Film: North by Northwest

Cinematographer Robert Burks (and Alfred Hitchcock, of course) created two iconic images for this movie: The pursuit of Cary Grant by a crop duster, and the concluding chase scene across the faces of Mount Rushmore. Uploaded by artsmeme.com.

Alfred Hitchcock directing. Cary Grant starring. Music by Bernard Herrmann. Script by Edward Lehman. I’m sure with such credits it’s possible to make a bad movie, but it wouldn’t be easy. And North by Northwest is in the pantheon of the best movies of the 1950s, a surprisingly good decade for films.

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I didn’t mention cinematographer Robert Burks, because his career is so intertwined with Hitchcock’s. But in North by Northwest, Burks captured two of the most iconic images in Hollywood history. The first is when Cary Grant (Great American Things, June 16, 2009) is buzzed and then shot at by a biplane that’s “dusting crops where there ain’t no crops.” The second is at the film’s conclusion when Grant and Eva Marie Saint are desperately trying to escape their pursuers and make their way across the faces on the Mount Rushmore monument – a chase scene Hitchcock said he’d always wanted to film.

Despite all the luminaries mentioned at the beginning of this post, only Lehman received an Academy Award nomination. Ben-Hur dominated the 1959 Oscars, and Hitchcock was never given his proper due by the Hollywood crowd. The American Film Institute knows better, however. In its listing of 100 Years…100 Movies, North by Northwest was ranked number 40. And in the sub-list 100 Years…100 Thrills, it came in at number 4.

 

Film: Rear Window

Jimmy Stewart was laid up in his apartment with a broken leg. He had nothing to do but stare at his neighbors across the courtyard - one of whom may have murdered his wife. Uploaded by cdn.mos.totalfilm.com.

Alfred Hitchcock was at his very best during the period of time in which he made Rear Window. In a six-year period, he also made Dial M for Murder, To Catch a Thief, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psycho. Has any director ever had a run like that?

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Rear Window featured Jimmy Stewart (Great American Things, April 8, 2009) as a photographer, confined to his New York City apartment with a broken leg. He looks out at his neighbors across the courtyard, and becomes convinced that one of them (Raymond Burr) has murdered his wife. He enlists the help of his girlfriend, played by the incredibly beautiful Grace Kelly (Great American Things, August 30, 2009).and nurse (Thelma Ritter) to solve the mystery, and ends up putting all their lives in jeopardy.

Although the film was nominated for four Academy Awards, it came away empty. Even so, the review site RottenTomatoes.com gives the movie a rare “100% fresh” rating. And the American Film Institute named it number 42  in its 100 Years…100 Movies series, and number 14 in 100 Years…100 Thrills.

Writer: Raymond Chandler

Because of his definite performance in The Big Sleep, we'll always picture Humphrey Bogart as the character of Philip Marlowe. Uploaded by images2.fanpop.com.

I’m a little bit sheepish to admit this, but it must have something to do with the two-syllable names. I sometimes can’t remember if Raymond Chandler is the writer and Philip Marlowe is the detective, or the other way around. Maybe after writing this post, I won’t get them confused anymore. Maybe.

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Chandler was over 50 when his first novel was published. He only completed seven books, but four of them are among the best detective fiction ever published: The Big Sleep (1939), Farewell My Lovely (1940), The Lady in the Lake (1943), and The Long Goodbye (1954).

Along with Dashiell Hammett, Chandler helped create what’s known as “hardboiled” crime fiction. Philip Marlowe was a tough, sarcastic, hard-drinking private eye, but one who also showed a more thoughtful, philosophical side. The movies made from Chandler’s novels helped create a cinematic style as well, film noir.

Speaking of film, an underappreciated aspect of Chandler’s literary legacy is his screenplays. He co-wrote (with Billy Wilder) the noir classic Double Indemnity, and also collaborated on Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train.

It’s hard to picture the Philip Marlowe character and not think of Humphrey Bogart (Great American Things, August 11, 2009), the actor who brought him to life in The Big Sleep. Or did Bogart portray Raymond Chandler? See, I’m still confused…