A balancing act
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
“North by Northwest” is the story of an ordinary man who is mistaken for another. Grant stars as advertising executive Roger Thornhill, who is mistaken for a man named George Kaplan. The misidentified Thornhill then is forced to go on the run from government agents, who believe he is Kaplan and has a plan to stop them from smuggling microfilm with government secrets out of the country.
The movie is genuinely suspenseful. Hitchcock is sometimes referred to as “the master of suspense.” But the movie also carries an absurdist charm to it, with scenes like Grant hanging from the faces of Mount Rushmore. The role required a bit of a balancing act for Grant. He would have to simultaneously take the movie seriously enough, so that the suspense was not dampened, while not too seriously so that the more absurd scenes seemed like poorly written humor. A piece by legendary film critic Roger Ebert sums this balance up well. In the interview he wrote following Cary Grant’s death, Ebert talks about how Grant was the only man for this job. “Here Grant’s ability to play against the material was crucial to the success of the movie,” said Ebert. “A serious performance here would have been comical. A comic performance would have undermined the movie’s genuine suspense. Who but Grant could have found just the right note, halfway between drama and farce?”
An intentional partnership
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Hitchcock and Grant’s partnership was an extremely fruitful one. They only made four films together- “Suspicion,” “Notorious,” “To Catch a Thief,” and “North by Northwest,” but their work together is considered some of both of their very best.
Grant also held fond personal memories of his work with Hitchcock, according to the last interview he did in his life with Interview Magazine in 1987. “I have only happy ones,” the actor said after being asked about his memories of working with Hitchcock. They’re all vivid because they’re all interesting. It was a great joy to work with Hitch. He was an extraordinary man." Hitchcock clearly also had an affection for Grant, at least as an actor. You don’t have someone star in four of your movies if you don’t. The two legends working together was a surefire recipe for success and they kept going back to the well. To imagine someone else playing the lead role in “North by Northwest” is an interesting thought exercise, but ultimately is not worth your time. Because, as Hitchcock learned during his career, casting ought to be intentional. And the choice of Cary Grant as his star was the most important intentional choice he made.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
A balancing act
“North by Northwest” is the story of an ordinary man who is mistaken for another. Grant stars as advertising executive Roger Thornhill, who is mistaken for a man named George Kaplan. The misidentified Thornhill then is forced to go on the run from government agents, who believe he is Kaplan and has a plan to stop them from smuggling microfilm with government secrets out of the country.
The movie is genuinely suspenseful. Hitchcock is sometimes referred to as “the master of suspense.” But the movie also carries an absurdist charm to it, with scenes like Grant hanging from the faces of Mount Rushmore. The role required a bit of a balancing act for Grant. He would have to simultaneously take the movie seriously enough, so that the suspense was not dampened, while not too seriously so that the more absurd scenes seemed like poorly written humor. A piece by legendary film critic Roger Ebert sums this balance up well. In the interview he wrote following Cary Grant’s death, Ebert talks about how Grant was the only man for this job. “Here Grant’s ability to play against the material was crucial to the success of the movie,” said Ebert. “A serious performance here would have been comical. A comic performance would have undermined the movie’s genuine suspense. Who but Grant could have found just the right note, halfway between drama and farce?”
The movie is genuinely suspenseful. Hitchcock is sometimes referred to as “the master of suspense.” But the movie also carries an absurdist charm to it, with scenes like Grant hanging from the faces of Mount Rushmore. The role required a bit of a balancing act for Grant. He would have to simultaneously take the movie seriously enough, so that the suspense was not dampened, while not too seriously so that the more absurd scenes seemed like poorly written humor.
A piece by legendary film critic Roger Ebert sums this balance up well. In the interview he wrote following Cary Grant’s death, Ebert talks about how Grant was the only man for this job. “Here Grant’s ability to play against the material was crucial to the success of the movie,” said Ebert. “A serious performance here would have been comical. A comic performance would have undermined the movie’s genuine suspense. Who but Grant could have found just the right note, halfway between drama and farce?”
An intentional partnership
Hitchcock and Grant’s partnership was an extremely fruitful one. They only made four films together- “Suspicion,” “Notorious,” “To Catch a Thief,” and “North by Northwest,” but their work together is considered some of both of their very best.
Grant also held fond personal memories of his work with Hitchcock, according to the last interview he did in his life with Interview Magazine in 1987. “I have only happy ones,” the actor said after being asked about his memories of working with Hitchcock. They’re all vivid because they’re all interesting. It was a great joy to work with Hitch. He was an extraordinary man." Hitchcock clearly also had an affection for Grant, at least as an actor. You don’t have someone star in four of your movies if you don’t. The two legends working together was a surefire recipe for success and they kept going back to the well. To imagine someone else playing the lead role in “North by Northwest” is an interesting thought exercise, but ultimately is not worth your time. Because, as Hitchcock learned during his career, casting ought to be intentional. And the choice of Cary Grant as his star was the most important intentional choice he made.
Grant also held fond personal memories of his work with Hitchcock, according to the last interview he did in his life with Interview Magazine in 1987. “I have only happy ones,” the actor said after being asked about his memories of working with Hitchcock. They’re all vivid because they’re all interesting. It was a great joy to work with Hitch. He was an extraordinary man."
Hitchcock clearly also had an affection for Grant, at least as an actor. You don’t have someone star in four of your movies if you don’t. The two legends working together was a surefire recipe for success and they kept going back to the well.
To imagine someone else playing the lead role in “North by Northwest” is an interesting thought exercise, but ultimately is not worth your time. Because, as Hitchcock learned during his career, casting ought to be intentional. And the choice of Cary Grant as his star was the most important intentional choice he made.
