Overview

For half a century Alfred Hitchcock created films full of gripping and memorable music. Over his long career he presided over more musical styles than any director in history and ultimately changed how we think about film music. This book is the first to fully explore the essential role music played in the movies of Alfred Hitchcock. Based on extensive interviews with composers, writers, and actors, and research in rare archives, Jack Sullivan discusses how Hitchcock used music to influence the atmosphere, characterization, and even storylines of his films. Sullivan examines the director's important relationships with various composers, especially Bernard Herrmann, and tells the stories behind the musical decisions. Covering the whole of the director's career, from the early British works up to Family Plot, this engaging look at the work of Alfred Hitchcock offers new insight into his achievement and genius and changes the way we watch-and listen-to his movies.

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9780300136180

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Reviews

'This book is a major contribution to the understanding of both a great, infinitely fascinating director and the movie making process. It should appeal to musicologists and to those with little technical knowledge of music.' Philip French, The Observer 'Sullivan's well-documented account, including some of Hitchcock's original music briefings, sheds a refreshingly different light on familiar film classics - and their creator.' Michael Scott Rohan, BBC Music Magazine 'Sullivan, endlessly curious of ear, does not merely cherry-pick everyone's favourite seven or eight Hitchcock movie scores, but carefully analyses the music in all of them: consideration of the curio Waltzes from Vienna, or the almost subliminal, atonal electronica for The Birds, lends nuance and depth to his larger arguments. By the end he has thoroughly justified his opening gambit: One cannot fully understand Hitchcock's movies without facing his music. Music is an alternate language in Hitchcock, sounding his characters' unconcious thoughts as it engages our own .' Steve Poole, The Guardian 'incisive and convincing... a great triumph.' Frank McLynn, Literary Review

"""'This book is a major contribution to the understanding of both a great, infinitely fascinating director and the movie making process. It should appeal to musicologists and to those with little technical knowledge of music.' Philip French, The Observer 'Sullivan's well-documented account, including some of Hitchcock's original music briefings, sheds a refreshingly different light on familiar film classics - and their creator.' Michael Scott Rohan, BBC Music Magazine 'Sullivan, endlessly curious of ear, does not merely cherry-pick everyone's favourite seven or eight Hitchcock movie scores, but carefully analyses the music in all of them: consideration of the curio Waltzes from Vienna, or the almost subliminal, atonal electronica for The Birds, lends nuance and depth to his larger arguments. By the end he has thoroughly justified his opening gambit: ""One cannot fully understand Hitchcock's movies without facing his music. Music is an alternate language in Hitchcock, sounding his characters' unconcious thoughts as it engages our own"".' Steve Poole, The Guardian 'incisive and convincing... a great triumph.' Frank McLynn, Literary Review"""

Author Information

Jack Sullivan is director of American Studies and professor of English at Rider University.  He is the author of New World Symphonies: How American Culture Changed European Music, published by Yale University Press. He lives in New York City.

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