Classic Hollywood is always worth checking out

I spend so much time in theaters, seeing the latest product from Hollywood, that it’s a pleasure now and then to spend an evening (or afternoon) watching Hollywood classics. And the last two films I saw clearly fall into that category.

The first, which we saw at a special screening, was “North by Northwest. ” Hitchcock’s 1959 suspense movie, which stars Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, is not one of the filmmaker’s more serious efforts. But while the story, which was written by the screenwriter Ernest Lehman, may not rival Shakespeare, nothing about Hitchcock’s direction should be slighted. For a film that runs 16 minutes longer than two hours, it never seems to lag. The humor cuts the spy-high tone with just the right touch of clownishness. And the acting, particularly by Grant, is ever engaging.

The second, which we saw on DVD, was “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, ” Martin Ritt’s 1965 adaptation of John le Carre ‘s third novel. Rendered in a stunning black and white, and starring Richard Burton, Claire Bloom and Oskar Werner, the film holds up well and is as serious and sober as “North by Northwest” is lighthearted and clever. Especially after having read Jess Walter’s novel “Beautiful Ruins,” it was good to be reminded just how great an actor Burton could be — and he is superb as Alec Leamas.

So, my recommendation? Take the time, on occasion, to catch the best of what cinema has to offer. It makes the works of the world’s Michael Bays that much easier to enjoy, it being the yin to Bay’s yang.

BTW, I’ll be hosting a special screening of “North by Northwest” on June 5 at The Bing. The showing will follow a special live taping of our Spokane Public Radio show “Movies 101,” which will be devoted to the cinema of Hitchcock.