Musical Identification

In the music too, the audience searches for identification. The music by itself portrays a longing, a search for completion and stability, that parallels both of the characters’ individual searches. The beginning “Prelude” theme only makes one reappearance in the film though: when Judy is being made over in the beauty parlor, which indicates that she is key in our perspective. Judy also loses herself to a freefall, into an obsession with being loved, represented by Herrmann here. At other points in the film, the love theme makes brief appearances but at these moments, like when Madeleine and Scotty are driving to the Sequoia forest, Judy is slightly slipping out of character and through the music. see chart of love theme

As her relationship develops, she finds it harder and harder to play her part as Madeleine, harder and harder to control her love. The music represents the moments that her true self, and her passion, come out. The love theme makes its first stunningly grand return (the first grand appearances arguably the stable kissing scene) in the “goodnight” sequence, in which Judy relinquishes herself to Scotty’s will to remake her. The music represents the passion and depth which Judy is displaying at that very moment. Musically, it is this love, not Madeleine, that haunts Scotty.