I watched North by Northwest (again) last night; what a wonderful movie. So cool – the clothes, the 20th Century Limited, the cars (especially the Continental convertible), Vandamm’s house on the top of Mt. Rushmore and it’s furnishings, even the tail of the Connie in the Chicago airport scene. Just enough vinegar to cut the sweet – at least for a modern viewer – the black faces of the porters on the train are a reminder of how other Americans experienced the 50s.

My favorite aspect of the movie (at this moment – subject to change without notice) is the double MacGuffin. Sure there are the government secrets on microfilm that motivate Alexander Waverly’s The Professor’s pursuit of Vandamm, but I also think Kaplan counts as a MacGuffin – he is Vandamm’s central concern. Hitchcock makes it clear early in the movie that Kaplan doesn’t exist – a perfect placeholder for the characters to play-act around. What could be better? Hitchcock: “People, there’s nothing there, but I’m going to use that empty suit as the center of the story – watch me.”

Put it in your movie queue and when it arrives, mix yourself a nice Gibson, sit back and enjoy. (Editorial comments: 1) Gin, dammit. 2) If you don’t want to drink vermouth, don’t – just call it a cold glass of gin w/ onion or olive – dirty martinis are acceptable – the second component bumps it back to cocktail status).

And the last shot? Canonical.