Professor of Music Lydia Hamessley recently participated in an online panel hosted by Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
The network, which is devoted to classic films, sponsored a six-week online course – The Master of Suspense: 50 Years of Hitchcock – that examined the films of Hitchcock from his silent films in the 1920s to his final film in 1976.
The course, taught by Dr. Richard Edwards of Ball State University, included three Fan Panels. Students in the course were invited to submit proposals on an aspect of Hitchcock they wished to present.
Hamessley was chosen to participate on a panel titled “Sounds and Music in Hitchcock Films.” Her talk, “Music and Emotional Openness to Romantic Relationships in Rear Window and Vertigo,” examined the way a character’s apathy, disdain and insensitivity to diegetic music often indicates a lack of emotional openness to love.
A video of the panel is available here – Hamessley’s presentation starts at 8:00.
Hamessley teaches a related course, Music in American Film, at Hamilton each year.
