What the Pluck? is a study of the harp as a powerful visual cue in the cinema. From Walt Disney to the Marx Brothers, Gone with the Wind, to the Wedding March and Small Time Crooks, this ancient instrument has acted as a symbol of immortality,transcendence, love, high culture, sexuality, comedy and fantasy since earliest eras of film making. The examination of the harp as a story telling device, this study draws on archival research, examining film theory,psychological theory, history and philosophy to give context to centuries of symbolism of this magic instrument. What the Pluck? notably examines the harp's broader use as a symbol for the classical god Hermes-Thoth, the inventor of the lyre, messenger, trickster, lord of harmony and speech; The harp's Hermetic overtones resonate through the bardic tradition to the present day.