Sandwiched between Vertigo (1958) and Psycho (1960), Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 spy thriller North by Northwest doesn’t get as much modern commendation as the other two, but it’s arguably his most genre-defining work. Achingly intimate and peppered with indelible scenes, it is one of the English filmmaker’s most soulful works, and the idea for its conception was born out of desperation.
Even though Vertigo wowed critics, audiences found it confusing, so Hitchcock was eager to make another picture that would appeal to the masses. Renowned screenwriter Ernest Lehman, also wanted to make a name for himself, vowing to pen “the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures,” so the two men got to work and a masterpiece was born.
At the time, North by Northwest might have seemed like just another standard Hitchcock spy flick, something that served as a companion piece to The 39 Steps, but the movie would go on to inspire the James Bond franchise in a major way. Three years later, Dr. No, would come out, followed by many other Bond installments.
Even though these films used Ian Fleming’s novels as starting points, they had the look and feel of the Hitchcock spy thriller. From the characters to the setting choices, everything screams Bond, and if Hitchcock was alive and broke today, he’d probably think of suing for royalty checks.
What Is North by Northwest About?
North by Northwest stars Cary Grant as an unwitting fly caught in a dangerous web of espionage and crime. The protagonist, Roger Thornhill, lives peacefully as an advertising executive only to get kidnapped by criminal mastermind, Phillip Vandamm, after being mistaken for a mysterious spy named Kaplan. Vandamm orders his men to kill Thornhill in a staged drunk driving accident. Luckily, the exec survives and escapes, thrusting him into a hectic chase across America — a chase in which he is both the hunter and the hunted.
Thornhill has difficulty convincing his mother and the police of what happened, so he takes it upon himself to find out who the real Kaplan is. It’s soon revealed that such a person doesn’t exist. He is a fake agent created by the “United States Intelligence Agency” to fool Vandamm. The agency’s higher-ups realize what’s happening but choose not to save Thornhill for fear of compromising the operation. As hours drag by and Thornhill’s prospects become ever bleaker, he is increasingly forced to draw on his innate inventiveness and unshakable will to survive. But will that be enough to save him?
While aboard the 20th Century Limited train to Chicago, he meets the beautiful Eve Kendall, played by the wonderful Eve Marie Saint, and is stricken by her incandescent beauty. These two very different characters quickly form a bond that quickly blossoms into romance. But what real chance is there of sustaining their feelings?
Thornhill becomes even more interested in her when she claims to know Kaplan, but it turns out she is working with Vandamm. Heartbroken, he continues his journey to find Kaplan and while at it, another twist pops up: Kendall is also a US agent tasked with infiltrating Vandamm’s operation. Though the search for answers proves much more complex and tiring than expected, the determined Thornhill sees it through to a surprising conclusion. Events ultimately culminate in a climatic coup de grâce at Mount Rushmore and Vandamm’s estate, after which the villain gets arrested.
North by Northwest Has Bond DNA All Over It
Like Bond, Roger Thornhill is a resourceful man who is crazy about women and often indulges himself without an ounce of shame or sense of regret. He never fumbles while flirting, and has enough cool suits to qualify him as a Mad Men character. And he drinks about five different times, starting with a martini. Next is his love interest, Eve Kendall, who is just as flirtatious as the average Bond girl, and she is hiding many secrets.
Then there is the antagonist, Vandamm. He is wealthy and happens to be chasing a MacGuffin (a microfilm in this case) just like the average Bond villain. Add the fight and chase sequences, and you can easily conclude that Hitchcock made the first ever James Bond movie. Change Thornhill to an MI6 agent, and you have a film that is no different from the standard James Bond entry.
The ties stretch beyond the basics. The second James Bond movie, From Russia With Love, has a scene that is directly inspired by the helicopter chase in North by Northwest. In the same way that Thornhill escapes from a crop-duster biplane, Bond flees from a helicopter piloted by SPECTRE agents.
Additionally, a good portion of Hitchcock’s movie takes place on a train. Throughout the years, the railway has remained one of Bond’s preferred transportation routes. It’s worth noting that the Hitchcock thriller was the first Hollywood production to feature extended use of kinetic typography in its introductory credits, something that has now become a Bond tradition.
North by Northwest was definitely in the minds of producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman when they were casting for the first Bond film. In his autobiography, Cubby Broccoli reveals how he tried to persuade Cary Grant to play Agent 007. After all, he was British-American. Unfortunately, a deal proved hard to make because the actor wanted to stick to his principle of never doing sequels, yet this was a multi-film contract offer.
Fleming, too, enjoyed the movie. Robert Sellers’ book, The Battle for Bond, discloses that the author enjoyed everything, except the humor, which he felt eclipsed the suspense. Interestingly, that same humor would become a major part of the Bond franchise. So impressed was Fleming that he referenced the film in the novel Thunderball, which he wrote in 1960. In Chapter 9, SPECTRE agent Giuseppe Petacchi tries to hijack a Vindicator aircraft and while at it, he muses:
“Five more hours to go. Rather a bind missing
North by North-West
at the Odeon. But one would catch up with it at Southampton.”
Undoubtedly, Bond movies might have looked a lot different if Alfred Hitchcock hadn’t created the prototype. Perhaps they would have been less fun, without the proper balance between gritty and funny. Thank God for Thornhill, Kendall, and Vandamm.
65 Years Later, North by Northwest Remains the Quintessential Spy Film
North by Northwest might be old now, but it’s not dated. Hundreds of great spy films have been released but few match the Hitchcock flick in quality. Even though it inspired the over-the-top Bond films, it’s more realistic than them.
Espionage relies on secrecy and deception, two things that are highly emphasized in the film. The agency doesn’t present a key spy that villains can target. Instead, it creates a fake one to make the villain focus on the wrong thing. On top of that, there is an emphasis on plausible deniability. To the agency, it’s more acceptable for one person to die than for the whole mission to be compromised.
Most realistic spy movies are known to be the slow-burn kind, making it difficult for casual viewers to concentrate. Thankfully, Hitchcock did things differently by giving audiences plenty of tension and action to munch on. The Mount Rushmore chase will forever be iconic and so will the crop duster one. Plus, the romance arc is tastefully done, without any stain of misogyny (and this was the 1960s), and concludes with a memorable train scene.
That’s something future Bond screenwriters should still emulate. And as the producers search for the next actor, they must remember that great actors make or break a movie. Find someone with the same energy as Cary Grant, and all will be well.
North by Northwest
is available to rent in the US on Apple TV+
