'Vertigo' star Kim Novak: 'My body of work was raped by The Artist'

Kim Novak has expressed outrage over the use of music from Vertigo in Michel Hazanavicius's 2011 silent film The Artist.

The actress, who starred in the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock classic, said that she feels "violated" by The Artist's decision to use the Love Theme from Vertigo as the backdrop to the film and issued both a trade ad and a press release to vent her frustrations.

"I want to report a rape. My body of work has been violated by The Artist. This film took the Love Theme music from Vertigo and used the emotions it engenders as its own," Novak said

"Alfred Hitchcock and Jimmy Stewart can't speak for themselves, but I can. It was our work that unconsciously or consciously evoked the memories and feelings to the audience that were used for the climax of The Artist.

"There was no reason for them to depend on Bernard Herrmann's score from Vertigo to provide more drama. Vertigo's music was written during the filming. Hitchcock wanted the theme woven musically in the puzzle pieces of the storyline.

"Even though they did give Bernard Herrmann a small credit at the end, I believe this kind of filmmaking trick to be cheating. Shame on them!"

Novak went on to claim that the precedent set by The Artist could prove damaging for the film industry at large, adding: "It is morally wrong of people in our industry to use and abuse famous pieces of work to gain attention and applause for other than what the original work was intended.

"It is essential that all artists safeguard our special bodies of work for posterity, with their individual identities intact and protected."



Novak's manager Sue Cameron shed further light on the controversy, telling Deadline: "She was sitting in her living room, she put the DVD in, and then went into an absolute state of shock and devastation.

"When you sit in a theatre and familiar music comes on that engenders ready-made emotion from a past film, and they use that music to evoke those same emotions, it's quite hurtful.

"We know that they had the legal right to use the music, but it's the music that was the backdrop for classic scenes, like Kim and Jimmy Stewart kissing by the tree, driving along the coast in the car. She is very, very upset."

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Watch the trailer for The Artist below: