
Amazing masterpiece North by Northwest directed by Alfred Hitchcock starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason and Martin Landau. Thank you so much Madison great reaction just awesome😊👍👍👍👍
The original James Bond movie. An excellent choice and review. Thanks. (I first watched this as a little kid with my Mom. Years later, when I bought my first business suit, I got one as close to Cary’s as possible. While few look as good in a suit as he does, myself included, it was fun to feel like you did, if only for a moment lol)
Great reaction, Madison. You can never go wrong with a Hitchcock film. Some are better than others, but they all have something to offer. The Rumble reactions catalogue is well worth watching , so I would recommend loading them to YT. I think I'd also recommend urging everyone to set up an account on Rumble subscribe to MadisonKThames. Because You Tube is a fickle beast, sometimes suspending or shutting down creators for seemingly arbitrary reasons, having a backup platform to view your content is a wise decision. - maninthewilderness
One of The Master's best films - top notch and knotty with a great deft turn by Grant (again this is decades before CGI so all the stunts are practical and even w/the set piece of Mt. Rushmore is obviously a mock up it still thrills). I'd also recommend the comedy thriller that is pretty much a nod to this film - SILVER STREAK - the first Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor team up. Great job Mads and sure why not have your old vids posted here :D
Intoxicated Cary sings, "I've Grown Accustomed to My Bourbon." This is his making a joke since he knows the song "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" from the Broadway musical My Fair Lady (debuted in 1956, NxN was 1959).
Glad to see you react to another Hitchcock film, Madison. I'll suggest you check out his "Vertigo" at some point as it is his most critically acclaimed movie (#1 all-time best movie as voted internationally on the film critique publication, "Sight & Sound" beating out "Citizen Kane"). Though I will warn you it does not have a happy romantic ending if that is essential for you.
Madison, When Alfred Hitchcock was asked about this film he said, " Well, it's just a little love story and I had a bit of fun putting a few road blocks in their path." Hitchcock's, " Vertigo" next? Also find time to watch "Charade", with Gary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. A homage to the master by director Stanley Donnen. Cheers, Chris Perry.
A tale of mistaken identity but no mistaking who provided the suspense in this masterpiece thriller and Hitchcock's influence will be forever evident in future cinema. Very pleased you selected this 1959 spy adventure for your reaction. Enjoyed. Liked.
This is what great filmmaking is all about. Hitchcock never disappoints. So many twists which weren’t predictable back then. It’s only after decades of watching films follow it does it seem like something you e seen before. If you need to see another movie from the Hitchcock/Grant partnership you must see Notorious. The female lead in this one is the incomparable Ingrid Bergman. It also stars the impeccable Claude Rains. It’s easily one of Hitchcock’s best. You owe it to yourself to do a marathon of Cary Grant movies, from his screwball comedies to the classic thrillers. I recommend the hysterical My Favorite Wife. An absolute delight costarring the adorable Irene Dunne.
The area around Rapid City is where my family lives. There is no public access at the top of the faces, let alone a house. In fact the MPS refused access for Hitchcock so he had a partial replica built.
How did I miss this reaction? One of my favorite Hitchcock films. Very good reaction Madison. Not many people guess that Eve is a government agent on their first viewing. The lead up to the crop duster chase is Hitch pushing the audience as far as it could take. Literally 6 minutes of nothing happening but anticipation. Then he pays it off magnificently. Only the Master of Suspense would try it, let alone get away with it. Cary Grant movies, if you haven't seen them since tis one, Notorious, Charade, Arsenic and Old Lace, Holiday, and His Girl Friday.
It might surprise some that Cary Grant was actually a big proponent of early LSD Therapy. He used it for supervised psychotherapy sessions 100 times or so in the era when it was still legal (59’-63’), and claimed it was quite beneficial.
Almost the template Bond movie. Espionage thriller through multiple locations. Which if you think about it, makes Cary Grant the first Bond girl 😉 That rail tunnel cut at the end is Hitchcock at his most mischievous. 😜
TwoCary Grant movies that are a blend of comedy, romance, drama & war are "Father Goose" and "Operation Petticoat". Both are well-worth viewing as are all of his Hitchcock movies.
