The relationship between diegetic music and memory in two early Hitchcock films

The function of music in a number of the films directed by Alfred Hitchcock during his time in Hollywood has been widely explored, especially with regard to his collaboration with composer Bernard Herrmann, who wrote the music for such films as Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959) and Psycho (1960). However, even in Hitchcock’s early British movies, it is clear that care was given to the ways in which music was employed within the filmic narratives. This article focuses on the use of diegetic music, i.e., the music that can be heard by the characters in a movie, in two of Hitchcock’s British films, namely The 39 Steps (1935) and The Lady Vanishes (1938). Both of the storylines are based upon novels, yet neither book features music as one of its themes. The function and impact of certain diegetic melodies in the filmed versions of both stories is therefore of particular interest. I argue that the relationship between music and memory in the two films is crucial within the narratives, not only in the way the stories are presented and linked to main characters, but also with regard to how the strands of the plots are drawn together at the end of each movie. As I exemplify, in each case, the connection between the diegetic melodies I discuss, and the remembrance of this music by a main character, proves to be an important and elucidating theme within the films.