Despite the critical and commercial success of Psycho, “North by Northwest” probably remains the artistic pinnacle of Alfred Hitchcock’s career during the ‘Master of Suspense’ period. Rarely has a film about mistaken identity with its consequences exploded with such radiance straight on the face of film goers.

The unique sense of balance between the elements of art and entertainment in the film continues to be one of its quintessential strengths and the most striking feature. Throughout the film, the narrative hinges on a no man’s land between a spy thriller and a modern urban comedy delightfully taken forward by enjoyable performances delivered by Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason and others. This elegantly crafted film turns out to be one of the most multi layered film texts in the world of cinema that unfolds in numerous avenues beyond the basic plotline.

Rich in anecdotes and references including phallic imageries, Freudian notions of oedipal complex, cold war period paranoia in the West, etc, the film starts resembling a site of contact and coalition among several forces of thoughts together generating a most dazzling instance of superb craftsmanship balanced with an utterly cynical world view. There are a few scenes that will straight away go down into history. While the crop dusting plane sequence is revered for its geometric precision of technique, the climax scene where Grant and Saint are escaping along the surface of the iconic Mount Rushmore is simply a deep look into the nation’s political context.