I love the fact that Cinépolis, a new movie theater company in my area (its big business is in Mexico), is showing revivals of classic movies once a week.  Films like A Clockwork Orange, GoodFellas and Alfred Hitchcock’s classic North by Northwest.  These movies were made for big screens, and NBNW, a 1959 adventure filmed in VistaVision, remains an exceptional experience in a theater.

Cary Grant is kidnapped by James Mason, seduced by Eva Marie Saint and menaced by Martin Landau, all of whom manage to make it to the wonderful climax at Mt. Rushmore, accompanied by a truly thrilling score by Bernard Herrmann.  Ernest Lehman’s dialogue crackles with sexual tension and pure wit.  The detour to a quiet Indiana bus stop is one of the great movie sequences — even though it makes almost no dramatic sense whatsoever.  It doesn’t matter.  Hitchcock’s film is delightful in almost every way; his next, Psycho, would fashion a slightly different tone.

Cary Grant was a movie star for more than thirty years, but this is the way I like him best — in his fifties, effortlessly urbane, slightly grumpy, silver fox handsome, remarkably fit, dapper and ready for action.  NBNW and Charade, for me, represent the ultimate in Cary Grant.  (I also prefer the older John Wayne as well, by the way.)  Grant is perfectly in tune with Hitchcock’s unique design, with the result being a romantic adventure that genuinely thrills.  This is my # 8 favorite film of all time, and seeing it again in a theater is a rare privilege.  I highly encourage you to attend these screenings, whether it be a Fathom Event, a Cinépolis Handpicked feature or any other such revival.  This is how movies were made to be seen.  ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆.  21 September 2016.