This film was a very interesting viewing experience. This is primarily because I avoid watching older films, and thus, had never before seen anything like it.  The poor film quality is often very hard for me to look past so old movies tend to be annoying for me to watch, but this was definitely not the case this time around. North by Northwest managed to be entertaining while still being tastefully suspenseful.

The movie discussed themes of mistaken identity and cold war survival in a time where the former was of great importance. When an innocent man played by Cary Grant is accused of the unspeakable, he has no choice but to run from the villainous spy trying to kill him. The film was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and was a blockbuster hit at the time of its release. It has received many awards.

The film depicted a time of Cold War distress and earnestly represented many of the concerns of American civilians at the time. The film not only draws upon a fear of the Russians to entertain, but also draws upon a fear of the United States government. The characters in the government are portrayed as being just as cold, ruthless, and calculating and the true Russian enemy. This was an interesting way to draw on general american apprehension about what happens behind government closed doors.