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The Oklahoman (26/Oct/2008) - Hitchcock films in spotlight

(c) The Oklahoman (26/Oct/2008)

Hitchcock films in spotlight

It's one of television's iconic images: a few carefully placed lines form the profile of a nearly-bald, heavyset man. And then, a bit of magic. The host of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" would slowly walk into his profile as his show's famous theme music — Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette" — played in the background.

From 1955-65, Hitchcock welcomed viewers with tales of terror, horror and suspense. His clipped British accent and deadpan delivery created the perfect persona.

Hitchcock would return at the end of the episode to comment about how the villain had made a silly mistake or what had led to the scoundrel's demise.

The Oklahoma City Philharmonic will pay tribute to this master of the macabre with a pops concert pair titled "A Symphonic Night at the Movies." Emil de Cou, associate conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., will conduct this pops season opener.

The Hitchcock program was created by John Goberman, producer of the PBS series "Live from Lincoln Center." Film sequences from "To Catch a Thief," "Strangers on a Train," "Dial M for Murder" and "North by Northwest" will be projected on a giant screen as the orchestra performs the soundtrack. Music is by Hollywood greats Dimitri Tiomkin and Bernard Hermann.

"This music is terrific, so the sequences we've chosen are scenes in which the music drives the film," Goberman said. "Orchestras really like to perform these programs because, instead of commenting on the action, they become a part of it. It becomes a performance of the film rather than a screening of the film."

One highlight of the Hitchcock program, Goberman said, is that audiences will get to see these film excerpts on the big screen. The four spotlighted films all date from the 1950s, the peak of Hitchcock's career.

"The most difficult issue was (finding scenes) that would play by themselves," Goberman said. "There were plenty of sequences where music was playing along, but we had to choose segments that had a beginning and an ending. It was also terribly important for me that the orchestra be front and center. This music is worthy of having a symphony orchestra play it."

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