Fritz Lang's classic sci-fi film Metropolis gets a new electronic soundtrack

[thomdunn]

Originally published at: Fritz Lang's classic sci-fi film Metropolis gets a new electronic soundtrack | Boing Boing

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[beschizza]

Giorgio Moroder, previously!

[Otherbrother]

@thomdunn

So it’s only fitting that someone would come with a computer-derived, synthesized soundtrack for it.

That’s been done a few times before, starting with a version the BBC released in 1975.

Kinda makes me wonder if someday future generations will do new releases of Star Wars movies, replacing the John Williams orchestral score with 1970’s style synth music.

[Raymond]

Again?

[Alvin_Goodman]

Lost in all this noise is the fact that Metropolis is a better movie with the sound turned off.

Unless Fritz Lang says “This… THIS music is what I had in my head as I was making this movie… fantastic!” , the effort doesn’t move the needle.

[Otherbrother]

@Alvin_Goodman

Unless Fritz Lang says “This… THIS music is what I had in my head as I was making this movie… fantastic!” , the effort doesn’t move the needle.

According to Wikipedia there is one score (written by Gottfried Huppertz) that could probably make that claim:

Huppertz’s music played a prominent role during the film’s production; the composer often played piano on Lang’s set to inform the actors’ performances. Huppertz’s score only accompanied the film once, at its original premiere.

[mspie500]

@Otherbrother

Kinda makes me wonder if someday future generations will do new releases of Star Wars movies, replacing the John Williams orchestral score with 1970’s style synth music.

The music exists already, so I can see it happening, unofficially at least.

Music From Star Wars By Electric Moog Orchestra (1977)

[gracchus]

@beschizza

Giorgio Moroder, previously !

My first thought. I guess the film just lends itself to electronic scoring.

[Gnagn]

That was the first thing I thought of.

The second thing I thought of was the Alloy Orchestra, who were a Boston area group that composed and performed live scores to silent films using very eclectic instrumentation. I never got to see them live, but I did own their first album, New Music For Silent Films. Very cool stuff.

Alloy Orchestra

[Elmer]

They did a live performance of Nosferatu some years ago at AFI SIlver which was wonderful - the “handmade” vibe matched the antique imagery perfectly, which is something that is often lacking in the newer scores written for these films (which is why Moroder’s Metropolis and Philip Glass’s Dracula always left me cold). Count mine among the endorsements for these guys.

[Gyrofrog]

My family paid good money for that record… we didn’t pay attention to that circled disclaimer in the upper-left corner of the album cover.

[smulder]

Moog Sub37 Goes to Star Wars Symphonic Theme

[NukeML]

I can think of a better soundtrack

[Ceran_Swicegood]

Saw them play live for two different versions of Metropolis, as well as Nosferatu. It was great. I don’t see how a fully synth version would be better—the film is totally steampunk with strong supernatural overtones. The Inventor is basically an alchemist.

[KarlS]

I quite liked Heller’s recontruction of the original Huppertz score It’s as close to the original experience as we are ever going to get.