Empire Australasia – August 2019

BOBCOEISanunsunghero
inoneofcinema’sgreatest
moments.Acrop-dusterpilot
fromWasco,California,Coe
flewtheNavalAircraftN3N
Canary,a WorldWarII Navy
pilottrainernicknamedthe
YellowPeril,thatstrafedCary
Grantwearinga greySavile
Rowsuitasheranforhislife
playingRogerThornhillin
AlfredHitchcock’sNorthBy
Northwest. Coewaspaid$150
perdaywithanadditional$100
foreveryhourspentinthe
air,butwhathehelpedcreate
waspriceless.Northwest’s
cropdustingsceneremains
a masterclassinknuckle-
tighteningactioncinema.
“Onthesurfaceit’s
ridiculous,”observedL.A.
ConfidentialdirectorCurtis
Hanson.“Whywouldthe
villainslureCaryGranttothe
middleofnowhereinorderto
shoothimfromanairplane?
Andyetitfeelsright.”
Theideafortheset-piece
cameoutofHitchcock’sdesire
tocreatea pursuitsequence
completely different from the

clichédchasedowna shadowy

cobbledalley.“Whatwasthe

antithesisofa scenelikethis?”

Hitchcockaskedsuperfanand

interviewerFrançoisTruffaut.

“Justnothing.Justbright

sunshineanda blank,open

countrysidewithbarely

a houseortreeinwhichany

lurkingmenacescouldhide.”

ScreenwriterErnestLehman

recalledspitballinga murder

methodwithHitchcockwho

suggestedthevillainskill

Thornhillbytornado.“But

they’retryingtokillhim,”

Lehmanshotback.“How

aretheygoingtoworkup

a cyclone?”Atsomepointthe

pairlandedona cropduster.

Thescenewasshot

overthreedaysinearlyOctober

1958 onGarcesHighway,East

Bakersfield,California(the

locationwasdoublingfor

Indiana,fauxsquarehighway

signssellingtheillusion).It was

sohotit becamea raresequence

Hitchcockdirectedina short-

sleevedshirtratherthanhis

trademarksuit.Thefilmmaker

shot the action entirely how

REVIEW

Lehmanhadlaidit outin

thescriptbutwitha crucial

difference:thewriterhad

includedPOVsfroma

helicopter;Hitchcockplayed

it entirelyfromThornhill’s

perspective,lockingusintohis

terrifiedworldview.Close-ups

ofGranthittingthedeckas

theplaneflieslowoverhead

werelaterrecreatedonan

MGMsoundstagewiththe

planefootageprojected

behindtheactor.

If, asCurtisHanson,

suggests,thereareareeasier

waystomurdersomeonethan

contractinga low-flyingbiplane,

Lehmanarguesthebadguys

(JamesMason,MartinLandau)

wantedthemurdertolooklike

anaccident,meaninga simple

bulletwouldn’tcutit.But

GuillermodelTorohas

suggestedthereis something

elseatwork.“Youdon’t

questionthelogicbecausethe

motionandtheemotioncarries

youthrough.Realityis boring,

realityyougeteveryday.Truth

youdon’tgetthatmuch.”And

thetruthis,travellingthrough

Hitch’shyperworldisn’tlike

dusting crops, boy.IAN FREER

NORTHBYNORTHWESTISOUT NOW

ON DVD AND DOWNLOAD

INSTANT

TRIVIA

↓

1

MGMplantedthecornfield

thatCaryGranthidesin

especiallyforthe movie.

2

Thenameonthetruckthe

planecrashesintois

‘MagnumOil’— thiswas

companyHitchcock’s

son-in-lawworked for.

3

Crop-dustingpilotBobCoe

diedin2007,aged85.Athis

funeral,a photoofCary

Grantfleeinghisplanewas

placedonhiscasket.

4

Inthestory,theplaneis

flownbyVandamm’s

henchmanLicht,playedby

RobertEllenstein.But,

becausetheplanecrashes

withoutshowingLicht’s

face,it meansthecharacter

disappearsfromthefilm

without explanation.

North By Northwest

Above:Cary

Grant’sRoger

Thornhillruns

for his life.

Howiconic

imagescame

to life

LANDMARK