Various ‎– Metropolis - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Electronic, Rock

Electro, Pop Rock, Synth-pop

1984

'Metropolis' was originally produced in 1926 by Fritz Lang in Germany. Against his wishes, the film was subsequently shortened for it's American release which left the story disjointed, difficult to comprehend and caused the loss of many scenes, most of which were thought to be lost forever.
In 1983, Giorgio Moroder bought the rights of the film and restored and produced the 80-minute 1984 re-release.
The original classical score composed by Gottfried Huppertz was then considered lost.
By following the original script, the novel of the film, discovered missing pieces of the film and photographs, 'Metropolis' was restored as close to it's original conception as possible.
In 2005, Wollongong-based historian and politician Michael Organ found 11 lost scenes of the film by examining a copy at the National Film Archive of New Zealand.
On July 1, 2008, film experts in Berlin announced that a 16 mm reduction negative of the original premiere cut of the film, including almost all of the lost scenes, had been discovered in the archives of the Museo del Cine (film museum) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The find was authenticated by film experts working for Die Zeit. Passed around since 1928 from film distributor to private collector to an art foundation, the Metropolis copy arrived at the Museo del Cine, where it stayed undiscovered in their archives. After hearing an anecdote by the cinema club manager — who years before had been surprised by the length when this copy was screened — the museum's curator and the director of the film department of the Museum of Latin American Art reviewed the film and discovered the missing scenes. The print was in poor condition and required considerable restoration before it was re-premiered in February 2010 for the occasion of the 60th Berlinale.
'Metropolis' can now be seen complete with it's original score.
Many other versions of the score were produced over the years:
- The 1975 BBC version of Metropolis features an electronic score, composed by William Fitzwater and Hugh Davies. It is usually described by many as the worst score ever made for the movie.
- In 1991, The Alloy Orchestra created a new original score to Moroder's version of Metropolis.
- In 1994, Rambo Amadeus, Serbia-based Montenegrin composer, composed a new version of the score.
- Martin Matalon composed a score for 16 instruments and electronics, commissioned and produced by IRCAM. Premiered at Théâtre du Châtelet 30 and 31 May 1995. Over 30 performances worldwide since then.
- Peter Osborne composed a synth orchestral / electronic score for the JEF/Eureka 139-minute B&W DVD version (released only in UK).
- In 2001, Jeff Mills released a new techno score. The same year, Bernd Schultheis and Sofia's Radio Orchestra also produced their version (accompaniment for film festivals in 2001 and shown on German television).
- In 2002, Art Zoyd, a French avant-garde/electronic band released a new score.
- In 2004, Abel Korzeniowski released a 40 minute preview of a new score he composed.
- In 2005, a duo called The New Pollutants (Benjamin Speed and Tyson Hopprich) released 'Metropolis Rescore'. Performed live for festivals since 2005.
- In 2008, Avant-garde music project Sinfonia Electronique released 'Music from the Big Machines' as an alternate soundtrack to the film.
- In 2010, the Montreal Fantasia Film Festival version was scored by Canadian silent film composer Gabriel Thibaudeau.