During Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint's first meeting on the train, she says "I never discuss love on an empty stomach." But as you can see pretty easily if you watch her mouth, what she actually said was "I never make love on empty stomach." This was considered too saucy for a respectable move and Saint re-dubbed the line.
Yes, it is based on a comedy sketch (which is here on RU-vid) where a man refusing to pay a $2 fine escalates greatly (don't want to spoil the final joke).
Finally a reaction to North By Northwest on RU-vid. There’s a lot of reactions to other Hitchcock movies. But for some reason no reactions to this one, which is one of his most important and entertaining flicks. Hitchcock is pretty much the template of modern horror, thriller, adventure movies. This one, along with Vertigo, Psycho and Rear Window are probably his most influential and referenced. However, Notorious, Rebecca, Strangers On A Train, Dial M For Murder, Rope, Frenzy, The 39 Steps, The Birds are also worth checking out. Vertigo, Psycho and Notorious in particular I suggest reacting to. Three very different movies from this one but also full of suspense and twists and are each great in their own ways.
@@brandonflorida1092 I consider "Psycho" Hitchcock's second most overrated film after "Vertigo" (sorry, I just can't buy Jimmy Stewart's transformation into an obsessive creep 🤷♂️ -- I mean, it's Jimmy Friggin' Stewart!, aka the nicest guy in the world). "The Birds," "Rebecca," "Rear Window," and the remake of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" are the places to go next, IMO.
@@OGBReacts Bernard Herrmann's music in Psycho really sets the mood, big time. He did many of Hitchcock's films until they had a falling out during the movie, Torn Curtain.
@@ComeOnIsSuchAJoy I think Vertigo might be the best movie ever and think Stewart was pretty fantastic in it. Though I suppose if you’re caught up in his persona then you may not get into it. But it has become one of his most iconic roles. Psycho has been so widely referenced and parodied. But taken on its own it’s still a subversive, disturbing, well-crafted film. It’s also one of the most influential movies ever. If I had to pick his most “overrated” I might go with Rear Window. It’s one of his best, but I don’t have it in my top 3 like most people. Maybe also The Birds, which has some great sequences but is kind of a flop from a character and character dynamic standpoint.
FINALLY someone watches a Hitchcock film that isn't Psycho. Hitchcock's library is so vast and unique that it's frustrating that people just skip to Psycho and leave it as is. Kudos to you for delving into the others.
@@OGBReacts Sam, I think one of the elements that is so important to this film's style is its HUMOR. Cary Grant, with Hitchcock's help, was not just a romantic leading man. He had a suave wit and could be very funny on screen.
Cool little nugget: at the scene in the beginning of the hotel where Thornhill meets his associates, there's a bellhop asking around for Kaplan. Thornhill, needing to make a telegram to his mother, waves to the bellhop to get his attention. This action leads the two henchmen to mistakenly think of Thornhill as Kaplan responding to the bellhop's call for Kaplan. A LOT of viewers were confused by this back in the day. Hitchcock himself stated he wished he made the scene more obvious. I think he got it right the way it is though. It's quick but there if you pay close enough attention to it.
Despite how easy it is to miss, I love how it still fits Thornhill's arc. One dismissive snobby gesture and "boy!" was his own undoing. Pampered mama's boy just HAD to send that telegram and now look where he is lol
I saw this for the first time this week and I wasn’t expecting it to be so funny! I love when he’s wearing sunglasses and gives the snarky explanation of why he’s wearing them as “they’re sensitive to questions!” 😆
The innocent man framed by circumstantial evidence attempting to clear his name while eluding the authorities-this is a story that Hitchcock really specialized in, and more than a few of his films relate variations of it. “North by Northwest” is my personal favorite among his films for sheer entertainment value. I’m glad to see new people discover this great classic.
That's Hitchcock himself getting a bus door slammed in his face at the end of the opening credits. He made cameos in almost all his films, typically in the first few minutes so people wouldn't be distracted looking for him, which along with his tendency to appear in his own trailers made him one of the first directors (outside the ones like Orson Welles who were also actors) whose appearance people were familiar with.
When he says the three of them together is a picture only Charles Addams could draw he’s referring to the cartoonist who created what became known as the Addams Family
In the scene where Eve shoots Thornhill there's a kid at a table in the background. Just BEFORE she shoots he sticks his fingers in his ears! There were obviously a few takes and the Kid reacted to the coming BANG!
Great reaction! I'm a die-hard Hitchcock fan, so if you go down this rabbit hole, you'll never be disappointed. One of the best parts about classic films is no CGI. That was a real crop-dusting plane chasing Cary Grant (considered one of the most famous scenes in film history) and the actual Mount Rushmore.
Oh how I love that you are doing this movie and Carey Grant!!! He was the sexiest man of his time. No one says Darling like Mr. Grant. Loved your reaction. Always so fabulous.
Production Code Hollywood didn't allow kissing for more than 3 seconds; hence the weird "dance"-like behavior of Grant and Saint around the 18-minute mark.
Just googled and Eva Marie Saint is still alive at age 97! Another fun fact: The actress who played Cary Grant's mother was only 7 years older than him.
I love me a movie that has Cary Grant in it. 😄 Fun fact: the german title of this is "der unischtbare Dritte" which translates into "the invisible third". 🙃
Ooh! Hitchcock is a fun rabbit hole to go down. Especially Psycho, Vertigo, and The Birds. Also, another fun Cary Grant watch would be "Arsenic and Old Lace"
One of Hitchcock's big pioneering ways of creating suspense was to give the audience information that the characters don't have. The example he liked to use was that you see a bomb under a restaurant table, then two people sit down and start talking. The conversation could be about the most boring things imaginable, but you're riveted because you know the bomb could go off at any time and you're hoping they'll somehow be away from the table at the time it does. The way we see that here is that after half an hour of us being squarely in Roger's shoes having no idea what's going on, suddenly we get the meeting with the CIA agents revealing the whole thing about George Kaplan being a fake person. And then combined with the reveal that Eve is working with the bad guys (or at least that's what we think at the time) we know she couldn't have talked to Kaplan to set up that meeting, and Roger is headed into a trap.
Great reaction to a great movie! You’ve got some serious content coming your way if this is your first Hitchcock ever. Psycho, The Birds, Rear Window, Rope, Notorious, Strangers on a Train… etc etc. Dive right in!
The movie purposefully gave away the tell that it was mistaken identity and misunderstanding from the beginning in the early lunch scene when Thornhill was at the hotel restaurant with his colleagues. Van Damme's 2 thugs only thought that Roger was George Kaplan because he coincidentally raised his hand to call the bus boy over to direct him to the phone at the same time that the front desk was paging for George Kaplan. So the 2 thugs incorrectly assumed that Thornhill was answering their page.
If this is your first Hitchcock movie it shouldn't be the last. I recommend: Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), Psycho (1960).
I adore that final shot with the train entering a tunnel as a stand-in for our heroes having sex, especially for how it stands as proof that people back then weren't just a bunch of prudes who couldn't handle sexual material. We as a species have ALWAYS loved dirty jokes, and it just happened that for a while filmmakers had to be a bit more subtle about deploying them to keep government regulation away.
The Hay's Code wasn't actually government regulation. It was an entirely voluntary capitulation on the part of the movie industry themselves, because some groups (public decency leagues, or whatever) had gotten together to convince Hollywood that they would lose money if they kept making racy movies. Any Hollywood studio could have broken the Hay's Code at any time without facing any consequences, except supposedly public outrage. When someone finally got the gumption to break the Code (in a very tame way, in the movie The Moon Is Blue), instead of being outraged, the public flocked to the theaters to see it.
Cary Grant, the original James Bond? One of my favorite Hitchcock movies. IMDB gives it 8.3 Would love your reaction to the 1963 classic Charade starring Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn and George Kennedy. It's the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made. It's got crime/drama/romance and comedy. I think you will really love it.
Did you not notice when you reviewed Bringing Up Baby that Cary Grant who played Roger Thornhill in this movie also played Dr David Huxley? He was a great actor who could do everything.
If you listen to the operator talking while Roger Thornehill is with his friends at the table, you can hear the operator say: "Calling mister Kaplan" and he just happened to raise his hand to call the waiter. That is exactly the moment where he turned to Kaplan.
Another film that will keep you guessing is a murder mystery by Agatha Cristie called 'Murder on the Orient Express' (1974). One of my favorite ensemble of great actors. For upcoming October I suggest scary 'Pet Sematary' by Stephen King and for campy, CAMPY fun try 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'.
A classic thriller scenario - a case of mistaken identity transfer a random person in a nightmare! Classic because the audience can imagine themselves getting caught in that trap. It really draws us in. The crop duster scene is really a nightmare - the idea that one can be in the middle of nowhere and a deadly threat appears! The final scene on Mt Rushmore is the final piece to make this a most memorable film. BTW, Hitchcock used all of these elements in other movies, too! Keep watching the master and you'll eventually find yourself in a fight on top of the Statue of Liberty!
Amazing film a true masterpiece North by Northwest produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Martin Landau and music score by Bernard Herrmann. The film ranks at number 98 in Empire magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Films of All Time. Thank you so much TheOGBojangles for reacting this classic very nice awesome😊😊😊😊😊
You missed the fact that at the end, on the train, he calls her Mrs. Thornhill and then the last shot is a train entering a tunnel. Subtle but you know what is about to happen.
You hit it on the head: it's just an entertaining movie, nothing deep, just a fun movie. Hitchcock's previous movie had been pretty weird, so this was him making a commercial movie. It's not my favorite Hitchcock (he's got so many), but it's a good one, and I know it's some people's favorite Hitchcock. (Mine is "Strangers On A Train", "Psycho", "Shadow Of A Doubt", "Rear Window".....I think you'd like all of those!) Anyways, I hope you continue to hit movies from way back, there are nuggets and gems to be found in all eras, including the silent era. When something that old speaks across time and remains fresh and understandable and relatable, it's a beautiful, spiritual thing.
The bad guys think that Thornhill is Kaplan because when he was in the hotel bar, a page kept on saying "paging Mr. Kaplan" in the background at the same time Thornhill realized that he gave his secretary the wrong phone number. Thornhill asked to speak to the page to call his secretary and the bad guys thought he was responding the "paging Mr. Kaplan" that had been going on in the background. The Hayes code was in operation from 1934 -1968. The code regulated the morality of movies and one of their rules was that kissing could not last more than three seconds. This movie is more or less the template for all the James Bond movies.
Thanks for a wonderful reaction to this Hitchcock classic! May I suggest a Hitchcock film that no one ever mentions: TORN CURTAIN (1966) starring Paul Newman and Julie Andrews. It is an underrated Hitchcock spy thriller that you should react to. I haven't seen anyone on RU-vid react to it yet. Maybe you might be the first? 😊
My favorite Hitchcock film thanks for reacting! I saw Cary Grant at a actors studio type event in the 80s and was starstruck seeing him in person he’s an all time favorite, thanks again
If you watch the beginning of this movie when Roger is in the bar with some friends, you'll hear the hotel employee calling for Mr. George Kaplan, to tell him he has a phone call.... as Roger calls for this same employee to ask where can he send a telegram to his mother. As he interacts with the employee, two bad guys assume he's George Kaplan. The rest is history.
Pay the $2 is from an old comedy routine. A guy commits a very minor offense and is fined $2. Instead of just paying it, his lawyer fights it. It drags on and on. The offense results in something very serious and he gets the death penalty. The whole time he keeps telling the lawyer to just pay the $2. Here it is ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZKT8QoboD1g.html
Great movie. Other great Hitcock movies are Rear Window and Vertigo. If you watch also Pshyco and The Birds You can watch Mel Brooks High Anxiety a spoof on Hitchcock movies. Also another great Carey Grant movie is Charade.
No, drunk driving wasn't a two-dollar fine in the 50s. "Pay the two dollars" was a figure of speech which meant for someone to take the loss (i.e., pay the parking ticket or whatever) and get on with it. Note the naughty symbolism of the train entering the tunnel at the end.
If you go back and look in the background of the scene where Eve "shoots" Roger in the Cafeteria at Mt. Rushmore, you'll see a young boy extra put his fingers in his ears before Eve shoots.
I was hoping someone would point that out, Nate. I usually comment something then scroll down and see it was already mentioned. This movie has so many classic set pieces. While Rear Window is my favorite Hitchcock movie, North By Northwest is one exciting ride from beginning to end.
Yes!!! Thank you for this! It's one of the greatest spy movies I've ever seen! Did you know? Both Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant were considered to make a James Bond moved together, but turned it down ,as Grant was 55 at the time this movie was released and Hitchcock was too busy making The Birds and Marnie.
If this is indeed your first Hitchcock movie, welcome to his world of great, groundbreaking films. I would suggest viewing 𝑷𝒔𝒚𝒄𝒉𝒐 next, which was the movie he made just after this one, particularly if you know nothing, or little, about it. "Pay the two dollars" was an old catchphrase meaning, essentially, "You can't fight City Hall". It is quite a delight to watch these movies through your fresh, observant and critical eyes. Eva Marie Saint, BTW, is still alive at age 97.
Just a clarification: When Roger's mother tells him to 'pay the two dollars,' she's referencing a very old (even at that time) vaudeville skit where a man gets a ticket for throwing gum on the sidewalk, a two dollar fine, and refuses to pay, insisting on going to court. His mother keeps telling him to 'pay the two dollars' but he fights and manages to do every step wrong until he ends up with life in prison. The punchline is the mother telling him, for the tenth time, 'just pay the two dollars.' Audiences at the time would have known the skit well.
I love this movie. Just a few facts: the outside shot looking down at the UN is a fake shot. The UN would not allow Hitchcock to film there. The house at Mt. Rushmore is also invented. The house is a painting and other shots were in the studio. Also, check out the ending shot with train “penetrating “ the tunnel. A honeymoon voyage!
2 dollars back then would make thanks to inflation about 200 dollars today. That ballet of a kiss is just because of censorship backthen... This film is more than a classic, it is ICONIC, not just because of the third act at Mount Rushmore...
Great reaction to a classic movie. This movie is in my top 20 all time favs. Always fun re-watch. His mother was being sarcastic when she said "Roger pay the $2". Of course much larger fines and potential jail time was possible for Roger. Even in the 50's. Did you notice the cheeky ending after they start to snog in the train bed and the scene changes to the train going into the tunnel? *wink, wink* Watch the kid in the blue checked shirt in the background just behind Eve. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sAhKLfzDHcI.html
Hi great old movie can't go wrong with Carry Grant. .2 other Alfred Hitchcock's movies are ...'.Notorious' which is more serious & truly a classic fantastic thriller..&....'The Trouble with Harry' super funny..✌
I am always happy to see reactions to older films that not many people react to on RU-vid. Rope is a favorite Hitchcock film of mine that I hope you would consider reacting at some point. If you are interested in reacting to any noir films I would love to see Double Indemnity, and Sunset Boulevard.
Yes! Rope is amazing. The whole film is just two shots. It was supposed to be filmed as one long continuous shot, but they ended up having to do a single cut in the middle, for technical reasons.
After watching Airplane! I can never take a car ride scene with backscreen the same. I expected to see New York street behind the taxi scene to change into a couple of cowboys on horse back chasing the cab. Damn you Zucker Bros.
It was a James Bond movie before James Bond. And SO FUNNY! Ernest Lehman's dialogue was so clever! I've read the original screenplay and there was even more humor in that version, but they were scaled down for the final picture.
Thank you for reacting to this immortal classic film. Good reaction too! By the way "Pay the $2" was simply a common phrase meaning to pay for your traffic ticket.
I don't know if anyone's covered this in a previous comment, but "pay the two dollars" is the punchline to an old joke that would have been well-known back then. The actual penalty for driving while intoxicated would have been considerably more.
You missed out on the moment the boy in the hotel asks for Kaplan........The coincidence is that at the same time Thornhill raises his hands and snaps with his fingers. .....the villains think he is Kaplan... that's when the misunderstanding arises
in the 1950's there was no Mothers Against Drunk Driving Organization etc. Cary Grant was a way better actor than some think he is. I have seen a lot of his old movies...he can do either comedy and drama with perfection
One more thing I just remembered that would probably be of interest to you: Cary Grant is actually the reason the word "gay" has its present meaning. In the 1938 film Bringing Up Baby, there's a scene where he's forced to wear a frilly dress (it's a pretty goofy movie), and when someone asks why he's wearing it, he ad-libbed furiously jumping up and down a couple times and declaring "Because I just went gay all of a sudden!" His insane delivery really made the scene stand out, and eventually that morphed into the word changing its primary meaning from "happy" to "homosexual."
Spelled as "gey" it seems to have had that meaning as far back as the late eighteen hundreds in Scotland. Grant's use of it might be the first with that meaning to appear in a mainstream movie, but it's probable that the word was already in use to mean homosexual among the gay community themselves for some time. There are certainly plenty of rumors that Cary Grant was actively bisexual, so that could have been how he knew that.
Go back and watch the scene when Saint shoots Grant with the gun/blanks in the cafeteria...just before she shoots one of the extras - a little boy in the background puts his fingers in his ears...they must have shot that scene a number of times and the kid didn't like the loud bang of the gun and sticks his fingers in his ears 2 seconds before the gun shot.
What a great movie. No-one does this kind of film nowadays. Though---I like the reference in the end of "The return of the king" with Frodo und Sam" and in Blade Runner.
