North by Northwest

            North by Northwest is an American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock

in 1959.

             The movies is about a man who named Roger O. Thornhill(played by Cary

Grant), is mistaken for “Geroge Kaplan”. He is taken to Philip Vandamm’s(played by

James Mason) house on Long Island. Philip has a nick name “Lester Townsend” but

actually he is a foreign spy. He wants to kill Roger Thorihill by making him drunk

and let him drive. Police arrests Thorihill, he tries to tell them the truth but even his

mother doesn’t believe him. She calls Townsend, who is a United Nations diplomat

in façade, to come to get her son. Thornhill shows his mother the truth in Kaplan’s

hotel room. But soon, Townsend kills a man in General Assembly building of the

United Nations. He makes Thorihill looks like the killer; he has to run. Knowing that

Kaplan is going to Chicago Hotel the next day, Thorihill decides to go there by taking

20^th Century Limited. On board, he meets Eve Kendall(played by Eve Marie Saint).

She hides him from the policemen’s searching, then, she tells him that she has

arranged a meeting with Kaplan. Thorihill is touched by her kindness and

falls in love with her. She lies to him. Learning Kaplan has left, Thorihill

returns to the hotel after a hard travel. He goes for Eve to question her; she

escaped to Vandamm. They meet again on an art auction; Eve is with

Vandamm and his men, Leonard. He quarrels with her but soon removed by

the police. After that, a professor comes to meet him; he says that Eve is in

danger and needs a protection. His real identity is an international British

spymaster who wants Thorihill’s help. He agrees in order to protect Eve. Then,

he finds Eve in the cafeteria of Mount Rushmore. She shoots him but he

doesn’t die. He tells her what the professor asks him to say and the professor

talks with her in private in a forest.  Thorihill and her begin to plan an escape

from Vandamm. Even though they almost die, still they succeed. Vandamm

dies and Leonard is killed by the professor. Finally Eve become Thorihill’s

wife and they are safe.

           A thriller is a book, movie, or play that tells an exciting fictional

story about something such as criminal activities or spying. (from the

dictionary). In the movie North to Northwest, there are few simple

elements: it’s about spy, the story always makes me ask myself why and

 there are some conflicts push the main major character to the edge of

death. Timpani are used a lot in the movie; especially when the

characters are in danger. It’s loudly and the tempo sounds like the

heartbeat; that really makes people nervous.  There are nothing I like

the best or dislike; I don’t like movies like this. It’s just like another

Alfred movie The Birds: a rich and pretty lady meets a handsome,

successful gentleman, they fall in love when they first meet but soon a

 great danger comes, they have to face it, finally be safe and get together.

Eve is the simple female main character and Thorihill is the male one,

and of course they have a good ending. No one knows who that “ George

Kaplan” is and it’s really boring. So I didn’t care so much about it when I

saw the film.