Don't Just Look, Listen: How Bernard Herrmann Composed a Sonic Gaze in Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958) and Psycho (1960)
Public Deposited- Resource Type
- Creator
- Abstract
Bernard Herrmann provided strong scoring to accompany nine of Hitchcock's films including, Vertigo (1958) and Psycho (1960). Hitchcock, and his representation of women, has long been a source of criticism by feminist film scholars. This critique expanded into art, most notably by Cindy Sherman. I use the term "sonic gaze" to describe the aural counterpart to Laura Mulvey's, traditionally visual, male gaze. I argue that Herrmann's sonic gaze maintains the perspective of the male protagonists in Vertigo and Psycho, and therefore objectifies and silences the female characters in the narrative. I use Sherman's Untitled Film Stills series as a critical tool to explore how Herrmann's sonic gaze expands the feminist meanings of the still images. I place Herrmann's score over Sherman's Untitled Film Stills to interpret how the imagined underscoring affects the unseen narratives of the film stills. Through this interpretative experiment, I encourage the practice of "listening" to photographs.
- Subject
- Language
- Publisher
- Thesis Degree Level
- Thesis Degree Name
- Thesis Degree Discipline
- Identifier
- Rights Notes
Copyright © 2022 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. No part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.
- Date Created
- 2022
Relations
- In Collection:
Items
Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
---|---|---|---|---|
bews-dontjustlooklistenhowbernardherrmanncomposed.pdf | 2023-05-05 | Public | Download |