North By Northwest

Alfred Hitchcock - 1959
Completely absurd, often filthy, directed with such elan.
Hitchcock manipulates time quite spectacularly; some sequences go on and on, the long lull before the cropduster (and of course space is also used there), the incredibly quick ending, the long first love scene (which is really remarkably frank). All for the old suspense, of course.
As far as composition, I am sure, with the exception of a few sequences (at the Gehry house, for example) Hitchcock uses less eyeline matches. His camera is in fact often alowing medium shots, twos or threes, more 'objective' one could say. Gives the impression of Grant as the action puppet thrown around.
The plot is completely absurd, but surely the logic of it is a clear emotional one. The comic idea of the mistaken man, the man in the wrong place. Taken on a wild adventure, he turns out to rather enjoy it, and, having at first tried to reassure his mother, sticks two fingers up. Then finding that in this new world, where beautiful women seem to fall for him, he is betrayed; they are really out for him, he's not a part of that world. Grant is always an outsider here. Think of the scene as he goes into the auction house; tragic, his amour is with the other man, and he thought he was in that world. Then finding out others are equally trapped, lonely. How much of this is personal to Hitchcock, outsider, playing the game but detached?
This is, as Grant tells us, an absurd plot, flying along in all directions, implausible, who cares. It tells us of urgent feelings, in a riotously, expertly entertaining manner.