If I remember correctly, North by Northwest was made by Hitchcock in response to a request by the studio that he make something a little more commercial after the disappointing commercial success of his (now) classic Vertigo. Of course, Hitchcock was no hack and while North by Northwest isn't his most psychologically complex, it is no less interesting a piece of work. Bernard Herrmann wrote many splendid overtures in his time, but that for North by Northwest must be ranked among his finest. Written in the style of a fandango it doesn't rely on having a great deal of thematic material to work from, but uses its few motifs in a dazzling display of orchestration invention. It is worth noting that the The Wild Ride is closer to the concert version (save for an inconclusive ending), the actual original Overture from the film being rather briefer. I've always felt that Saul Bass's (usually superb) credits design didn't do justice to the excitement of Herrmann's music, certainly not in the same way that those for Vertigo or Psycho . Little fragments of the Overture can be heard all over the rest of the underscore and in more forceful renditions over the action sequences.

As with many Herrmann works, North by Northwest has a large number of rather short cues, amounting to 50 in this instance, which can be frustrating although many are sensibly grouped together on both the original tracks and re-recordings. Apart from Wild Ride, most of the opening third is based on more suspense than action, Herrmann utilizes bouncing horn figures (that Danny Elfman fans might recognise) as well as the aforementioned snippets of the main title motifs, particularly slower versions of the 6/8 to 3/4 time signature fandango bass line. Alongside the thriller aspects, there is an innuendo laced romantic subplot between the inimitable Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint - another Hitchcock blond. Most of the double entendre laced courting is done on a train (where they first meet) and as such it was always considered that Herrmann used the rocking background figure to mimic the moving of the train against his memorable love theme. The highlight of which is Conversation Piece, which is second only to the Overture in its popularity as a concert piece from the score. Sadly, the romance gets short shrift elsewhere and there is only a smattering of romance before the end when the two leads finally get it together. What does feature more strongly is a mixture of suspense and action, particularly at the end with the riveting ending high on Mount Rushmore.

The release of the original tracks by Rhino in 1995 contains superb liner notes, with cue by cue analysis, together with an essay by Christopher Husted who was studying Herrmann's music at the time of the release. However, the sound quality often leaves a great deal to be desired; this is, however, rather odd as the DVD has an isolated score which has really quite impressive sound quality and should be sought out by Herrmann fans as an alternative. However, for everyone else, there have been a couple of notable re-recordings. For a long time, the only available recording was 36 minutes of highlights conducted by Laurie Johnson. However, the complete score was re-recorded by Joel McNeely and the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra and is perhaps the best way to experience the score. The performance is terrific and the recording has all the clarity that purists demand in their film music recordings. Curiously, Varese have released it as a limited edition of 3,000 rather than unlimited as for previous re-recordings. Sadly, it probably won't sell out nearly as quickly as it should given the importance of the score and the quality of the production. No excuse not to pick it up though, especially given that North by Northwest is a film score classic that every fan should own. The McNeely re-recording can (for the moment) be acquired here.

Rating ~

  1. Overture (2:14)
  2. The Streets (Outtake) (1:03)
  3. It's a Most Unusual Day (1:08)
  4. Kidnapped (2:15)
  5. The Door (0:42)
  6. Cheers (0:41)
  7. The Wild Ride (2:49)
  8. Car Crash (0:21)
  9. The Return (0:25)
  10. Two Dollars (0:47)
  11. Rosalie (1:32)
  12. In the Still of the Night (2:23)
  13. The Elevator (0:45)
  14. The U.N. (1:01)
  15. Information Desk (0:50)
  16. The Knife (0:48)
  17. Fashion Show (5:19)
  18. Interlude (1:15)
  19. Detectives (0:28)
  20. Conversation Piece (3:03)
  21. Duo (1:09)
  22. The Station (0:53)
  23. The Phone Booth (1:14)
  24. Farewell (0:45)
  25. The Crash (0:53)
  26. Hotel Lobby (Outtake) (1:21)
  27. The Reunion (0:51)
  28. Goodbye (0:54)
  29. The Question (0:46)
  30. The Pad & Pencil (1:03)
  31. The Auction (1:06)
  32. The Police (0:26)
  33. The Airport (0:58)
  34. The Cafeteria (1:14)
  35. The Shooting (1:06)
  36. The Forest (1:22)
  37. Flight (0:19)
  38. The Ledge (1:09)
  39. The House (3:11)
  40. The Balcony (0:44)
  41. The Match Box (1:59)
  42. The Message (0:21)
  43. The T. V. (0:40)
  44. The Airplane (0:58)
  45. The Gates (0:47)
  46. The Stone Faces (1:31)
  47. The Ridge (2:00)
  48. On the Rocks (2:23)
  49. The Cliff (1:37)
  50. Finale (0:46)

Total Time ~ 64:50