North by Northwest (1959)

1. Watch North by Northwest (1959) directed by Alfred Hitchcock with music by Bernard Herrmann.

2. Listen to the entire soundtrack for the film – available on YouTube, Spotify etc.

3. Read Peter Larsen’s Other Ways:North by Northwest, 1959. (attached pdf)

Bernard Herrmann’s music for Alfred Hitchcock’s films managed to establish dark, suspenseful moods by using repeated material derived from limited rhythmic or melodic cells.  Herrmann was one of the few film composers who actually orchestrated their own music and didn’t collaborate with outside orchestrators.

Discuss TWO scenes with different musical material in which repetitive material and its unfolding orchestration builds up tension and adds to the plot’s mystery and suspense.

– Provide exact timing for each scene – mention exactly when music comes in and exits.
– Describe shortly the  plot in the scene as it relates to the entire movie.
– How does repetition in the music enhances the moving image in the scenes you chose?
– What orchestral changes do you recognize and when do they appear?
– How do these scenes exemplify Herrmann’s unique musical universe according to Peter Larsen?

PLEASE see the attached example paper.