Livio Fasullo Blogpost
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8317VVohgMo
Background info: This is the “Scene d`Amour” from Alfred Hitchcock`s 1958 film Vertigo, widely considered one of Hitchcock`s greatest achievements. The story involves a retired police officer named Scotty (Jimmy Stewart) who falls into an obsessive relationship with a woman he meets in San Francisco named Judy (Kim Novak). Judy bears an uncanny resemblance to Scotty`s former lover, Madeline. Scotty failed to save suicidal Madeline from jumping of a bell tower due to his Vertigo, a sense of rotation, rocking, and spinning (https://www.medicinenet.com/vertigo_overview/article.htm). Scotty blames himself for Madeline`s death, and his overwhelming guilt has led him to madness. Now that Scotty has met Judy, he has her dress up to look exactly like Madeline.
The Scene-What you see: Judy emerges from the bathroom dressed exactly like Madeline. As she walks toward Scotty, Judy/Madeline is covered in green light appearing ghastly. The soundtrack increases in intensity with its repetitive motifs as Judy walks towards Scotty. The two kiss, and the camera begins to revolve 360 degrees around them. Suddenly Scotty looks up and sees himself not in the hotel room but in the barn beside the mission, the last place he kissed Madeline before she died. The soundtrack continues in intensity as the camera continues to revolve around the two and the background changes back to the hotel room and the music cadences in a major tonality.
The Artists:
Bernard Hermann: Bernard Hermann was born in New York City in 1911. He wrote his first film score in 1941 for the Orson Wells` Citizen Kane. Hermann wrote many soundtracks for Hitchcock, his last being Taxi Driver. Hermann`s techniques were unconventional for his time. “In place of lush melodies, he wrote short, obsessively repeated figures, static collections of chords, parodies of past styles” writes Alex Ross in The Rest is Noise (http://www.therestisnoise.com/2006/07/vertigo.html). You will hear short repeated
motifs throughout Vertigo, especially in the “Scene d`Amour”.
Hitchcock: Alfred Hitchcock was born in London in 1899 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock). Often referred to as the “master of suspense”, Hitchcock used many innovative camera techniques such as the 360 degree revolving camera used in the “Scene d`Amour”. The supernatural plot of Vertigo aided by Hitchcock`s visuals (the green light covered Judy) help create a feeling of mysticism, which comes complete with the addition of Hermann`s score. To learn more about Hitchcock`s techniques, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgnNakO6JZw.
The Scene: Why it works:
Film Music Scholar Tom Schneller identifies several main motifs throughout the Vertigo soundtrack. Two of main themes are ‘Madeline’ and ‘Obsession’ (http://writings.tomschneller.net/VertigoN.htm). ‘Madeline’ consists of a light 8th note motif that never cadences, is used throughout the movie when Scotty first looks upon Madeline. There is also a theme called ‘Obsession’ consists of the familiar sweeping melody present throughout the soundtrack. The beginning of the scene consists of variations on the obsession theme, which starts accelerating as Judy enters the room and begins talking. As Scotty waits for Judy to emerge from the bathroom different variations of the ‘Madeline’ theme play. The music accelerates and reaches a high point with the ‘Obsession’ theme as Judy emerges from the bathroom, clad in ghastly green light as the ghost of Madeline. When Scotty sees himself in the barn beside the mission the ‘Madeline’ theme emerges accelerating and moving upward-driving the scene forward. The scene ends with the ‘Obsession’ theme which ultimately cadences in a major tonality. When Hitchcock was filming this scene his instructions were “We should let all traffic noises fade, because Mr. Herrmann may have something to say here!” (https://csosoundsandstories.org/bernard-herrmanns-score-of-longing-and-loss-in-vertigo/) Hermann`s score augments the scene beautifully.
Tradition:
Although incredibly bold and daring as a soundtrack, Hermann uses techniques that were used in late 19th early 20th cent. Romantic music. The themes that Schneller identifies throughout the soundtrack can be compared to the Leitmotifs used in the music of Salome by Richard Strauss. Alex Ross in his book The Rest is Noise compares the “Scene d`Amour” to the “Liebestod” from Wagner`s opera Tristan and Isolde, concerning the themes of doomed love and leitmotifs. (http://www.therestisnoise.com/2006/07/vertigo.html) To compare Hermann and Wagner, watch this clip of “Liebestod”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLoHcB8A63M.
Conclusion:
In 2011Michel Hazanavicius`s film The Artist used cues from Vertigo in its soundtrack, causing controversy. (https://csosoundsandstories.org/bernard-herrmanns-score-of-longing-and-loss-in-vertigo/) Many people feel that Hermann`s music is inseparable from the Hitchcock`s film. One thing is for certain, Vertigo is a masterpiece of both film and music.
Sources:
http://writings.tomschneller.net/VertigoN.htm
http://www.therestisnoise.com/2006/07/vertigo.html
https://csosoundsandstories.org/bernard-herrmanns-score-of-longing-and-loss-in-vertigo/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock
https://www.medicinenet.com/vertigo_overview/article.htm