North by North West

North by North West (1959) directed by Alfred Hitchcock is a film about a man called Roger Thornhill who is kidnapped by spies who think that he is George Kaplan however Roger later finds out that George doesn’t exist and he is being used by CIA agents with help by a beautiful young woman, Eve Kendall.

The non diegetic helps to tell the story and set the atmosphere as it’s very dramatic and speeds up and slows down or changes from high to low pitch. This helps to build tension or an emotion. The non diegetic music also helps to make you feel scared when the music is powerful as it gets louder and more dramatic. I like how it builds up in stages to create a good atmosphere for the audience as if they are involved in what's happening in the scene. A good part in North by North West is when the plane over rides Mr Thornhill and Miss Kendall’s convosation at the airport and they keep talking however we cant hear their convosation which leaves the audience thinking and wanting to know what was said.

The lighting used in the film is artificial when Roger is driving after being kidnapped as there is lighting behind him however its night and there is no reason that light would be there however it was used to show Rogers face in the scene.
Another part when he is driving after being kidnapped is how the use of close ups and voyeuristic shots of him driving so we can see the danger he is in.

There are many different editing cuts used in North by North West for example a quick cut and a match cut. There is a fade in the forest to the hospital which could show his disorientation as he doesn’t know where he is.

In the film there is a clip when Mr Thornhill and Miss Kendall are on Mount Rushmore and the background changes, I think this is a good clip and is well edited. Also there is a continuity cut which is from Mount Rushmore to the scene on the train. A commonly used cut was eye line matches when characters are talking such as Mr Thornhill and Miss Kendall.

I enjoyed this film as I wanted to find out why Mr Thornhill was being mistaken for Mr Kaplan and what the secret was behind Miss Kendall whether she was on the good or bad side of the film.