North by North West

The opening scene of North by North West starts with a green background and the production company logo.

The lines that appear on the screen are an enigma because we don't know why they are there yet. We soon realise that they are the outlines of windows on a building.

The text is easy to read. It's in italics and they are white to stand out from the background.

The text is quick to move off the screen. This is related to the busy streets that we will see later on in the opening. It mirrors what is about to happen.

Every now and again, a white rectangle moves quickly on and off screen. I think that this is supposed to make people think of lifts, again hinting that the lines are an outline of a building.

Here, Alfred Hitchcock's name is shown in large, capital letters. This is to show his importance in the making of the film. It also makes you familiar with his name.

The green fades out and reveals that the lines were an outline of a building. Text is still being shown so that the setting is being revealed slowly. Now that we can see the building and the reflection of the city, we know that the setting is probably New York because we can see yellow taxis.

The music in this opening is fast paced and is similar to the action of the people rushing around. We can tell that the time is rush hour because everyone is wearing work clothing and is walking fast.

The text is now smaller and therefore less important.

In this screenshot you can see the disclaimer. The company places this here because they are worried about getting sued. If someone accuses them of using a story or a character belonging to them, there is the disclaimer to back the company up.

'ALFRED HITCHCOCK' is shown again. This is to reinforce his importance and to make the audience familiar with his name again.

The green bus links with the green colour theme at the start of the opening. This ties up the opening nicely because it links back to the beginning.