Northwest

 

 

 

 

 

North By Northwest (1959)

 

A case of mistaken identity results in advertising executive Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) being chased across the United States by some very unpleasant secret agents. Along the way, he meets the mysterious Eve Kendall ( Eva Marie Saint) and together they are involved in a variety of suspenseful situations including a climactic confrontation with the bad guys on Mount Rushmore. Quite a thriller from the master Alfred Hitchcock.

 

Well, this particular movie is significant in that it is the 100th one I have watched during this years classic movie rewatch. I can hardly believe I have watched so many!

The full list appears at the bottom of this blog.

 

There have been plenty of disappointments which have been largely due to my changing tastes over the years. There are also many that I still adore and probably always will.

 Time for a few conclusions.

 

Top Ten Favourite Movies from 1930 to 1959*

1. Rear Window
2. Arsenic and Old Lace
3. Dial M for Murder
4. Mrs Miniver
5. The Third Man
6. Black Narcissus
7. Miracle on 34th Street
8. The Wizard of Oz
9. Casablanca
10. The Searchers
 
*Not necessarily in order of favourites apart from the first two. Also it was pretty difficult narrowing it down to ten movies.
 

Actors who appeared most often in this rewatch

1. Cary Grant (13)
2. Katharine Hepburn (8)
3. Humphrey Bogart (7)
4. James Stewart (6)
 

Directors whose work appeared most often 

1. Alfred Hitchcock (13)
2. Frank Capra (7)

 

Surprising omissions

 

1. The Marx Brothers - I have seen all of their movies but don't have any in my possession.
2. Ava Gardner - there are at least 4 of her movies which I really enjoyed in the past.
3. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers - again, have seen many but don't have them. 
4. Disney movies - forgot to watch Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo and Peter Pan!

 

DVDs purchased since I began this rewatch - all enjoyed in the past but not viewed recently.

 

1. David Copperfield (1935)
2. Holiday (1938)
3. Mr and Mrs Smith (1941)
4. The Thin Man (1934)
5. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
6. My Darling Clementine ( 1946)
7. On the Waterfront (1954)
8. From Here To Eternity (1953)
9. Some Like it Hot (1959)

 

Movies we own which I somehow managed to overlook when I was compiling my list.

 

1. King Kong (1933) - how did I miss this!!
2. The Wrong Man (1956)
3. The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948)
4. Houseboat (1958)
5. Forbidden Planet (1956)
6. Funny Face (1957)
7. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

 

 

Movies I don't have but will be on the lookout for in the future

 

1. The Awful Truth (1937)
2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
3. Harvey (1950)
4. The Uninvited (1944)
5. Night Must Fall (1937)
6. The Spiral Staircase (1946)
7. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
8. Stagecoach (1939)
9. Mogambo (1953)
10. The Bishop's Wife (1947)             

 

 

 There are probably plenty more I could add to this list. For the time being I won't be watching movies on such a regular basis - although (to contradict myself somewhat!) there are a couple of special favourites which I do want to watch before the year's out. Screencaps coming soon!

I now hope to spend more time reading and catching up with some TV-on-DVD.

In the last couple of weeks I've already caught up with "The Walking Dead" (completely addicted to this) and the last series of "The Closer". Still need to watch  three series of "Doctor Who", series two of "Downton Abbey", and also return to my "Battlestar Galactica" rewatch which I abandoned earlier in the year.

Plenty to keep me occupied during those quiet evenings at home.