Kim Novak Blasts ‘The Artist’ for Sonically Raping ‘Vertigo’

Actress Kim Novak took the trouble of taking out a full-page ad in Variety on Monday to accuse one of the most buzzed-about movies of 2011, “The Artist,” of violating her “body of work” by borrowing music from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” to set a retro mood.

Subscribing to an old-school viewpoint when it comes to sampling, mash-ups and other musical mixing techniques, Novak took dramatic aim at the Oscar contender — which, somewhat ironically, is also a silent film — prompting “The Artist” director Michel Hazanavicius to speak up on behalf of his film on Tuesday. –KA

BBC:

By featuring the music, she went on, the makers of The Artist, were guilty of “using emotions it engenders as if it were their own”.

“Even though they gave a small credit to Bernard Herrmann at the end, I believe this to be cheating, at the very least.”

The US composer, also known for his work on Psycho and Taxi Driver, died in 1975.

In his own statement, Hazanavicius said the Vertigo ‘Love Theme’ had been “used in many different films” and that he was “very pleased to have it in mine”.

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