From the Mount Holyoke News, 11/9/00
by Jessica Liese '01, Arts & Entertainment Editor
Before there was George Orwell, Isaac Asimov or even Ed Wood, there was Fritz Lang. In 1927, decades before science fiction became widely received in film, the German filmmaker made Metropolis, a film that defied the eras technological limitations and social conventions. Today, this film is no less powerful than when it made its debut, but thanks to a brand-new score by the Alloy Orchestra, its gained a new dimension and audience. The Alloy Orchestra performed their remarkable score at a screening of the film at the Academy of Music last Saturday night as part of the Northampton FilmFestival.
The three-man ensemble employs an electronic keyboard as well as numerous percussion instruments to create their soundtracks. The group, however, will employ any object that makes the desired noise, from pots and pans to bells and whistles. Their score added a new layer of emotion and cohesion to the film.
The film itself has a surprisingly complex plot for the era. Freder (Gustav Frohlich) is a spoiled young playboy whose fathe controls an important factory. When he falls in love with the beautiful and charismatic Maria (Brigitte Helm), he is suddenly plunged into the dark underworld of his father's factory, where nameless, faceless workers are subjected to grueling ten-hour shifts and inhumane conditions in an underground city. To the workers, Maria is a Messianic figure who speaks of a better life above the ground. Through her, Freder becomes sympathetic to their plight and vows to help them negotiate with his father.
A wrench is thrown into the workers plans in the form of Rotwang, an insane but brilliant scientist bent on creating a robot-- specifically, a female robot. He steals Marias likeness for the robot, and the clone promptly escapes from Rotwangs control, using Maria's influence to convince the workers to destroy their underground metropolis. When Freder and Maria become separated in their attempt to save the workers, it becomes unclear which Maria is the real one and which is the robot.
What makes the film so powerful is the fact that it is so far ahead of its time. The futuristic robot and Art-Deco sets have inspired thousands of films, stories and television shows dealing with cybernetics, space travel and other popular science-fiction themes, and the futuristic story as a vehicle for social commentary was certainly an innovative concept in 1927. Langs message is clear: he warns against playing God, whether in the factory or the lab.
As Lang seems unencumbered by the technological limitations of the era in Metropolis, the Alloy Orchestra is not limited by the fact that their ensemble consists of only three musicians. Together, they create an enormous sound that rivals a full symphony, incorporating elements of classical, jazz and rock into their music.
This is not the first soundtrack ever written to Metropolis,
nor is it the first modern attempt (that dubious honor goes to
disco producer Giorgio Moroder, whose 1975 attempt to score the
film included songs performed by Freddie Mercury and Billy Squier,
among others). But I would venture to say that it is the best
balance of the composers creativity and
imagination with the preexisting elements of the film.
When Rotwang unveils the robot, the synthesizer oozes Wagnerian
chords in a triumphant-yet-malevolent fanfare. When the evil robot
clone is shown dancing in the local house of ill repute, the orchestra
launches into a hard-driving, up-tempo rock beat reminiscent of
James Bond or Peter Gunn. Mechanical clanking and steam-engine
sound effects accompany factory
scenes. And in every chase scene, percussion and synthesizer alike
add to the franticness and suspense. Throughout the film, the
Alloy Orchestra reminds us that no movie is complete without a
great soundtrack.
But the Alloy Orchestra doesnt stop at background music. They add in sound effects at key moments a squeaky door here, a footstep there. The effects are not always literal, but they always blend into the music so seamlessly that the surrounding sounds are suggested. While the ensemble did not consciously attempt to reproduce the sound of the water flooding the underground city, for example, or Freders anguished wail as he realizes his beloved Maria has been kidnapped, I could swear they were there all the same.