The Opening Scene

Bernard Hermann's musical score for the opening scene of North by Northwest features an upbeat syncopated rhythm and an expansive percussion (musical instruments that are striken or shaken to play - drums, cymbals, gongs, xylophones) which when considered in conjunction with the kinetic topography in the title sequence, suggests the motion and commotion of not ony the ensuing scene but also of the events to occur in the entire film.

After the title sequence, the image on the screen shows a scene of chaos, with lots of different people moving in all directions, everyone seeming busy and in a hurry to get somewhere, two women fighting over a cab, and a cameo by Alfred Hitchcock with the bus doors closing in his face. The score that plays here is referred to as chase music. It mirrors this chaotic scene. In addition, it instantly sets a nervous tone for the movie, foreshadowing the pursuit across Mount Rushmore. The same score (chase music) is repeated as a developed version in the Mount Rushmore Scene and its purpose there is to enhance the action.

Saul Bass is the graphic designer responsible for the remarkable title sequence fo North by Northwest. This sequence is known as Kinetic topography, which is just a fancy way of saying "moving text". We see this now a lot (it's even an effect on Microsoft POwerPoint!) but in those days (when the movie came out) it was very new, very advanced, very unique, and essentially a big deal. Kudos Saul Bass!

Ideally, the motion of the text is supposed to convey or evoke a particular idea or emotion. What do you think that is in North by Northwest?