North by Northwest (1959)
A grey-suited ad man mistaken for a government agent gets framed for murder and is on the run from the law while simultaneously chasing danger and romance across country, (the title is literal as it simply indicates the trip including by Northwest train, though some assume it’s derived from Shakespeare: "I am but mad north-northwest: when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw." ) Arguably not the greatest Hitchcock, but certainly the crowning jewel of his romantic thrillers: with a star cast including his beloved Cary Grant; sexy, snappy, humorous dialogue; a Bernard Herrmann soundtrack; varied and iconic locations and great color, widescreen photography to go with them; etc. Certainly, one of my priority DVD purchases (in case you are wondering the other two were The Birds and Vertigo .) Later, I won the special edition in a contest, but when I attempted to play it two nights ago the disc had gone bad. After a minor interruption where I had to loca...