What Does the Title “North by Northwest” Mean?
North by Northwest (1959) was actually a working title for the film. A few potential titles were being tossed around and nothing better was ever crafted, so the title stuck. In 1963, Hitchcock said “It’s a fantasy. The whole film is epitomized in the title—there is no such thing as north-by-northwest on the compass.”
The film was originally titled In A Northwesterly Direction, a name referring to the general path Cary Grant’s character takes in the film; especially in the original draft where the story finished in Alaska instead of South Dakota. An MGM story man suggested North by Northwest instead, which rolled off the tongue a bit better. The title was still to be temporary, but since the film was released over 55 years ago under that name, it looks like it stuck.
Another title Hitchcock had enjoyed was The Man in Lincoln’s Nose, a comical reference to the film’s chase scene on the face of Mt. Rushmore, and a sneezing fit he wanted Cary Grant to have while hiding in Lincoln’s nose. The chase made it into the film, but obviously not the title.