ABSTRACT
This chapter explores Franz Waxman's music for Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case (1947) and its adaptation into a symphonic poem for piano and orchestra. It examines the interplay between film music and concert practices, focusing on the intermedial transfer of Waxman's score from the cinematic to the concert hall context. The chapter highlights the narrative and aesthetic ambiguities embedded in Waxman's music, particularly with the Paradine theme, which oscillates between diegetic and non-diegetic functions. By analysing the symphonic poem's structure, instrumentation, and programmatic elements, the chapter situates Waxman's work within the broader tradition of programme music and the cultural discourse surrounding the artistic value of Hollywood film music in the 1940s. It also considers the marketing strategies of producer David O. Selznick, who sought to elevate the status of film music through its distribution. Ultimately, the chapter argues that Waxman's adaptation reflects a deliberate engagement with classical music conventions, while simultaneously challenging the boundaries between film and concert music, thus contributing to the ongoing debate about the legitimacy of film music as an art form.
