Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest is a riveting behind-the-scenes look at a cinematic masterpiece. This film is a critical exploration into one of the greatest films churned out by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock - North by Northwest. Notable for its sterling performances by Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, the original film is mystery, adventure, and humour rolled into one extravagant cinematic package. Destination Hitchcock explores how this enfant terrible of cinema, Alfred Hitchcock, managed to accomplish such a feat.

In this documentary, viewers are hauled onto a fascinating and educating journey, one that sheds ample light on the creation and execution of North by Northwest. What makes this journey increasingly captivating is that it is Eva Marie Saint, the actress from the original film herself, leading the charge as the host and narrator.

This documentary merges clips from North by Northwest against interviews with key players – the cast, the crew, and film connoisseurs. Patricia Hitchcock, as Alfred Hitchcock's daughter and an actor herself, provides invaluable insights into his deliberations, while Saint narrates captivating stories from the set, providing a unique perspective on Hitchcock's working style and the making of the film. You will also catch Leonard Maltin, a film critic and historian, offering his scholarly insights into the film and Hitchcock's distinctive mastery over the medium of cinema.

One of the prominent aspects highlighted is the engaging script by Ernest Lehman. The documentary enlightens the audience about how Hitchcock and Lehman came together to create North by Northwest, how the iconic scenes were prepared, how the script evolved, and ultimately how it contributed to the final product's grandeur.

Destination Hitchcock also conveys the pulse of the era when North by Northwest was shot. It showcases the challenges and constraints Hitchcock and his crew would have faced during the 1950s. They didn't have access to any high technology CGI or greenscreens; they had to rely on matte paintings, scale models, and rear projection. The amount of dexterity and innovation needed to pull off an ambitious project like North by Northwest during those times is rather astonishing.

The documentary also dips its toes into discussing Hitchcock’s penchant for meticulous filmmaking and his unswerving approach to technical precision, revealing an aspect of unseen Hitchcock - the strategic planner behind every cinematic twist and turn against his public image of spontaneous creativity. This aspect is emboldened through discussion of certain iconic scenes from the movie, including the crop duster chase and Mount Rushmore's monumental climax, revealing the ingenious process these sequences underwent to become the unforgettable moments they are in film history.

Given Alfred Hitchcock's status as an auteur, this documentary doesn't fall short of addressing his unique ways in storytelling. Hitchcock had a unique way of carrying his audience with the plot, misleading them intentionally, to create instances of suspense and disbelief, and this unusual Hitchcockian storytelling is nothing short of groundbreaking.

Despite being a documentary about the making of a six-decade-old film, Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North by Northwest is devoid of any sense of archaic nostalgia. It rather infects the audience with vivacious enthusiasm for the genius that was Hitchcock, the magic of North by Northwest, and the enigmatic allure of classic cinema as a whole. It serves as both a comprehensive guide and a heartfelt tribute to a classic film and its master creator, offering both casual moviegoers and true cinephiles a treasure trove of the film's history, anecdotes, techniques, and the enigmatic personality that was, Hitchcock. It stands as an irresistible behind-the-scenes journey into one of the most iconic movies, providing a newfound appreciation and understanding of North by Northwest and its timeless appeal.