2023-08-20 22:11:13
by Maurizio Porro
Hitchcock’s film is an endless enjoyment, full of historical sequences. He remains a prisoner of it: the union of spy story, thriller and comedy is perfect
It is worth skipping lunch or delaying the bathroom for Hitchcock’s masterpiece «International by Northwest» at 12.55 but also in rerun at 2.55 (skip disco). Shot in 1959, before other darker titles (“The woman who lived twice”, “The thief”, “Psycho”), after the opening credits by Saul Bass (also his poster), how Mr. Thornhill is mistaken for Mr. Kaplan. From here start a series of adventures and deadly risks: he is considered a spy and a murderer, but he is only an advertising agent attached to his mother. Luckily with the blonde from “On the waterfront” Eve Marie Saint, he will have to face a long train journey to end up climbing the faces of American presidents carved on Mount Rushmore.
The film is of endless enjoyment, full of historical sequences, written with great humor by Ernst Lehman: everyone remembers the brilliant Cary Grant who first has to drive drunk on the edge of the precipice and then, alone in the countryside, must escape the attack of a biplane pursuing him. Hitch as always, enjoys letting us know about the risks that his heroes run, who are instead unaware of it. It’s one of those films that, when revisited, always reveals something new: you remain a prisoner of it, the union of spy story, thriller and comedy is perfect and the ending in the bunk of the wagon lit is the director’s most cheeky and anticipates the latest sequences of 007 with his girls.
The mansion of the villain (the great James Mason) reproduces a real building by Wright in the MGM studio and the appearance of Hitch, while he misses the bus, is in the second minute. Musical score by Bernard Herrmann as always from Oscar, but “International by North” will not have statuettes, Hitch was without it, however the film deposited 13 million dollars in the bank, reaffirming the ambiguity of ordinary people and in particular of women, especially blondes , casting suspicion on anyone.
International Intrigue by Alfred Hitchcock, Sky suspense, channel 306, Monday 21 August at 12.55 and 2.55
August 20, 2023 (change August 20, 2023 | 22:10)
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