Agreed What a fucking phenomenal movie and a fucking perfect direction by Hitchcock this is my 2nd favourite Hitchcock movie my favourite Hitchcock movie is psycho 1960 and of course psycho 1960 is a fucking masterpiece and i fucking love Hitchcock and this movie is fucking incredible and i fucking love Bernard herrmann and i love Hitchcock movies the most underrated Hitchcock movie is frenzy 1972 and i fucking love frenzy 1972 and i fucking love the soundtrack and this my 2nd favourite soundtrack after psycho 1960
"I don't like the way Teddy Roosevelt is looking at me." That line cracks me up every time. Great script. Eve Marie Saint is to die for. Love this score.
What is considered to be one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best movies, including a thrilling plot, a superb cast, featuring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason in iconic performances, wonderful cinematography and a film score by Bernard Herrmann, “North By Northwest” is one of those movies that just seem to do everything right. When we first featured the soundtrack on this site, it was edited poorly (well, we all have to start somewhere) and the main source was the best source at the time, the Rhino CD (1995), which featured for the very first time the entire film score. However, it always lacked of quality as some tracks were in stereo and some in mono. Also, Herrmann’s recordings got chopped up into 50 different tracks, which made editing a trouble. It would take until 2012 when Intrada Records would present the entire film score, this time with the tracks as recorded, bonus material and finally everything in finest stereo, which makes this release a gem. Now today is the day and we will take a look (or a listen) again to what is probably not only one of Hitchcock’s- but one of Herrmann’s great achievements in cinematic history, including many motifs, a striking main title, a great love theme and the most colorful orchestrations, marking one of the brightest highlights of their collaboration. Enjoy!
This is very good....and much needed.....for the younger generation to *'get'* the importance of Bernard Herrmann's film music (and also of Alfred Hitchcock's brilliant films). Thanks 'Soundtrack Fred' for uploading this lovely suite of music.
Thank you SO much for all your work. Herrmann's film scores are all superb, but this is one of the most emotionally profound. Even without Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason and Martin Landau -- not to mention Mt. Rushmore! -- it still carries such depth.
As always with you, our Fred...your work in collecting, preserving, and presenting the greatest of classic film scores is much enjoyed and deeply appreciated! What you're doing matters. This great canon cannot be lost, must not be forgotten. I've been collecting recordings of film music for almost 60 years. I know these works must not and cannot be forgotten. They are one of the passions of my life. I'm so very glad you're here, doing what you do! Thank you!
@@5809AUJG Thank you AUJG, really appreciating your kind words and of course your interest in film music! :-) Thank you very much again and stay well! Fred
These movies were made by technical professionals, craftsmen & artists, just as we listen to the scores without watching the movies, we can enjoy the movies without the soundtracks. Fortunately, we don't have to. 007 without John Barry is not James Bond, I can't even remember the soundtrack of Casablanca.
Stunning music. As usual you find a way to capture the sense of an entire score in a 15 minute suite. Thanks Fred. I will enjoy dissecting this as I listen to it many, many times.
Love it ! One of Herrmann's best ! Much of it is similar to his earlier score for 1951's "On Dangerous Ground" (a crime drama from the RKO studio & starring Robert Ryan & Ida Lupino). As always, thanks for sharing so much marvelous music with us, Friend Frederic !! :-)
I m french and this movie makes me dream by his drama. It s just one of the best movie never made. In 1987, touristic trip at 21 years old, my dream to see the mount Rushmore was accomplied and I have eaten in the delicatessen here. (Also Close encounters 3 type with Devil tower).
I love how this music has a teasing elusiveness to it. In place of a melodic theme the Main Title offers up a collection of tantalizing, engaging motifs that recur over and over in various colorful guises until the musical deal is finally closed in the last frames of the film. Along the way the music evokes the same anxiety and lack of closure that Cary Grant's character experiences in the story, the feeling that resolution remains just out of reach. In the best meaning of the phrase, it leaves you wanting more.
Perfectly described. I recall watching the film on TV when I was a teenager backbin the 1970s, and noticing the genius of this enticing play on the variations in the main themes. The atmosphere he created was brilliant.
The Main Title consists of just eight bars repeated over and over, and orchestrated so well that you need to listen to it several times to realize how simply it's constructed. And it perfectly fits the theme of the movie, since the story consists entirely of Cary Grant being chased by James Mason & Co. over and over, from one almost-fatal near-miss to another, and never knowing why until the last 15 minutes. It is also - in my opinion - the model for every Danny Elfman movie score and theme in being just eight great bars repeated over and over.
BH is one of those composers whose instrumentation is as important to his melodies as the other way 'round. This score would be impossible to re-orchestrate.
Lebhafte und spannende Interpretation dieser ein bisschen bedrohlichen Suite mit perfekt vereinigten Tönen aller Instrumente. Der geniale Komponist-Dirigent leitet das hoch funktionelle Orchester im ein bisschen hektischen Tempo und mit möglichst effektiver Dynamik. Atemberaubend von A bis Z!
Herrmann is often noted for his dissonance, which is evident in much of this score. However, you could tell me Tchaikovsky wrote the love theme, and if I hadn't seen the movie, I'd believe you. Cape Fear (also by Herrmann) has a similar Tchaikovsky-esque portion in it, where Gregory Peck gets home and sees his family.
I love this sound track. Very atmospheric!!! Well before it's time!!! Its time has not come yet!!! Absolutely stunning!!! So stimulating!!! It has all the ingredients of some comedy, a real human situation, trust/mistrust, isolation/despair, strong resilience , real love, recovery/outcome and achievement. A Hitchcock masterpiece!!!
As a child, I saw many movies that were scored by Herrmann. Of course, I didn't know this until I became interested in film music later on. " The 7th voyage of Sinbad, " " Mysterious Island, " " The Day the earth Stood Still. " Just some of his rousing compositions. His contribution to the success of " Pyscho " is well- known, too. Inspiration for John Williams.
Fred, I'm glad your source material improved because it has produced one of YOUR very best. This is probably my favorite Hitchcock/Hermann soundtrack...next to Vertigo...and your work does it justice in every way. Thank you.
Hello James, thank you so very much for your kind words! I really appreciate them and hope to catch on in the future to provide you and other film music aficionados a good time. Best to you! Fred
Found this most excellent CD in an old & used bookstore in Raleigh. Couldn't grab it fast enough, and as a bonus, Herrmann's excellent, The Three Worlds of Gulliver. Called it a perfect day, to be sure.
Delighted to have discovered this expertly edited suite of my favorite Bernard Herrmann score - and, by extension, your channel, Fred. I was ecstatic to see that you had used the very best incarnation of "NbNW" as the source for your editing project. Lots of attempts out there to recreate this landmark score in "today's modern sound," but somehow they all fall just a bit short of the mark when compared to Herrmann's work on the actual soundtrack. And your suite makes it all so organic that it has a natural-sounding life of its own. Kudos and thank you!
Hitchcock knew his thumbnail was lost on all projects without the interpretative buoyancy of BH's music scores. The score of Psycho is actually 32 different versions of 6 undeniably mutivaried themes. The genius was each man contributed to the alignment of the puzzle sound to each major scene in both these movies. Hermann has tones about love and fear, desire and waste, triumph and loss in every movie he scored; and most amazingly in Psycho, he only used the strings to perfection here omitting the brass and winds. The 70-ties and 80-ties brought us 'his counterfeiters' in illusions of sound without deep feelings blow-back productions like Star Wars, Godfathers, blah-blah. We had genius with the Morricone Spaghetti Westerns, but a much milder crafted cupcake compared to 5* dinner courses served every time by the genius.
Forgive the comparison, but just like Star Wars, when you hear this you settle back and know you are in for a great ride. An iconic opening with an iconic score for an iconic movie.
Bernard Herrmann at his BEST. The movie is on German TV tonight ... it will be the TV-highlight of the week. In German TV it is even more special since the German voices for the main actors are an additional treat. 🤗🎵
It is because some very famous actors like their synchronisized german voice more than their own! The german Synchron Studios are worldfamous, but unfortunately we do not have own good movies, just a very few.......
I recently re-watched my VHS of North by Northwest purchased back in the 1980s. I came to the conclusion that the Whole movie, interlocked with Bernard Herrmann 's score- this music soundtrack might very well be The Best, seriously, of any movie (and not just a CD, interwoven into the film) My other two previous all-time favorites being Bernard Herrmann 's Vertigo and John Williams' Dracula ( with my "needs cold shower" attitude towards music)- well, what can I say? Quote Rigoletto's famous La Donna e mobile aria? (Woman is fickle, as a feather in the wind)
last time i was in NYC I put this on my headphones as I walked past the UN. it's amazing how more interesting your walk can be when there's a Cold War thriller soundtrack playing in the background.....
On the two famous CDs conducted by the composer, one CD "Fantasy" and the other "Hitchcock"- all our beloved Bernie- the all-to-brief selection of this film called it's most famous theme "a fandango." I have had a romantic attraction to film scores for most of my life, and a passionate love affair with Bernard Hermann's scores. Right now, I just listened to, one right after the other, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Taxi Driver, and now this. Please pardon me, I'm going to turn my phone off and say a Rosary for you, Fred, in thanks 🙏😊 for the wonderful work you are doing for all us out there who appreciate the BEST film soundtracks!
Hitch always wanted to be Cary Grant (according to reasonably reliable sources) but was just a brilliant Director/Producer. The man was visionary in the true sense of the word. For my part, I would love to morph into one of the gorgeous leading ladies of the time.....preferably alone with Cary himself on a train!
JUST WATCHED "NORTH BY NORTHWEST" ON TCM YESTERDAY AND REALIZED HOW IMPORTANT THIS SCORE WAS TO THE FILM....GREAT FILM AND I HAVE SEEN IT MANY TIMES....
Hitchcock wanted no score for shower scene in Psycho, Herrmann ignored him, Hitchcock heard it, bumped up Herrmann's billing & salary. If only Hitch had been as smart for Torn Curtain.
I watched the movie and honestly feel like that was a bit of a mistake. PARTS of the scene function better with no score, but I feel like some SUBTLE instrumentation would have helped. And the part where the score kicks in is just a little awkward. I honestly wish BH had gotten the chance to work more with this scene
Lively and exciting interpretation of this somewhat threatening suite with perfectly united sound of all the instruments. The brilliant composer-conductor leads the highly functional orchestra in a little hectic tempo and with utmost effective dynamics. Breathtaking from the beginning to the end!
"You see mother these men kidnapped me and tried to kill me by pouring a bottle pf bourbon down my throat.............No mother, they did not give me a chaser." 😂
No disrespect meant to you, and I *love* this Herrmann soundtrack, but I just noticed something. I never realized this before, but you can move your cursor over the red/white line which is the progress-bar of the video, and as you move the cursor along it brings up the titles of the different sections of the soundtrack. And I found what I think is a mistake. If you move cursor over 9th section it is titled "The Cafeteria / The Shooting". Well, I assume you really wanted to have this in chronological order as these scenes appeared in the film, but if you do, then that is actually not in the correct position, since it precedes "The Crash / Hotel Lobby". Isn't the Cafeteria & shooting referring to the scene at Mt. Rushmore? And isn't Crash & Hotel Lobby referring to when the plane crashes into the tanker truck? If so, then it should precede "The Cafeteria / The Shooting". And isn't "Forest" when Cary Grant meets Eve Marie Saint in the forest after the cafeteria shooting. So I would think it would be immediately following "The Cafeteria / The Shooting". Well, perhaps you weren't really interested in keeping them in chronological order. If so, never mind... On my NORTH BY NORTHWEST CD (which I just found, which is the Rhino Music/TCM Turner Music R2 72101 edition from your link), there are 50 tracks. And of the ones you included, here are how they are numbered on my CD: 1. Overture 2. The Streets 5. The Door 6. Cheers 9. The Return 10. Two Dollars 14. The U.N. 15. Information Desk 16. The Knife 18. Interlude 33. The Airport 34. The Cafeteria 25. The Crash 26. Hotel Lobby 19. Detectives 20. Conversation Piece 21. Duo 36. The Forest 40. The Balcony 41. The Match Box 39. The House 45. The Gates 46. The Stone Faces 47. The Ridge 48. On The Rocks 49. The Cliff 50. Finale Here is your list: Playlist: 00:00 Overture / Main Title 01:24 The Streets 02:07 The Door / Cheers 03:19 The Return / Two Dollars 04:17 The U.N. / Information Desk 05:14 The Knife 06:00 Interlude 07:07 The Airport 07:49 The Cafeteria / The Shooting 08:10 The Crash / Hotel Lobby 09:10 Detectives / Conversation Piece / Duo 09:33 The Forest 10:54 The Balcony / The Match Box 11:48 The House 12:45 The Gates / The Stone Faces / The Ridge / On The Rocks / The Cliff / Finale And here is how I think it should be reshuffled around to be in chronological order: Playlist: 00:00 Overture / Main Title 01:24 The Streets 02:07 The Door / Cheers 03:19 The Return / Two Dollars 04:17 The U.N. / Information Desk 05:14 The Knife 06:00 Interlude #8 - 09:10 Detectives / Conversation Piece / Duo (was in slot #11) #9 - 08:10 The Crash / Hotel Lobby (was in slot #10) #10 - 07:07 The Airport (was in slot #8) #11 - 07:49 The Cafeteria / The Shooting (was in slot #9) 09:33 The Forest #13 - 11:48 The House (was in slot #14) #14 - 10:54 The Balcony / The Match Box (was in slot #13) 12:45 The Gates / The Stone Faces / The Ridge / On The Rocks / The Cliff / Finale
This film was in the American Film Institute's "Top 100 Films of All Time" list (for American films). It's also one of my top 3 favorite Hitchcock films (the other two are "Foreign Correspondent" and "The Thirty-Nine Steps"). And this soundtrack by the great Bernard Herrmann is at the very top of the heap, and not just for Hitchcock films.
The best composition in this set starts at 6.00 (Interlude) and is repeated and embellished at 9.33 (The Forest) but at a slower speed. It has a nostalgic quality and sweet wistfulness of a kind rarely encountered in film music.
This and psycho are only two years apart but polar opposites in the Hitchcock pantheon. Both scored by herrmann. Love his rich luxurious neurotic taxi driver music.
Herrmann did this same year as Journey to the Center of the Earth, compare & contrast, up Mt. Rushmore & to the bowels of the Earth, both brilliant but so different.
I have never seen this album cover before. The strange thing is, there seems to be five presidents on Mount Rushmore. Is that fifth guy the Right Reverend Mr. Bernard Herrmann?
Grant had been working in film for a 3 decades & was soon to retire, veteran of several Hitchcock classics (should have starred in Rear Window, who believes Grace Kelly chasing Jimmy Stewart?!).
Brilliant as always Bernie. It's missing one of my faves. When Carey is driving up to the mansion in the back of the car with the two hoods. Love that part. 3:19 that's the actual melody but played differently. Either way, thanks for posting! : ) Found the ENTIRE soundtrack ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1fBglRcQZjU.html&ab_channel=BernardHerrmann-Topic
I'll never forget the Oak Room at the plaza they refused me the best table in the plaza, for two years and then one day I came in at the Mandan I want to know why I can't have this table? Don't you know who I think I am questrom and they said it's Donald Trump stable and he also Hotel
L'ouverture (générique de "la mort aux trousses") est vraiment magnifique. On y ressent bien l'atmosphère pesante du film, le suspense qui est propre à Hitchcock.
this music is Bernard Herrmman a mile off the classic pairing of Alfred Hitchcock others over the years steven Spielberg and John Williams john barry and the bond films
