Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 film North by Northwest has long been one of my favorite films.   Steadfast in my fluid top ten list and, if pressured, I'd probably put it in my top three.   I was reminded of it  over the weekend by a David Coddon's article on it in the San Diego Union Tribune.  David points out that, not only is it a great film, but it has a sequence in it that represents a master class in film editing.

The sequence David references in his piece is the most famous one from the film -- when Roger Thornhill, played by Cary Grant, is pursued by an unseen assassin in an airborne crop duster.   But before I talk about that sequence, I need to say a few words about why I love this film so much.

First, it's simply timeless.   I own it, of course, so I can watch it whenever I want.   And when I do, it's one of those very rare films where I can't stop watching it.   Once I'm a minute in, I may as well  write off the next 135 minutes.   It's got a great hook in the first few minutes and never lets up ... and so it never gets old (at least for me).

Second are the film's beats and general story.   We ride next to Roger on a roller coaster through several states and lots of up-and-down beats.   The FiveSprockets Beat Sheet is well represented through a fantastic hook (mistaken identity), clear dedication, many tightropes and reversals, and a great final push, climax, and aftermath (I love everything about the final train scene, particularly the transition from Mt. Rushmore to the train car, and the symbolic train going through the tunnel).

Third is Cary Grant and humor.   I can't claim to have seen every Cary Grant film, but in this one he's the epitome of a girl's guy and a guy's guy.   So cool, stylish, accessible, and funny.   Some of the  best chuckles come in the drinking/drunk sequence in Act 1 and the auction sequence late in Act 2, but there are many subtleties to Grant's performance that will draw a smile.

Fourth is the travel.   It ain't called North by Northwest for nothing, and I love how we move from NY to Chicago to the plains to Mt. Rushmore.   Must be the persistent wanderlust in me.

Fifth and lastly, it's the overall quality of the filmmaking and, now that I realize it -- thanks to David's article -- film editing.  George Tomasin won the 1960 Oscar for "Best Film Editing", and it's easy to see why.  Hitchcock collaborated with Tomasini on some of Hitchcock's best work, including Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window, and The Man Who Knew Too Much.   David recalls the beauty of the crop-duster  edit in his article, but as I reminisce about the film, I can think of several other perfectly edited sequences.   The ending sequence I mentioned earlier that takes us from the peril of a cliff fall to the  joy of a sleeper car is one.   The drunk driving car chase is another.  Heck, the opening hook of the mistaken identity and how it was shot and "told" in the edit made it believable and got us, the audience, in on the error and rooting for Roger right from the start.

Hitchcock has long been one of my favorite directors.   But now when I  think of Hitchcock, I'll always credit Tomasini as having a little something to do with how I feel about Hitchcock.

For some additional tips on editing, check out "Editing: The Final Rewrite", from the Hard Scrambled series on filmmaking.