MJB SCRIPT REVIEW | NORTH BY NORTHWEST

“𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝗱𝗱𝘆 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲…”

We’re back in Hitchcock territory again (see previous review PSYCHO) and this time, it’s the legendary grandaddy of the thriller game; NORTH BY NORTHWEST.

Plot in a nutshell: Framed for murder, A New York City advertising executive goes on the run. He meets Eve Kendall, who helps him to evade the authorities, but may not be the innocent bystander he thought she was.

Note: As usual, I like to give a fair warning on elements in these scripts that people may find offensive. The script was written 60 odd years ago, and as such, has some terminology that was considered acceptable back then, but probably wouldn’t sit that way these days. So just to be warned, there’s some content in the script some of you guys might find offensive. As for me, i’m just looking to see what the script can teach. So with that…onward!

I have the coolest picture on my living room wall. It’s Cary Grant, running for his life across a cornfield, being chased by…a TIE Fighter. Now in the original film, it’s a crop duster biplane chasing him. But that’s how iconic this film is. Artists (this particular chap is the legendary lad, James Hance. I urge you to check him out) want to inject some form of current zeitgeist into it. Which means it has images that not only continue to appeal and inspire, but will continue to last throughout cinematic history. So we’re looking at the type of script that can create that opportunity for a filmmaker.

There is a certain frippery to this script and the dialogue that is light years ahead of its time and yet was completely acceptable back then. The hero who doesn’t necessarily take seriously the very serious events going on around him. For our younger readers, imagine StarLord or Jack Sparrow have unwittingly found themselves in an upper class, Cold War conspiracy, that they must find their way out of, using little more than their wits and their own wicked personalities. It’s that kind of script. Where the main character is just that; a real character. The main protagonist of Thornhill was clearly written with Cary Grant in mind and as such, this character takes on events with an ever knowing eyebrow raised and an air of “What the hell! Let’s see where this goes…” This characters approach is elevated even further by just how serious the other characters treat him/events. So it’s a cracking contrast and definitely benefits the character interactions (which can get very silly and quite chucklesome).

I was quite surprised to discover that as much as this is a taut and impressively ripped thriller, it has a massive streak of comedy running through it. Like a thick wad of cheesecake batter swished in through a tray of brownie batter (which works so scrummily by the way!) A knowing tongue-in-cheek approach to how invested the main character is in the scenario around him that he finds so plausible, yet everyone else seems to find entirely ridiculous (his mother especially, spending most of the script exhaustively rolling her eyes at her seemingly over-exaggerating son). Therein lie the essential elements to crafting both a cracking thriller and knowing comedy, which writer Ernest Lehman has balanced across the tightrope of this style of script so effectively. It’s fun, it’s thrilling and yet just bonkers enough that it could happen to me or you, or anyone else unlucky enough to be mistaken for someone else across a crowded room.

So, what did I learn from NORTH BY NORTHWEST?

1. The action directions here are, for me, way too long. Far too much ink (the script is 181 pages for the love of sausages!). But, they do give every detail and so I would definitely recommend that if your action directions were this wordy, then why not get everything down first before abbreviating? If this is seen as a starting point for your first draft (“He turns…She sighs….They have a cup of tea….The wind blows the curtains. You get the idea…), you can then get them down to something much more succinct in later drafts. If you wish to do so, of course;) So not a bad example of getting every action down initially.   

2. P.111-115 are an intriguing little curio. As Thornhill confronts Vandamm and Eve at an art auction, their dialogue runs parallel with the auctioneers. As if talking at the same time. While this would cause confusion at the best of times, it covers several actions very neatly; (A) The three get to have their much needed confrontation to keep the plot moving. (B) The auctioneer gets his lines covered so that he can continue to maintain his dialogue (in the background) without improvising. (C) The atmosphere of a working auction house is maintained (once again, in the background), whilst the three main characters continue their diatribe. (D) Thornhill can join in on the auction at the end of the diatribe and we don’t feel that he is jumping in at an inopportune moment. The dialogue has continued uninterrupted for the auctioneer and for us watching the scene. Never seen anything like that before, but helluva neat technique. Take a look and be fascinated. I was.

3. Good old fashioned flirting. There are several scenes between Thornhill and Eve (in particular, their initial meeting on the train and much later on after a fatal argument that was staged) and every single one of them is a romantic joy. Sweet teasing, gentle affections, knowing sexual flirtation. That wonderful back and forth that early pictures did so well, when language really mattered and knew how to be classy. Two people attracted to each other and doing their best not to be vulgar, yet enjoying a playful chemistry. Wonderful examples of the form and a must read for anyone struggling with their flirting scenes.

4. The chase sequence across Mount Rushmore during the finale. Plain and simple, an utterly bonkers location, yet tense as hell and a white knuckle ride. Brilliant pacing (if maybe a little too much detail on camera angles) and a genuine relief when it concludes with the bad guys defeated and the lovers safe and sound in each others arms. So much fun.

This is an old school treat. Mainly for the wonderful repartee between the two protagonists and the reckless sarcasm that Thornhill throws at every opportunity. It’s just fun to listen to him talk. I enjoyed Eve’s character immensely too. Interesting, cunning, a tease of beyond intellectual skill. Makes me miss the rom-coms of the 90’s and their intelligence, mixed with that upbeat hopeful sweetness. We need more of that in this day and age. We’ve broken all the boundaries between the sexes. How about we get some of that good old fashioned mystery back. I swear its where the magic lies…

Link to the script:

North_By_Northwest Script