North By Northwest...

Back on my degree, we covered Hitchcock fairly often - indeed, one of my prof's was an epic Alfred-fan. So, again, this was a case of 'record it as we might use it on the course, but then leave it in a box of videotapes for years' ... quite.

Now, being a fan of Captain Scarlett when I was younger, I think I'm right in saying, that North By Northwest is my first proper exposure to Cary Grant (upon whom Scarlett was based closely).

Yes, it's a spiffing film, and Grant rocks, and it's one of Hitch's best. Nevermind the obvious, what NBN did was take me right back to my days at university. Watching those cinematic classics in the campus' theatre on restored prints (something I think I'd appreciate even more now, than back then). I dug the old school colour palette, the rear projection, the epic matte paintings, the innuendo of trains going into tunnels, the rough hidden edits (when panning in and out of the train, which in turn took me right back to Hitch's excellent Rope).

So, whilst it was actually my first viewing of Northwest, it managed to feel familiar, to take me on a trip down memory lane thanks to its romantic vision of the time in which it was shot.

I guess you and I could say, with multiple meanings, those indeed were the days.