North by Northwest is in some ways a typical Hitchcock movie with its odd camera angles, mistaken identities, plot twists, and sexual tension. It also, as most Hitchcockian films has some interesting behind the scenes facts. The film was orginally titled The Man in Lincoln's Nose because of the chase scenes filmed at Mount Rushmore. It was filmed in 1959 and was Alfred Hitchcock's only film for MGM.
One question anyone familiar with Alfred Hitchcock movies always asks is "Where is Alfred?". He appears in a brief cameo in all his films, and it's a challenge to find him in each movie. In this particular movie he appears at the end of the opening credits, attempting to board a bus. The bus driver slams the door in his face and drives off.
Some other interesting things about this movie include the fact that in the scene at the United Nations Building, Mr. Hitchcock was unable to obtain permission to film there, so the scene was filmed using hidden cameras. I also found it interesting that the house used in the Rushmore scenes was a mock up. It was based on a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house called Fallingwater.
The film has some classic and recognizable scenes. One of these is the famous crop duster scene where Cary Grant's character is chased by a very low flying crop duster plane. Another memorable sequence is the drunk driving scene, where our hero is forced to drink large quantities of alcohol and drive down a twisty coastal highway. The camera work and point of view filming here is truly sensational, and should be familiar to anyone who's ever driven drunk.