MovieChat Forums > Taras Bulba (1962) Discussion > Can anyone tell me what was making that ...

Can anyone tell me what was making that noise at the end

posted 18 years ago by qljsystems
13 replies | jump to latest

In the scene where Yul Brynner confronts the Tony Curtis character and shoots him ("I brought you into this world. I can take you out of it again"), punching a neat hole through the breastplate, Curtis and Brynner are off-side of the action, as it were. During their conversation, there's the constant noise of what sounds like a flock of ravens in the background. I always presumed it was the sound of the Cossack mortars howling into the city, but it sounds too organic to be that. Can anyone tell me what that sound was?

[–] diamondgroup 18 years ago

Since they were in a marshy area, I always assumed it was some type of cricket or locust. Could possibly be some kind of bird, but it sounded more rythmic, like insects. It was either that, or all those beans the Cossacks had for supper.

"Richard's in good hands, Robin. The best in England."

[–] grabs-2 18 years ago

If you are refering to a sort of ascending buzzing sound, it's the flight display of the Common Snipe. Bit of an anti climax for you maybe, but it's right for the location. A moorland, marshland bird, it makes the sound by diving towards the ground with its stiff outer tail feathers outspread, and these vibrate in the air as it decends. Go to:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/s/snipe/gallery.asp?type=a&id=/Images/Snipe_tcm5-53168.mov

[–] marzmello 18 years ago

Thank you for this! For a while I thought something was wrong with my tape.

[–] Deusvolt 18 years ago

In his book Poland, James Michener mentions that in the past, Polish cavalrymen wore some kind of contraption made up of metal rods decorated with feathers on their backs As their horses gallopped, the wind played on said contraption and made a frightening noise that disconcerted the enemy, especially their horses which were not used to that racket.

[–] belacane 18 years ago

These were the Winged Hussars. They weren't just "cavalrymen" - they were the elite.

Ah, the rapier wit of an armless D'Artagnan.

[–] loto_hanson 18 years ago

Erm i think the sound is actually the sound of the ravens because of the corpses from the plague in dubno

[–] Tsotha-lanti 18 years ago

I began hearing that sound when the cattle were stampeded. Maybe they mixed in some stock cow sounds that turned out badly.

[–] DontPeeInTheBacta 16 years ago

Guys ... uh... maybe it was a creepy sound effect to add to the mood. No one here has asked where the orchestra was when they heard music in the background (ala Blazing Saddles)...

[–] mam13143 11 years ago

I agree that it was some sort of sound effect. Just to add to the tension of the moment.

[–] crocodile195 16 years ago

I thought y'all were joking, but I guess not. The sound you heard was a badly done overdub of baby Andrei crying at birth, as in "I gave you life ..." you know?

I hope this helps someone somewhere.

[–] gerrythree 15 years ago

The sound was that of producer Harold Hecht tripping over a sound cable on the set as he realized his career as an independent producer was now on life support, having produced an overpriced epic that was a bomb. Taras Bulba needed Burt Lancaster as the star, not Yul Brynner. Unfortunately for Hecht, Lancaster had pulled out of their production company, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, shutting it down, so Hecht was on his own. Worst was in store for Hecht, his next movie, Flight from Ashiya, another turkey starring the now dour faced Yul Brynner. I still remember seeing the posters advertising Taras Bulba placed on the walls of subway stations on the IND line back then, when such movie advertising was common. All the advertising in the world would not rescue Taras Bulba. Filming armies of horsemen charging in one direction, then having the horsemen change their costumes and film them charging in the opposite direction, to create a big battle scene, just did not cut it in 1962 anymore.

[–] green_Swedish_car 15 years ago

I agree with the bird theory; you can see some flying over the lake behind Tony Curtis in this scene...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrN4lzVOXgM

[–] mam13143 10 years ago

Birds, baby or sound effect.......if the director wanted us to know what it was he failed.