North By Northwest

"In the world of advertising, there's no such thing as a lie. There's only expedient exaggeration." -- Cary Grant in North by Northwest Begins with brief excerpts from reviews and a synopsis of the story. Provides a background to the movie and offers biographies of key cast and crew. Looks at the production, key scenes, themes and techniques used in making the movie. Go behind the scenes with the ultimate film guide and get the bigger picture. Discover how Hitchcock used a combination of different genres to make North by North West into a comedy, romance, thriller and adventure story. Consider the importance of film style and how Hitchcock leads the audience into a temporary state of nightmare. Understand how camera work is employed to give more impact to specific images and how color plays a vivid role. Read about the decisions behind casting Cary Grant as Thornhill and how did Bernard Herrmann capture the suspense and tension of the movie with music. Get biographies of Alfred Hitchcock, Ernest Lehman, screenwriter, Carey Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Bernhard Herrman, composer, and Saul Bass. "North by Northwest" includes bibliography of books relating to the movie, a filmography of Hitchcock, and a listing of cinematic terms. Written in an accessible manner, "North by Northwest" is excellent reading for the movie fan and film student alike.

Dan Williams teaches film studies at City University (London) and Brunel Univesity.