Hitchcock and Herrmann

The Friendship and Film Scores that Changed Cinema

Steven C. Smith (, Emmy-nominated documentary producer and award-winning author)

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English

Oxford University Press
01 April 2026

Film, TV & Radio; Films, movies & cinema; Musicals; Individual composers & musicians, bands & groups

This is the story of the game-changing collaboration between director Alfred Hitchcock and composer Bernard Herrmann, who channelled their inner fears and desires into films that would become the nightmarish narratives and soundtracks of our lives.

The 11-year collaboration between Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann is often called the greatest director-composer partnership in cinema history. Their eight films together include such classic thrillers as Vertigo, The Man Who Knew Too Much, North by Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds. In Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores that Changed Cinema, Steven C. Smith delivers an intimate account of how the reserved, but deeply anxious, Hitchcock found his ideal creative partner in the cantankerous, but deeply romantic, Herrmann. Smith draws on four decades of research, including previously unpublished documents and new interviews, to deliver a riveting account of what made the teaming of ""Benny and Hitch"" so memorable and influential -- and why it came to a bitter end. Their story involves the tumultuous changes in Hollywood from the mid-1950s to mid-1960s, as the collapsing studio system gave way to independent, counterculture filmmaking. It also involves the key figures in Hitchcock and Herrmann's inner circle including the director's gifted wife and most valued critic, Alma Reville; Herrmann's beautiful, put-upon spouse, Lucy Anderson; and talent agent-turned-studio mogul Lew Wasserman. Wasserman's negotiations made Hitchcock's greatest filmmaking period possible, but over time Lew's commercial instincts as head of Universal Studios clashed with Herrmann's pure artistic vision.

Hitchcock and Herrmann is both a deeply researched historical study and a fast-moving, cinematic narrative -- one that puts readers on the film sets and scoring stages of Hitchcock masterworks. Their collaboration ended in a bitter break; but today Herrmann's pulse-quickening music has become the soundtrack of our own anxious times. The music from their movies is more popular than ever, heard in Quentin Tarantino blockbusters and Lady Gaga music videos. In Smith's expert telling, readers get an

an intimate look at two legendary creators who, despite seemingly opposite personalities, found in each other artistic completion.

By: Steven C. Smith ( Emmy-nominated documentary producer and award-winning author)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 226mm, Width: 157mm, Spine: 33mm
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9780197681282
ISBN 10: 019768128X
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 01 April 2026
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Steven C. Smith is a four-time Emmy-nominated documentary producer and award-winning author. His over 200 documentaries about film and music include collaborations with Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Stephen Sondheim, John Williams, Julie Andrews and Sidney Poitier. His biographies of composers Bernard Herrmann and Max Steiner each received the ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor / Virgil Thomson Award. He has lectured at the Library of Congress, American Film Institute, Academy of Motion Pictures Museum and other organizations. He has written for the Wall Street Journal, the Hollywood Reporter and the Los Angeles Times.

Reviews for Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores that Changed Cinema

[R]arely has film criticism seen a more perceptive and nuanced examination of the details of how the musical score can reinforce, uplift, or - most importantly - mend imperfections in a film. A marvelous look at a legendary collaboration, and a testament to the power of music in film. * Library Journal * Once again, it's Steven C. Smith who's forged this wonderful study of two of history's most lovable incorrigibles. * John Williams * For anyone who is a fan of Herrmann's work, this book is essential. I can say without hesitation that were it not for the inspiration I received from Herrmann's music in my youth I would never have become a film composer. His scores provided the spark that made me realize what a powerful part of a film the music could be. * Danny Elfman * In my opinion, Bernard Herrmann is the greatest film composer of all time, and he and Hitchcock changed the history of film. Now we have the book that tells us how they did it, and why that music is so alive today. * Atticus Ross *