Editing and Sound in 'North by Northwest'

Editing - Something that I noticed that was used a lot during this film was the screen fading out to the next scene, rather than going straight into it. I felt that this had been done to show that some time has passed since the previous scene (e.g. the fight in the forest to the hospital) and that they moved to a new location. Shot/reverse shots' were also used (such as the scene at the dining table in the train) to show the reactions of both characters and what and how they both say things. Off-screen space was also used effectively (as we have just seen the area beforehand so we that there is still action taking place there.) - one example of this is the scene in the hotel room where the doorbell rings, revealing that a hotel staff member is outside, another being where Roger pretends to take a shower in Eve's room.

Sound - A lot of the sound is created by strings, nearly all non-digetic. This has a contrasting effect on mood and tone depending on the scene. For instance, dissonance (unpleasant sounding) is heard during the car chase scene near the beginning of the film to create suspense and when the man at the United Nations turns around with a knife in his back they create shock. However, when Roger and Eve are together in the train, the string create a romantic atmosphere by being played pleasantly and softly. A similar effect is also used when they say goodbye to each other in the forest.

What I thought
There were aspects of this film that I defiantly found interesting and clever - An example of this being the fade outs' from scene to scene. I enjoyed this in particular because I do not recall seeing this sort of thing in any film I had watched before (recently anyway), so I found it rather original. The storyline was very simple to follow, although I did feel that it started to drag on a bit after an hour and a half in. I also found Roger's bizarre vocabulary (when asking his kidnappers to let his friends know he has been kidnapped in order to not seem rude) very amusing. Also, I couldn't help but make a grin at the reference made at the very end of the film (train entering the tunnel) especially as Roger and Eve are alone in the train bedroom together in the clip beforehand. On the whole, 'North by Northwest' was an enjoyable experience and I wouldn't mind it becoming one of those films that I watch over and over again.