Sound effects genius behind the film

Rating: 6/10 (24 June 2001)

I have read quite a few comments mentioning the lack of music in the film so I feel I should make this point. The unsung hero of the film is a German composer called Oskar Sala who worked to compose the electronic score for the film.(see The Dark Side of Genius by Donald Spoto) Hitchcock did not want any music but if you actually listen to the birds themselves their sound is electronic. Sala is now an elderly man of about 90 but is still working occasionally. I was greatly honoured when he composed the score to my short film 'The Box' this year. He is a musical pioneer who developed an instrument called the trautonium. He has worked mostly out of the limelight and the mainstream most of his life but is an inspiration to a lot of musicians. I think the film is extremely powerful because of the lack of music but the birdsound is equally disturbing. It is a simple story that could be handled very loosely in the wrong hands. With some great set pieces and a sense of foreboding, in the hands of Hitchcock it is unforgettable.