north by northwest is a 1959 spy thriller movie directed by alfred hitchcock. ernest lehman wrote the script, and cary grant stars in the lead role. the movie also stars eva marie saint and james mason. the story is about the innocent roger thornhill getting caught up in the spy world. bernard hermann composed the music for the movie. saul bass created the famous opening sequence. it was one of the first uses of moving text on screen. the movie is often considered an alfred hitchcock classic and one of the best movies of all time.