 Karas spoke only German, which no one in Reed's party spoke, but fellow customers translated Reed's offer to the musician that he compose and perform the soundtrack for "The Third Man".Karas was reluctant since it meant traveling to England, but he finally accepted.Karas wrote and recorded the 40 minutes of music heard in "The Third Man" over a six-week period, after the entire film was translated for him at Shepperton Studios.