The Sandpiper(1965).

The Sandpiper(1965). Cast: Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Directed by Vincente Minnelli.

Laura Reynolds, is living a wonderful life as single, bohemian artist/model, with Danny her 9-year-old son (Morgan Mason, James Mason's son), in a run down beach house. Until one day Danny, shoots and kills a deer which gets him in trouble with the law and Laura is ordered by the court, to enroll him in the private school, headed by clergyman Edward Hewitt and his wife. Even though she is resentful at first, she is surprised, at how quickly Danny accepts the schools routine.

Laura and Hewitt, fall into into a passionate love affair after he walks in on her modeling nude for her artist friend. They spend many long afternoons together, along the beautiful surf and sand. Things are going well until, a jealous colleague of Hewitt, blows the whistle on the couple.

Tormented by guilt, Hewitt tells his wife, Claire about the affair, who is brokenhearted. He then makes a public admission. Laura furious that he exposed their private relationship never wants to see him again. How will Hewitt confront is problems?

This movie is filmed at the height of the Burton/Taylor popularity. We get to see a side of Liz Taylor, that is so different from past silver screen performances… here she plays a "new woman of the 60s," who believes in free love, which turns out to be the film's theme... Richard Burton, character once again pays the price for his actions..

 

Fun Facts:

Then unknown Raquel Welch doubled (uncredited) for Elizabeth Taylor in some of Taylor's beach scenes on location at Big Sur, California.

The third of eleven films that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton starred in together.

Script was originally envisioned as a Kim Novak vehicle, until she had a falling out with producer.

EVA MARIE SAINT

Eva Marie Saint's television carrer began as an NBC page. In the late 1940s, she began working in radio and television before winning the Drama Critics Award for her Broadway stage role in The Trip to Bountiful (1953), in which she co-starred with Lillian Gish and Jo Van Fleet. In 1955, she was nominated for her first Emmy for "Best Actress In A Single Performance" on The Philco Television Playhouse in Middle of the Night . She won another Emmy nomination for the 1955 television musical classic play Our Town with co-stars Paul Newman (in his only musical) and Frank Sinatra. Saint also became known as "the Helen Hayes of television."

Alfred Hitchcock surprised everyone by choosing Saint over dozens of other candidates for the femme fatale role in North by Northwest (1959) with Cary Grant and James Mason. Hitchcock's decision to cut Saint's waist-length blonde hair for the first time in her career made head lines. Hitchcock beleived that short hair gave her a more exotic look, in keeping with her role of the glamorous woman. The director also worked with Saint to make her voice lower and huskier and even chose costumes for her.

Saint has performed in many television specials and documentaries, including The Making of North by Northwest, which she narrated and hosted. In 2009, she made a rare public appearance at the 81st Academy Awards ceremony as a Best Supporting Actress presenter. She has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for motion pictures at 6624 Hollywood Boulevard, and television at 6730 Hollywood Boulevard.
CLIP OF Frank Sinatra presenting Eva Marie Saint the Best Supporting Actress Oscar® for her performance in "On the Waterfront" at the 27th Academy Awards® in 1955.

NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)

North by Northwest (1959). Suspense. Director: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. Screenplay: Ernest Lehman, who wanted to write "the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures". North by Northwest is a tale of mistaken identity, with an innocent man chased across the United States by agents who want to stop his interference in their plans to smuggle out microfilm holding government secrets. Hitchcock, used this technique in many of his films. This is one of several Hitchcock movies with a music score by Bernard Herrmann and features amazing opening sequence by graphic designer Saul Bass.

One of my favorite scenes:



There are so many wonderful blogs written about the movie North by Northwest, instead of a review. I will write about what I thought was interesting about the film.

Hitchcock worked on the movie script North by Northwest for nine years. He wanted a change of pace after directing Vertigo. Hitchcock said that he wanted to do something fun, light-hearted, and free of symbolism.

There are similarities between this movie and Hitchcock's film Saboteur (1942), whose final scene on top the Statue of Liberty foreshadows the Mount Rushmore scene in the film. In fact, North by Northwest can be seen as the last in a long line of "wrong man" films that Hitchcock made according to the pattern he started in The 39 Steps (1935).

North by Northwest has been referred to as "the first James Bond film" because of its similarities with amazing settings and secret agents. Hitchcock was considered to direct the first Bond film. Hitchcock read the script Thunderball and was interested in directing it. Xanadu Productions had doubts about the amount of control over the picture they would have. Hitchcock passed on the Bond film to direct Psycho.

MGM wanted Alfred Hitchcock to cast Cyd Charisse for the part of Eve Kendall, but Hitchcock insisted upon Eva Marie Saint.

One of my favorite things in a Hitchcock film is: (spoiler alert) the Director Cameo: Hitchcock arrives at a bus stop (during the opening credits) but gets there too late and the door is closed in his face. He misses the bus.

Please click here to read Doriantb. North by Northwest post.