Jack Sullivan Hitchcock's Music

Annotation

A wonderfully coherent, comprehensive, groundbreaking, and thoroughly engaging study' of how the director of Psycho and The Birds used music in his films (Sidney Gottlieb, editor ofHitchcock on Hitchcock). Alfred Hitchcock employed more musical styles and techniques than any film director in history, from Marlene Dietrich singing Cole Porter in Stage Fright to the revolutionary electronic soundtrack of The Birds. Many of his filmsincluding Notorious, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psychoare landmarks in the history of film music. Now author and musicologist Jack Sullivan presents the first in-depth study of the role music plays in Hitchcock's films. Based on extensive interviews with composers, writers, and actors, as well as archival research, Sullivan discusses how Hitchcock used music to influence his cinematic atmospheres, characterizations, and even storylines. Sullivan examines the director's relationships with various composers, especially Bernard Herrmann, and tells the stories behind some of their now-iconic musical choices. Covering the entire director's career, from the early British works up toFamily Plot, this engaging work will change the way we watchand listento Hitchcock's movies.