Original subtitles

Yes, yes, no, this one, no, is it

right, is it right, yes, yes, it is,

it is, it is, it is.

Good, good, good, yes, yes, yes.

Nothing to worry about, Mrs. Saunders.

He should be up and about in a

day or two.

Oh, thank you, Dr. Scott.

Well, it was good of you to come.

Oh, not at all.

I have a call to make next door,

so I should have been coming this way

in any case.

Mr. Klausner?

Yes, that's right.

He's not well?

Oh, nothing serious, I'm glad to say.

Well, goodbye, Mrs. Saunders.

He's all on his own, isn't he?

I believe so, yes.

I'll try and keep an eye on him.

You see, it's rather difficult.

He keeps such odd hours.

Really?

Oh, yes.

I often see a light burning in that

garden shed of his well into the night

and strange noises, you wouldn't believe.

Noises?

Yes, he does experiments.

He has all sorts of peculiar apparatus in

there.

I don't know what his form is.

He's a botanist, isn't he?

Yes, I dare say, but you know what

these scientists are like.

It could be dangerous.

I don't want to make a fuss, of

course, but he's an old gentleman.

Suppose something went wrong.

Well, one or two of our neighbours have

even suggested telling the police.

I don't want to go as far as

that, of course.

Oh, I shouldn't worry, Mrs. Saunders.

I expect he knows what he's doing.

Yes, well, I hope so, but he's certainly

a very odd man.

Well, it takes all sorts.

I'll look in again in a day or

two.

Oh, thank you, Dr. Scott.

Goodbye, Mrs. Saunders.

Goodbye.

Goodbye, Doctor.

Well, well, well.

So this is where you hide yourself in

the evenings.

Ah, Doctor.

I happen to be passing my way home,

so I just dropped in to see how

you were.

There's no one in the house, so...

I'm fine, thank you.

Much better.

No fever?

No.

Headache gone?

Throat better?

I'm quite well, thank you.

Kind of you.

Headache?

No, no, I have no headache.

Well, since I'm here, I might as well

have a look at them.

No need.

I assure you, quite cured.

Good.

Good.

What are you up to?

Oh, nothing.

Just fooling around.

Complicated?

Yes, yes.

What is it?

It looks rather frightening.

It's an idea, an experimental.

Oh?

With sound.

Sound?

I like sound.

Well, I won't disturb you.

Please, the headache's gone.

What's it really for?

You've made me inquisitive.

I'll tell you if you're interested.

It's like this.

The theory is very simple, really.

I've got a diagram somewhere here.

The human ear, you know, it can't hear

everything.

There are sounds so low-pitched or so

high-pitched, you can't hear them.

Yes, yes.

Well, speaking very roughly, any note so high

pitched that it vibrates more than 15,000

vibrations a second, you cannot hear it.

That's it.

Now, dogs have better ears than us.

You know, you can buy a whistle whose

note is so high-pitched, you cannot hear

it at all.

But the dog, he can hear it.

I've seen one of those.

Yes, yes, of course you have.

And up the scale, higher than the note

of that whistle, there is another note.

We cannot hear that one, aye.

And above that, another and another, rising right

up the scale forever and ever and ever,

an endless succession of notes.

Well, there is a note.

Only our ears could hear it so high

that it vibrates a million times a second.

I believe, you know, there is a whole

world of sound about us all the time.

It is possible that up there, in those

high-pitched, inaudible regions, there is a music

so, so powerful that it would drive us

mad if only we, if only, maybe it

is possible that up there, I wonder.

Look, look at that spider.

Now, what sort of a noise, see, do

you think that spider is making now?

I've really no idea.

I think the creature might be whistling like

mad or squeaking or croaking or even singing

a song.

Fascinating.

Yes.

And that machine will let you hear him?

No, not yet.

I'm still working on it all the time,

every minute.

I've been for years.

But now, now, I think, I think I've

got it.

Tonight, out there, it is just possible I

may get through.

I want to know, I must know where

these vibrations are coming from, who and what

is making them.

These are the sounds I long to hear.

Songs, songs beyond the planets.

Oh, great heavens, I must be going.

Well, I wish you luck with it.

I'll call in again sometime and find out

what happened.

Thank you for telling me.

So.

Now.

So.

Mrs Saunders.

Cut another one, please.

Cut another one, quickly.

What's the matter, Mr Klausner?

Please, do as I ask.

Cut me another rose.

Please, I beg you, cut me just one

more rose.

Certainly, if you insist.

Yes.

Go on, go on.

All right, enough, enough.

No more, please.

No more.

I'm going to tell you something, Mrs Saunders,

something you won't believe.

You have this evening cut a basket full

of roses.

You have, with a sharp pair of scissors,

cut through the stems of living things, and

every time you cut the rose, I heard

it scream.

It was the most terrible sound.

You didn't know that, did you, Mrs Saunders?

No, I certainly didn't know that.

It happens to be true.

I heard them shrieking.

Shrieking?

Yes, shrieking.

Whom?

Whom did you hear shrieking?

The roses, I said, the roses.

I'm not quite sure I understand you.

You say you heard the roses shrieking.

Each time you cut one, I heard the

cry of pain.

I didn't hear anything.

No, of course not.

How could you?

But I did.

I heard it.

Ah, yes.

Now, what would you say if I told

you that your rosebush can cry out, and

that cry can be heard, and the sound

is very disturbing, Mrs Saunders.

Yes.

It is a sound that has never been

heard before this day.

It is very, very disturbing.

Silly woman.

All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great

and small, all things wise and wonderful, and

all God made them all.

Perhaps it is only very delicate, very tender

flowers, and flowers that feel this pain.

Would they call it pain?

It could be that larger, older things are

immune.

Perhaps, perhaps the larger and more massive are

not so terribly sensitive.

Do not fear.

I wonder, I wonder.

I

wonder,

I wonder.

I

wonder,

I wonder.

Oh, I am sorry.

I am so very sorry.

But it will heal.

It will heal.

I promise.

Scott.

Operator, 246.

Quickly, please.

Hello.

Yes, speaking.

Ah, Dr Scott.

Dr Scott.

Come quickly, please, please.

Who is that?

What's the trouble?

You remember yesterday I told you my theory

about sound and that I hoped...

What's the matter?

Are you ill?

No, no, no.

I am not ill.

I...

Well, damn it, Klausner.

It's half past six in the morning.

You wake me up and tell me you're

not ill.

Dr Scott, please come quickly.

I want someone to hear it.

It's driving me mad.

I can't believe it.

I...

Now, take it quietly, Mr Klausner.

I want someone to tell me I'm not

mad.

Yes, yes, of course.

Are you there, Mr Klausner?

Well, there is something else.

Your medical, your surgical skills may be required.

I'll come at once.

Now then, Mr Klausner, what's the trouble?

Doctor, I want you to come with me.

I want you to hear it as proof.

Will you come?

Where are we going?

To the churchyard.

Come.

Now, look here, Mr Klausner.

I think we ought to go back to

the house.

We can talk about it there.

Look, I want you to listen to something,

something quite extraordinary.

Will you come to the churchyard?

Five minutes, five minutes, that's all.

Very well.

Five minutes.

Very good fellow.

This way, through here, round to the left,

there's a shortcut.

I don't suppose you know.

I wanted an old tree.

The trees in my garden aren't old enough.

And why the axe?

Well, you'll see in a moment.

It's this way, over here.

Now, here is the tree.

It must be 200, 250 years old, if

not more.

That way round, please.

Now, please, put these on and listen very

carefully.

Afterwards, tell me precisely what you hear.

I want to know.

It is very important.

Now, what do you hear?

What do I what?

Do you hear anything?

Oh, just a humming noise.

What are you waiting for?

Oh, nothing, nothing.

Watch out!

Quickly now!

Run, quickly!

Quickly!

Good heavens.

What an extraordinary thing.

Did you hear it in the earphones?

Did you hear anything when the axe struck?

Well, as a matter of fact, I...

No, no, I'm not sure.

I couldn't be sure.

I don't suppose I had the earphones on

for more than a second after the axe

struck.

Yes, yes, but what did you hear?

I don't know.

I don't know what I heard.

Probably the noise of the branch breaking.

What did it sound like?

I don't know.

Now, let's leave it.

Dr. Scott, what did it sound like?

For God's sake, how could I tell without

the tree falling on us?

I was more interested in getting out of

the way.

Look, I...

Let's go back to the house.

I think perhaps you ought to...

I might prescribe something, a mild sedative.

Stitch this up.

I beg your pardon?

You stitch this up quickly.

Now, don't be silly, Mr. Klausner.

You do as I say!

Stitch it up!

Now, calmly, Mr. Klausner.

I can't stitch through wood.

Now, come on, let's go back.

Have you any iodine in your bag?

No, I haven't.

Open your bag.

This is ridiculous.

Open your bag!

What if I do have iodine?

Paint the cut with it!

Now, look, Mr. Klausner, I can't stitch through

wood.

Paint the cut with the iodine!

All right.

All right.

It'll sting, but that can't be helped.

Now, make sure you get it right in.

Yes.

Right in.

Good.

Now, this one, this one here.

Below.

There.

That should do nicely.

Yes, yes, that should do nicely.

You come again tomorrow and see them again.

Yes, yes, of course.

And put more iodine on.

If necessary, yes.

Thank you, thank you.

Oh, dear.

Come on, we must go now.

What about my machine?

Oh, don't worry.

I'll take care of that.

Thank you.

Operator, get me the asylum.

Mr. Skinnington, Dr. Scott speaking.

Hello, Norman Frank here.

Someone I want you to have a look

at.

They're sending an ambulance.

No, no, not violent.

I've already done that.

Five cc's.

Good.

Good, thank you.

How do you feel now?

You may want to sleep in a moment.

I suppose they don't call it pain.

I expect plants and trees have another name

for it.

Toin.

Or spurl.

Or penukmut.

Not pain.

The noise was worse than anything any human

could make.

Frightening.

Toneless.

Think of a field.

A field of wheat.

Standing up straight and yellow and alive.

And then the reaper goes through it.

Cutting the stems.

500 stems a second every second.

Oh, my God.

What would that noise?

It's all right.