North by Northwest - Crop Duster Scene

The above scene is extremely famous. It's highly regarded for its use of tension and suspense, and is viewed as the best sequence in the film.

The scene begins with a high angled, extreme wide shot. This sets the scene, and tells the viewer where the action is taking place; we are at a barren crossroads, miles away from civilization, where only buses and a few cars pass. Instantly, we can sense something is not correct. Why would our protagonist meet someone at such a strange and odd place? We, as the viewer, become suspicious.
We see who we believe to be Thornhill leave the bus. As the shot is from a large distance, the opening is ambiguous and polysemous.

A change in shot confirms our thoughts, and we see Thornhill standing anxiously, waiting for the arrival of George Kaplan. A movie can also be known as Film Photography, thus I find it relevant to comment on the photographical aspect of the sequence. The new camera shot, which has a slightly low vantage point, obeys the rule of thirds; Thornhill is situated roughly a third into the image. This means that the image provided is interesting - our attention is captured, and we are becoming fixated on the events.

The camera cuts away to a few very wide shots, almost Thornhill's point of view. These emphasize of Thornhill's loneliness, making the viewer slightly tense.

A car is then heard, and we begin to suspect that something will happen. Has Miss Kendall betrayed Thornhill? Is whoever is in this car dangerous, and do they pose a threat to our central character? The car whizzes past, making the audience breathe a sigh of relief. We then return to the wide angle shots, showing the deserted distance.

Our relief is short lived, as we see another car coming towards Thornhill. The questions run through our minds, and we once again become scared for our innocent hero. The car continues past Thornhill, and although our fears are alleviated, we become curious as to who the mysterious George Kaplan is, and if he is actually going to meet Thornhill.

After a large truck zooms past, Thornhill spots a car appear out from behind the tall crops. Instantly, we think that Townsend, who is later revealed as Vandamm, has set his minions the task of assassinating Thornhill. We urge Thornhill to move, run away, or do something. Instead, he remains stationary, which we believe is a mistake. A man then gets out from the car, and the car reverses off. The unknown man stops, and looks round, spotting Thornhill. Has the predator found his prey?

Thornhill then walks over to the man. To us viewers, it seems as though he is walking to his death. We're hoping that this man turns out to be a passer-by and not a murderer. We begin to doubt our original thoughts, and become suspicious and paranoid.
The man is revealed to be a normal guy, who is waiting for his bus. Before he departs, he states that the crop duster plane is flying over an area without any crops. We think nothing of this at the time, and we watch as the bus begins to travel away.

Immediately the plane heads towards Thornhill, flying very low. We think back to what the man said, and realise that this plane is out to kill the central character. The plane misses, and keeps returning, firing bullets near Thornhill, but thankfully missing. We're both shocked and anxious; we don't want to see our hero dead.

Thornhill runs into the crops, where he cannot be seen. Thinking he is safe, we relax. But Thornhill is forced out of the crops by the fertiliser dropped by the plane.

Spotting an oncoming truck, Thornhill runs and stops in it's path. The truck barely stops in time, knocking our hero to his feet. We then get a glimpse of the plane swerving through the air, out of control. We wonder if the plane will hit the front of the truck, where Thornhill is, or the back. It does the latter.

A large explosion fills the screen, and the drivers are seen leaving the vehicle. Thornhill follows, and we see a few small trucks arrive and come to a halt. With the new arrivals distracted, Thornhill jumps into a truck and speeds away.

The viewer feels pleased that Thornhill is safe, yet more confused as Kaplan becomes even more enigmatic.