Behind the scenes on Hitchcock’s North by Northwest
Hitchcock’s thrilling masterpiece is returning to UK cinemas as part of the BFI’s Thriller season. To celebrate, we present a selection of behind-the-scenes shots, featuring Hitch, stars Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint… and the MGM lion.
Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint filming the Mount Rushmore finale.
North by Northwest (1959) was initially called The Man on Lincoln’s Nose (this is also the title of an Oscar-nominated documentary about the film’s art director Robert Boyle).
Apart from the initial establishing shots and footage in the car park, which were shot on location at the historic monument in South Dakota, the rest of the Rushmore scene was filmed on an MGM soundstage.
Hitchcock during location shooting at Chicago Midway International Airport in Illinois.
“The only newspaper I read is the London Times,” Hitchcock told François Truffaut in 1962.
Director and star with the actress Sally Fraser who played the receptionist at the United Nations.
Filming the crop-dusting scene – Cary Grant has changed out of his famous Kilgour suit.
Director and cast inspecting North by Northwest’s McGuffin.
Hitchcock directing the famous tracking shot at LaSalle Street Station in downtown Chicago.
Another location shoot. This time at New York’s Grand Central station where Roger Thornhill catches the 20th Century Limited train to Chicago.
Eva Marie Saint taking a turn behind the camera, with co-star James Mason.
A publicity shot of Hitchcock taking tea with the MGM lion. North by Northwest was the only film Hitchcock made for MGM.
