Latest news with #AlfredHitchcock
BBC News
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'It's a reference whenever you want to build tension': How Psycho's terrifying music changed film forever
Alfred Hitchcock's grisly horror, which turns 65 this month, might not have become known as an-all time classic without the crucial addition of Bernard Herrmann's disturbing score. Screaming violas that sound like they're coming out of an abattoir. Thumping bass notes, which slowly decrease in speed and seem to imitate a victim's faltering heartbeat. Take away composer Bernard Herrmann's score for director Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, which turns 65 this month, and it's fair to say this 1960 horror film wouldn't have the same nerve-shredding impact. Particularly key is the knives-edge music that plays when blonde bombshell Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), not long after checking in to the Bates Motel, is attacked through a shower curtain by a shadowy killer, who later turns out to be the motel's owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), dressed up as his dead mother. "That music is everything," says Rachel Zeffira, a film composer and one half of art-folk duo Cat's Eyes. "It's the birds, it's the bees, and it's the voices in the back of your head." The project had seemed ill-starred from the start, with executives at Paramount (who had produced Hitchcock's previous five films) showing little interest, not allowing him to film it on their lot, and only distributing it rather than producing it themselves. But despite a paltry budget, Hitchcock proved everybody wrong, and for that he could partly thank Herrmann and his knack for crafting compositions that lifted scenes to new heights. "Psycho was certainly not a bad film before it was scored, but it lacked tension," explains Steve C Smith, the author of a new book, Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores that Changed Cinema. Herrmann proceeded to give the film a much-needed jolt by writing music for an all-string 50-person orchestra that marked a "return to pure ice water", as the composer described it to Sight and Sound. In the case of the most famous scene, this resulted in a chorus of psychologically jarring, high-pitched squeals that meant terrified audiences no longer saw the shower as a safe space. "Before the shower scene many of the musical cues have a depressive quality and they're not really that loud," Smith says. "But suddenly with the shower scene, the mutes are off the strings, and they screech animalistically. This creates a clever link with Norman Bates, the taxidermist of birds." Herrmann forced an initially dismissive Hitchcock to watch the shower sequence both with and without his jump-scare music. "Oh yes, we must use it!" Hitchcock concurred. "But I thought you didn't want my music here?" Herrmann sarcastically replied, before the director scoffed: "My boy, improper suggestion." It's an anecdote that reflects the pair's fiery partnership. Their creative union consistently resulted in film scores that make the viewer feel like they are caught up in a character's murky inner dialogue, privy to both their most romantic dreams and most hopeless nightmares (see Vertigo). Zeffira describes the music that plays whenever Norman Bates is on screen as being "dejected and anxious", which she says "makes you feel sorrow for a killer. I know before writing film music, Hermann would always read the novel a movie was based on and study the literature, so his score was more empathetic. Every note Herrmann played had meaning". The origins of Herrmann's genius An avid childhood reader, Herrmann (or Benny as he was called by friends) spent most of his downtime passionately debating whether literature or music was the greatest art form. Music ultimately won out, and Herrmann was winning classical competitions by the age of 13. Having studied at New York University under the legendary composer Percy Grainger, one of Herrmann's first professional roles as a studio musician was for CBS Radio. At CBS he worked with Orson Welles, winning his trust with 1938's radio adaptation of War of the Worlds, which was so realistic that some listeners believed it signalled a real unfolding alien invasion. He then became the obvious choice for scoring Welles' 1941 masterpiece, Citizen Kane. Working on hundreds of radio plays taught Herrmann how to create compositions that conjured up imagery, and also taught him the power of long pauses: he used silence as another instrument to build suspense. Professionally, Herrmann was known for having a fiery temper and, as his daughter Dorothy told the New York Times, he "didn't suffer fools gladly". Yet Smith is keen to stress that the musician was less moody than his reputation suggests, and tended to go out of his way to recommended younger composers for jobs. "He was misunderstood," Smith says. "Given his reputation for irascibility, I think people would be surprised at how gentle Bernard could be, especially with animals. He was suspicious of arrogant humans, but he gave unconditional love to his cats." Brandon Brown is a South Carolina-based film-maker who is working on an untitled documentary on Herrmann's life. One thing Brown believes often gets left out the story is the horrors of the era in which Herrmann came of age. Although he was born in New York City in 1911, Herrmann's family had been Russian-Jews who fled Eastern Europe for a better life. They would almost certainly have abruptly left friends behind in Ukraine, who would later either be displaced or massacred by invading Nazi armies. More like this:• Alfred Hitchcock on his film-making secrets• The inside story of the wildest shoot ever• How Brokeback Mountain challenged Hollywood "You can hear in Herrmann's radio and film work, especially the stuff created through WW2, that he was deeply affected by what's happening," says Brown, citing the music he produced for 1947's supernatural drama, The Ghost and Mrs Muir. For the film's The Spring Sea arrangement, there's a blossoming flute harmony, representing revitalising morning bird song. However, the sunny tones are tinged with sadness due to pensive, descending strings that sound more like a mother's cries. "Herrmann considered The Ghost and Mrs Muir his best work," says Brown. "It's easy to see why. It's so gorgeous and melancholic at the same time. It captures how the world felt in the 1940s, a time where even a sunny day was haunted by ghosts. This was a downcast tone he'd hang onto for Psycho." By 1960, Herrmann was a giant in the film business; what's more, he and Hitchcock had already made five landmark films together (The Trouble with Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Wrong Man, Vertigo, and North By Northwest) and developed a seamless chemistry. Still, Smith believes Psycho was a production where Herrmann re-energised a weary director. "Hitch feared that he had made a mistake filming such gruesome material – something many advised him not to do," explains Smith. "But Herrmann made Hitchcock fall in love with the project once again. Herrmann later said he wrote Psycho's score for an all-strings orchestra to create 'a black-and-white sound' to complement the black-and-white photography." Aside from helping turn Psycho into a massive hit for Hitchcock (grossing $32m against a budget of $800k), Herrmann saw his score create ripples throughout popular culture in many other unexpected ways. Producer George Martin based his wounded 1966 string arrangement for The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby on Herrmann's Psycho music. "George wanted to bring some of that drama into the arrangement," Paul McCartney once explained to the BBC. The score's varied legacy The film's central theme would also go on to be sampled by dozens of other artists. Perhaps the most exhilarating example is rapper Busta Rhymes' 1998 single Gimme Some More. According to the hip hop producer and contemporary classical composer Michael Vincent Waller, Herrmann's Psycho score is beloved by rap artists. "Herrmann knew how to loop these little nihilistic fragments and become this master of repetition. In many ways, the way he was conducting film music was a lot like how rap producers chop up beats." Waller says that Psycho didn't just change horror, but wider cinematic storytelling: "The Psycho music is a reference whenever you want to build tension and it's clear John Williams was inspired by Psycho for his stalker-ish bass notes for Jaws. Whenever you hear creepy violins in a horror movie, or feel like a film score has become its own character, then that can all be traced back to Psycho." The creative relationship between Hitchcock and Herrmann ended on 1966's Torn Curtain. The former was incensed that the latter stubbornly refused his orders to make a stripped back pop score, insisting instead on using 12 flutes, 16 horns, nine trombones, two tubas, eight cellos, eight basses and two sets of timpani. Herrmann was fired, but it didn't derail his career, and right until his death from a heart attack in 1975 the composer remained an innovative force. In particular, a late collaboration with a young Martin Scorsese on 1976's Taxi Driver secured Herrmann's musical legacy. Working prominently with a saxophonist (musician Ronnie Lang), he composed smoky, airborne jazz notes which are so vivid you can picture pollution smog rising through the cracks of Manhattan's sewers. Scorsese's film also offers a truly full-circle moment with Psycho: at the very end of Taxi Driver, Herrmann quotes the earlier film's three-note theme The Madhouse. "He told his wife Norma that he did it because he wanted to say to the audience that Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle is going to commit violence again," explains Smith. Among Hermann's exceptional work, the Psycho score and its clawing, scraped-out violin arrangements remain an obvious highlight. It's one of the only scores Herrmann re-recorded, a clear sign of pride, and it remains a perfect example of how music can elevate a film. Or, as a sharp-tongued Herrmann put it himself in one of his final interviews: "A composer writes a score for a picture, and he gives it life. Like a fellow goes to a doctor, says, 'I'm dying,' and the doctor cures him." -- For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish city centre to get first cinema in 25 years
A city centre cinema has been talked about for years, with the closure of the Robins back in 2000 leaving a hole in the cultural scene. The Dunfermline Regeneration Trust has been making efforts to bring the big screen back, partnering with OnFife to make the seasonal arrangement a reality. READ MORE: Family to sell landmark Scottish hotel after 70 years Family sells hotel overlooking world-famous Scottish golf course Project lead Derek Glen said: 'We know people in Dunfermline have been crying out for a city centre cinema for years, now we've made it happen, but if folk really want it to last, they need to back it by turning up.' The cinema will feature its own tuck shop, selling drinks, popcorn, sweets and ice cream, so movie-goers can enjoy 'the full cinema experience'. A statement continued: 'Whether you're after a low-cost family outing, a nostalgic night out, or just a good excuse for popcorn, Peacock Cinema is here, and it's ready to roll.' On Sunday Muppets Most Wanted will be shown at 11am, before Alfred Hitchcock's romantic thriller To Catch a Thief at 1pm. Tickets can be found by visiting the OnFife website, or purchased on the door.
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
‘The 39 Steps' at the Guild Festival lampoons Alfred Hitchcock — and is all the better for it
Patrick Barlow's play 'The 39 Steps,' now running at the Guild Festival in Scarborough, is everything you'd expect from a stage adaptation of a classic Alfred Hitchcock spy thriller. And it's nothing you'd expect, as well.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Attack of the clever crows
Bruce M. Beehler is a naturalist and author, whose books include 'Birds of Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia,' and, most recently, 'Flight of the Godwit.' Few of us who were of moviegoing age in 1963 can forget Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds,' a horror thriller set in Bodega Bay, California, that pitted flocks of angry crows, seagulls and other avians against Tippi Hedren and a cast of undeserving human victims. Particularly gruesome was the demise by crow attack of the likable schoolteacher played by Suzanne Pleshette. Though its thesis was preposterous, the film has gained in popularity over the years — adding to the already uncertain reputation of crows. In general, crows elicit mixed reviews. They are intelligent, clever and innovative birds. But they are also feisty, conniving and predatory — known to pluck songbird eggs (and nestlings) from nests while helpless parent birds stand by and watch. Crows also get their reputation from their curiosity and cunning, as well as their occasional interactions with humans. A recent development in our area demonstrates just how remarkable these birds really are. I live in the little southwestern Bethesda neighborhood of Brookmont, which overlooks Lock 5 of the C&O Canal and the Potomac River above Little Falls. Brookmont does not usually produce a great deal of excitement on the birding front. But lately, we have been seeing extraordinary behavior among our local fish crows (the lesser-known of the two crow species inhabiting the D.C. region). For the 30-plus years my wife and I have lived here, fish crows have maintained a low profile. That abruptly changed this past spring. We were surprised over several days to find small parties of crows boldly settling onto our back porch, perching here and there, and showing little fear. Our dog, Scout, noticed and disliked the crows' presence. When we opened the back door, she would launch out barking at these unwelcome visitors. We didn't know why the crows were on our porch, but we rightly assumed they were up to no good. Our nearest neighbors mentioned that they, too, were being visited by these crows, which they said were coming to harvest the stuffing from porch pillows to use in their nests. The birds actively attacked the pillows, snipping open the seams to get to the innards. When I queried the neighborhood via our email discussion group, more than 20 people replied that they had witnessed this same remarkable phenomenon. One even sent me photographs of the crows in action. The birds were no doubt collecting the pillow stuffing to use as a soft inner lining to their large stick nests, to cosset the eggs and nestlings. Traditionally, the fish crow's nest lining is provided by bark, moss, plant fibers, mammal hair or pine needles. Brookmont's porches, it seems, offered an abundance of outdoor cushions filled with an all-new, fluffy and readily available nesting material. That I was able to document dozens of reports of pillow-stuffing harvest from this spring indicates two interesting developments. First, one of the neighborhood crows must have somehow discovered the utility of pillow stuffing and learned how to crack open a cushion. Second, this clever bird must have then educated other crows in the neighborhood about this potential nesting-material bonanza. The pillow attacks are typically carried out by groups of four or five birds. I'm guessing these groups include experienced individuals who know the drill, and followers wishing to learn from the experienced birds. This is an example of cultural learning in the fish crow. Without speaking, one crow informs others about a novel discovery so that members of the neighborhood assemblage (some of whom are most likely close relatives) can benefit. The most famous historical example of avian cultural learning involved chickadee relatives — blue tits and great tits — in 1920s England. The birds learned to remove the caps from glass milk bottles delivered to front-door stoops in the early morning and then sip the bottle's tasty and nutritious contents. Over the decades, birds that learned this clever trick spread the knowledge to more and more of their fellows throughout Britain. More remarkably, this knowledge was eventually spread across the English Channel to Western Europe, proving that birds are more than unthinking avian robots and can indeed learn from one another. That this learning transmission can be rapid is demonstrated by the sudden spread of the fish crow pillow attacks across Brookmont. But there is more. Like the birds in 'The Birds,' which no longer feared the humans who had taken over their habitat, the small groups of fish crows visiting our porches are unusually bold, often standing their ground when homeowners approach. That's not the retiring fish crow we're used to! The birds' behavior might actually be evolving. If it is, let's hope their newfound audacity stops at outdoor furniture and doesn't develop into more Hitchcockian aggression. After all, these days, given humans' seemingly ever-growing onslaught against nature, our wild birds might have a legitimate reason to push back.
India.com
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
Sonakshi Sinha's brother Luv Sinha opens up on 'Nikita Roy' getting limited screens due to 'unforseen circumstances'
Actress Sonakshi Sinha was recently seen leading her brother Kussh S Sinha's directorial debut, 'Nikita Roy'. Now, their brother, Luv Sinha, has opened up about the supernatural thriller getting limited screens due to YRF's 'Saiyyara', featuring Ahaan Panday, and Aneet Padda. Kussh shared, 'Nikita Roy is a fantastic thriller that showcases Kussh's unwavering commitment to storytelling and original concepts. Despite being such a powerful and original story, it has got limited screens due to unforeseen circumstances.' Nevertheless, he added that the buzz around the drama has been growing due to positive word of mouth because of the strong performances and unique storyline. 'Cinema enthusiasts should watch a film that is genuinely different and support creative filmmakers and producers who tell original stories,' Kussh added. Veteran filmmaker Subhash Ghai also said that he felt proud of the debut director Kussh after witnessing 'Nikita Roy'. 'He shows great sparks as a 'DIRECTOR IN COMMAND' in his very first film… Technically reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock, 'Nikita Roy' is a must-watch suspense thriller,' the 'Taal' maker said. Previously, as well, Ghai compared Kussh's 'Nikita Roy' to Alfred Hitchcock's style of filmmaking. The 'Karz' maker wrote on Instagram, 'I felt proud of the debut director of film NIKITA ROY who shows us great sparks as a 'a DIRECTOR IN COMMAND in his very first film and he is #KUSSH S SINHA I saw last evening A suspense thriller-a mystery – a horror well shot like a class film on superstitious n rational thinking. It reminded me cinema of Alfred Hitchcock of our time technically but today My congratulations to KUSSH SINHA n entire team of this engaging film NIKITA ROY Coming next Friday in cinemas N bless u for great success. @kusshssinha @luvsinha @aslisona.' Featuring Paresh Rawal, Arjun Rampal, and Suhail Nayyar in pivotal roles, 'Nikita Roy' was released in the cinema halls on July 18th.
