North By Northwest (1959)

I already had this film when we watched it at filmclub, but I hadn't yet watched it, and I am glad that I watched it at filmclub and not at home, where I would be interrupted every few minutes. This is because the scenes, in my opinion, dragged on in a way that I found both annoying and boring. Also, it was hard to concentrate and therefore the aspect of "we know what's coming and he doesn't" was spoiled; a great scene comes straight after one which has been drowned out by the groans of impatient eleven year-olds. Are they trying to confuse you? It makes you unsure whether or not it is actually good!

Additionally, is it just me or, a weird mixture of action and romance, is the plot made up of random pieces of film, what seems like a horses head crammed onto an ant's body. You go from kissing in a train, to sneaking into a hotel, to being chased through deserted sandy fields by a plane, to meeting secretly in the woods with someone who is your enemy, and not even in that order! And all because someone thinks you are not who you say you are, and you are who you aren't. How? I'm not feeling very generous today, so a miserable one star for a film that could have been five, if it had better planning and layout.