Between two worlds: Erich Wolfgang Korngold and the underscoring of death, destiny and the otherworldly in Hollywood films of the 1940s

© 2018 Stella Joseph-JareckiHow can musical underscoring be used in feature films to convey intangible concepts such as death, destiny and the afterlife? This thesis explores this question, with a focus on films with scores written by Erich Wolfgang Korngold during the 1940s. Korngold worked for Warner Bros. studios from 1935, and his compositional style was informed by his catalogue of operatic works. Korngold’s most famous scores are those written for swashbuckler adventure films such as The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), but this thesis aims to fill a gap and instead examines the psychologically-driven films of Korngold’s output. During the 1940s, the cultural environment of World War 2 meant that audiences were particularly receptive to ideas of mortality and spirituality. The lack of special effects technology available meant that musical underscoring played a pivotal role in bringing these themes to life on screen. The major case study of this thesis is Between Two Worlds (1944), a psychological drama which follows a group of passengers on board an ocean liner, unaware that it is bound for the afterlife. Between Two Worlds is examined within the context of other titles released in the 1940s which explored similar themes, with scores written by other composers. Three additional films scored by Korngold, The Sea Wolf (1941), King’s Row (1942) and The Constant Nymph (1943), provide further examples of musical techniques used to represent intangible themes such as destiny and mental instability. The research for this thesis was based on my own interpretation of the music, as unfortunately these film scores are unavailable for purchase and are stored in the Warner Bros. archive in California