North by Northwest

4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (603 customer reviews)
Cary Grant stars as a Madison Avenue advertising exec who is mistaken for someone else and kidnapped by a group of international spies, headed by James Mason.
  • Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint
  • Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
  • Runtime: 2 hours 17 minutes
  • Release year: 1958
  • Studio: Warner Bros.
Play trailer
Available in HD for playback on Kindle Fire HD, Xbox 360, PS3, Roku, TiVO or other Amazon Instant Video HD compatible devices
 
  
 
  Amazon Prime now includes unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows at no additional cost.  
 
  
 
 
  
 
 

Prime Instant Video

Learn more about Amazon Prime

48 hour rental

1-Click® $2.99

Buy movie

1-Click® $9.99

Learn more about renting and buying

 
 
 
 
  
 
[Send us Feedback]

North by Northwest

Have a promotion code? View Balance
New to Amazon Instant Video? Watch your videos on the Kindle Fire HD and hundreds of other devices. See how to watch on your computer, tablet, phone and TV.

Enjoy Unlimited Streaming with Prime Instant Video: Stream over 40,000 movies and TV episodes on virtually any TV with compatible streaming devices starting under $100. Shop now.

Buy the DVD and get the Rental See Details
North by Northwest (Two-Disc 50th Anniversary Edition)
- Includes the 48 hour rental as a gift with purchase. Available to US Customers Only.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Product Details
Synopsis: Cary Grant stars as a Madison Avenue advertising exec who is mistaken for someone else and kidnapped by a group of international spies, headed by James Mason.
Starring: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint
Supporting actors: James Mason
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery, Thriller
Runtime: 2 hours 17 minutes
Captions and Subtitles: Details
Release year: 1958
Studio: Warner Bros.
ASIN: B002W7J3SO
Rights & Requirements
Rental rights: 48 hour viewing period. Details
Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details
Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

Other Formats and Versions

Theatrical Release Information
  • US Theatrical Release Date: January 01, 1959
  • Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Filming Locations: Bakersfield, California, USA | Chicago, Illinois, USA | Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA | Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA | Grand Central Station, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
(603)
4.6 out of 5 stars
See all 603 customer reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
191 of 204 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars "This can't be good, we're on top of the monument . . " April 22, 2000
By "mr_nasty"
Format:VHS Tape
One of the best of Hitchcock (although as far as his films go, Hitch probably has the best track record of any director living or dead). This film is basically the original "Fugitive" and follows pretty closely the plot to his "The 39 Steps" from 1935 - a man is mistaken for a CIA agent and is caught in a "deadly game of cat and mouse," as it were. I LOVE the music and the visuals that start out the film - it makes me wish I had been alive to see it in a movie theater in the 50's. And although this film is over 2 hours long, there's no way you can be bored - the suspense is so intense you'll be chewing your nails the whole time (I did the first time I saw it). Cary Grant is excellent as always, James Mason plays one of the most sinister of Hitchcock's villains (I would LOVE to have this guy's voice) and Eva Marie Saint looks gorgeous and plays her part well. I also enjoyed seeing Martin Landau in an early role as one of James Mason's henchmen and Jessie Royce Landis (the mother from "To Catch a Thief") as Grant's mother (although both were very near the same age at the time). And I love any film score by Bernard Herrmann - this guy should have had a mantle covered with awards, but as luck would have it, most of his scores went not only un-awarded but un-nominated (as this one did). By all means, if you don't own it, pick it up today - and by the way, good job for FINALLY releasing it on DVD, MGM.
8 Comments | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
78 of 85 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant film making. September 17, 2000
By S. J. West
Format:DVD
With this film, Alfred Hitchcock set out to top himself and get back on top after the failure of VERTIGO; he did just that. NORTH BY NORTHWEST is automatically a classic with the acting by Cary Grant (his fourth and final film with Hitchcock), Eva Maria Saint, James Mason, Leo G. Carroll (another one of Hithcock's favorites), and young Martin Landau (in his film debut), the amazing set pieces (the UN murder, the cropduster sequence, and the climax atop Mt. Rushmore), Bernard Hermann's music score, and the classic work of the camera by the Master of Suspense. But this DVD's extras really add to the film. It includes a documentary hosted by Saint ("Destination Hitchcock," not "The Man in Lincoln's Nose" as listed on this site), an audio commentary by screenwriter Ernest Lehman, two theatrical trailers (a standard trailer and one featuring Hitchcock), a TV Spot, an isolated music audio track and the film itself remastered in Dolby 5.1 Audio and 1.66:1 widescreen anamorphic format. The only problem is it comes in a snap case like all Warners DVDs, not allowing a booklet with production notes. But this DVD is a must buy, especially if you're a fan of Hitch. It's also a note of interest for 007 fans (like myself). This film brought about spy thrillers and you should compare the cropduster sequence in this film to the helicopter sequence in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE.
3 Comments | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
60 of 65 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Spy VS Spy..a la Hitch November 7, 2002
By L. Shirley TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Definitive Hitch! Everything about this film says Hitch. The musical score(Bernard Hermann) spells trouble even in the opening credits,the camera angles are signature, his favorite actors(Cary Grant Eva Marie Saint, Leo G. Carroll),and the edge of your seat story. All the things we love.
It gets better though, if it weren't for the style of clothes and cars, you would think this film was made yesterday. Warner Bros. has made a beautiful transfer of this 1959 classic, "North by Northwest", onto DVD.
A little of the story though for those who have not seen it(not too much though,don't want to spoil anything for you). It's a case of mistaken identity. Grant's. He is taken for a goverment agent by some counterspies, abducted, framed for murder and nobody believes his story. He goes on the run from the police as well as the thugs.While on the run he meets the beautiful Eva Marie Saint and sparks fly between them. (Anytime there is romance in a Hitch film you do not need an R rating to feel the passion!)So what's her part in all this? Why isn't the goverment helping him? Is he being crossed?Doublecrossed? Maybe even triple crossed? Find out as the thrilling chase goes from New York to South Dakota. And check out all the great scenery and landmarks along the way, as Cary travels by train,is chased by a plane(very scary stuff)and ends up atop of Mount Rushmore.
It's one of Director Alfred Hitchcock's greatest thrillers.Grant,Saint, and Carroll, well, they shine as usual.And along for the ride also thrilling us are James Mason and a young Martin Landau. There's also Jessie Royce Landis as Grant's mother who's wit matches his quip for quip. She's great.
Now back to the DVD. It should be the poster child for why we love DVDs now. I have never seen this film look so good.... Read more ›
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
29 of 31 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular DVD!!! December 7, 2000
By John Hart
Format:DVD
Warner Bros. has outdone itself with this new, pull-out-the-stops, first-class presentation of one of Hitch's best films.

When I first read that Warners had rights to the film and would subsequently be releasing the DVD, I was nervous. Though the studio has championed the format from its very inception, I remained concerned that they would simply rehash the laserdisc transfer from a few years back and issue the title in their "bargain" DVD line due to the age of the film, and thus consign Hitchcock fans to suffer the ignominy of seeing "North by Northwest" denied the top flight treatment lavished by Universal Studios on the Hitchcock titles they control. (Universal's stubborn refusal to re-issue the impressively restored "Vertigo" in anamorphic should be a crime, however.)

But what a surprise this disc turned out to be!! Warner Bros. was paying attention, and one-upped Universal with this terrific effort. Simply stated, the picture quality on this disc is ASTONISHING. This is without question the best this film has ever looked - and that has only partly to do with the resolution and stability of digital video. A completely new print has been struck, and cleaned up - indeed, it is doubtful the film looked this good on its opening night premiere. There's hardly a nick or scratch to be seen, and grain is totally absent. It's as if they took a giant sponge and wiped years of age-induced desaturation away.

Anamorphically enhanced, the DVD's compression is excellent - blacks are velvety and rich, color is deep and vibrant, and edge enhancement (which results in unnatural "shimmer") is seemingly non-existant. For a film of this vintage, the image is nothing short of eye-popping, especially if the DVD player's component video outputs are used....

If you're a Hitchcock fan like me, owning this film is a no-brainer. If you're a film fan at all, this classic deserves - no, demands - a place in your collection. That Warner Brothers has paid it proper respect with a DVD of this quality (not only is the transfer sparkling, but the extras are rich in content and well done, too) is something that, like the film, is truly wonderful. Read more ›

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars North by Northwest
Came in excellent condition and pretty fast. It is a very suspenseful and exciting movie and I will enjoy again and again.
Published 1 day ago by Clarissa Jack
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Movie
Its has an interesting movie plot and liked the way it was taken through especially for a movie of that era.
Published 2 days ago by Santosh
5.0 out of 5 stars Lived Up to the Hype
I saw North By Nothwest for the first time. I must say so many things are touted as being great that just aren't. This was not one of those things. Read more
Published 2 days ago by B. Parris
5.0 out of 5 stars Sexy, Smart and sophisticated.
Top notch movie. The cinematography is grand. Grant has such savoir faire. Leo G Carroll as the head of the intelligence agency is a quality supporting role that is not to miss.
Published 2 days ago by BobbyP
4.0 out of 5 stars A master piece aging well
A classic piece with all the charm and quirk of the Hollywood productions in that era. P.S. Hitchcock's presence in the first minute of the movie is an adorable, pleasant surprise.
Published 3 days ago by S. Du
5.0 out of 5 stars you can't beat Hitchcock
If you are an Alfred Hitchcock fan you know this is one of his best (in my opinion). It just gets better every time you watch it.
Published 4 days ago by doug lloyd
5.0 out of 5 stars What Fun!
I didn't know where this one was taking me, but I loved the entire trip! If you like old mysteries, this is a must.
Published 5 days ago by Marc Dana Koolen
5.0 out of 5 stars Great family movie to watch with your teens
I was a little skeptical of getting an Alfred Hitchcock movie. I looked at previous ratings though and decided to try it. Read more
Published 5 days ago by D. Liggett
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie
Every time I watch this movie, it always thrills me. They just don't make these kind of movies any more.
Published 6 days ago by Eva M. Gay Jefferies
1.0 out of 5 stars old movie
this movie did not work right for me ended up having to have it refunded to to the fact would only play partly for me
Published 6 days ago by john
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews
By placing your order, you agree to our Terms of Use  Sold by Amazon Digital Services, Inc.  Additional taxes may apply.