North by Northwest (w5) /mm

North by Northwest is one of Hitchcock's more iconic films like Vertigo and Psycho.  One of the most defining moments, not to mention memorable, occur a few minutes into the second hour.  A little past the one hour mark we find Thornhill waiting on the side of the street waiting patiently for his meeting with  the mysterious Kaplan.  At this point we are unaware of Eve Kendall's true intentions but do know that Kaplan does not exist.  At this location Thornhill is suddenly attacked by a mysterious assassin in a crop dusting plane.  One thing you may notice about is that the plane itself does not seem to equipped with a machine gun, rather the pilot took shots when he passed over Thornhill.  But more importantly, cinematically, one can see that there is absolutely no music throughout the whole of the scene.  Not only is there no music but there seems to be no dialogue as well.  Throughout the whole scene the only sounds come from the duster, the vehicles that drive past and Thornhill scurrying about.  On the first pass, I noticed the lack of an orchestra but upon closer instruction you will notice a lack of dialogue as well.  When Thornhill attempts to stop cars he says nothing but waves his arm which is odd in itself.   Hitchcock known for his undying love for the olden days of silent and black and white, most likely used this method in order to build suspense and leave the focus purely on the scene and Thornhill.  Whether or not it is effective can be seen when the plane finally collides with the Magnum Oil Tanker.  As soon as they explode, the orchestra steps in and Thornhill runs off.  This timed silence and use of music is particularly effective.  Without the music present as well you may end up paying closer attention to Thornhill himself.  At 1:13 you'll see Thornhill smirk when he thinks he had evaded the fighter pilot in the bushes, only to be smoked out by pesticide.