Screening of ‘North by Northwest’ on Saturday

Lok Virsa Mandwa Film Club screening Alfred Hitchcock's ‘North by Northwest’ on Saturday (March 10) at 4 p.m.

North by Northwest, directed by suspense master, is one of his career's best films. Hitchcock holds the credit of making memorable thriller like ‘Rear Window,’ ‘Psycho’, ‘Dial M for Murder’, ‘Vertigo and Frenzy ‘North by Northwest’ revolves around smuggling of microfilm which carry classified material. It became one of Hitchcock's most popular films. Even the beginning titles designed by famous graphic designer Saul Bass became a novelty in Hollywood in those years. It also became one of few films that have been preserved in the American National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Hitchcock wanted to film a sequence at the United Nations in New York. The request to film inside the UN was rejected after scrutiny of the script. Hitchcock went on to film it illicitly with a hidden camera unit. Cary Grant is coming out of a taxi outside General Assembly building and walking across. Intelligent taking and smooth editing made it look real inside the UN.

MGM Studios wanted to delete fifteen minutes from the film so it would run around 120 minutes. Hitchcock refused this request, as in the contract, he carried full control over the final cut. However, Hitchcock had to yield to the censor when the line ‘never make love’ was changed to ‘never discuss love.’ Hitchcock made North by Northwest after film ‘Vertigo.’ He wanted a film with fun and without symbolism. In one famous scene, Carry Grant runs through the fields chased by crop-duster. Here there are no crops. The action-loaded climax takes place at Mount Rushmore where half-a-dozen American Presidents, carved in the rock, silently watch the finale. The film carries passion ,love and additional dose of suspense with strong characters. One of the most memorable lines from the film:

Character One: What happened to your first two wives!

Character Two: My wives divorced me. They said I led too dull a life.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: Cary Grant, Marie Saint, James Mason.

aijazzgul@gmail.com