North By Northwest (DVD 2002)

Where does one begin to review North by Northwest?
There has been so much talk over the years about this being Hitch and Grants best film that for me there is really no point in mentioning it again. What I would like to say is what a joy this film is to watch over and over and over again, with the performances, script and cinematography seemingly timeless.
With this remastered DVD the colour explodes on to the screen with Saul Bass' 'ahead of it's time' 60's credit sequance.
When people think of this movie they so often remember the 'crop dusting scene', and while Cary Grant standing alone on a desert highway (dressed in the finest grey flanel suit the screen has ever seen)is an iconic film moment; for me the real
standout moment has to be his abduction from New York's Plaza Hotel and on to James Mason's hideaway.
I went to New York last year and had drinks and dinner in the Plaza's oak room where this scene was filmed and it hasn't changed a bit!
My favourite line? There are so many! I'll settle with; 'Not that I mind a slight case of abduction now and again but I had tickets for the theatre. To a show that I was looking forward to...'
If you have ever considered watching a Cary Grant/Alfred Hitchcock film in the past but have decided to opt for what ever new action adventure/CGI mess that Hollywood have been offering in recent years then this is the perfect first step.
Remember James Bond movies would look very differnt today if it wasn't for this masterpiece.

A thriller so improbable that it becomes quite brilliant in evading even the most fantastic of audience guesses.
Of course, Cary Grant trying to outrun a homicidal cropduster is embedded in the collective conscious, but the film fizzes with energy and intrigue.
A colorful and exciting route for spies, counterspies and lovers.