Cary Grant plays advertising exec Roger Thornhill, who has the bad luck of being mistaken for a secret agent named George Kaplan. Pursued across the United States by agents of a mysterious organization trying to prevent him from blocking their plan to smuggle microfilm full of government secrets out of the country, he must rescue his new love (Eve Marie Saint), outwit his new enemy (James Mason), and turn out to be a natural at all this high-level espionage stuff. Probably because he’s Cary Grant. Also featured in this film: Cary Grant’s gray suit, an iconic piece of menswear that deserves its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Albert Hitchcock directed some of the most famous set pieces in film history, and at least two of them are in North by Northwest — the crop-duster chase and the climax on Mt. Rushmore. But it makes sense that those scenes are so memorable; North by Northwest was conceived mainly as those two scenes with a spy movie to connect them. Contracted to make just one movie for MGM, Hitchcock used the opportunity to change up large parts of his workflow, even switching up shots and angles during principal photography. By 1959, Hitch was just as prominent as a famous TV presenter as he was a director, and that along with difficulty in his personal life must have weighed heavily on him. But the shake-up those challenges necessitated led to Psycho, The Birds and this thrilling (and shockingly funny) spy adventure.

VIEW the full Big Picture series lineup.

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This screening is held in the Historic Duncan Auditorium. This space utilizes open seating for this event, seat selection is not required.