


Actor + Director | 40 Great Collaborations In Movies
4. Cary Grant & Alfred Hitchcock   View Complete List Back Page 4/40 Next

Alfred Hitchcock
Cary Grant

Best Film
North By Northwest, where Cary Grant and his impeccably tailored suit are put through hell by an elaborate anti-government conspiracy. The fact that both the man and the two-piece survive shows that Hitchcock knew exactly how to use this star.
Notable Pairings
Suspicion, Notorious, To Catch a Thief, and North By Northwest

What's The Secret Of Their Success?
Hitchcock builds tension in his films by turning the screws on ordinary folks and watching them squirm. But that's so much more effective when the victim of his plotting is someone as unflappable, as poised, as Cary Grant. If Grant starts running, you know it's serious. Hitchcock also knew that Grant's stillness and reserve would keep the audience guessing about his motives, the sensation that something is going on beneath the surface only adding to the tension.

Were They As Good With Anyone Else?
Grant was rarely as ambiguously attractive or as dark-tinged elsewhere, although he was at least as good but a lot funnier for directors like Howard Hawks throughout his career.

