DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH

I'd be interested to read it Alan, but in your own time, get better first.

Alan, I was wondering if you were aware that Eisenstein's original intention was to have a new score written for the film every 20 years. The last version was by The Pet Shop Boys which I haven't heard, though I'd like to.

It's very hard to imagine exactly what was in the mind of a soviet film maker in the 1920's, I've only read that statement but nothing further and in-depth.

I suppose watching something like Metropolis gives an idea of how people thought technology would advance. But usually, these projections forward are bedded in the current technology available.

Exactly. As a kid I thought the future would be travelling in rocket planes, wearing silver suits, moon bases and girls with purple hair.

http://www.oldies.com/search/keywords.c … 2&y=18

Available
Tom

I've been going through the various Shostakovich symphonies, trying to marry up what goes where in the movie. The cutting has ranged from using large segments of specific movements from symphonies through to snipping out short sequences to try for specific sequences in the film. The 11th Symphony seems to be the symphony that is used the most out of those used. And, as I think I mentioned somewhere, I'm amazed sometimes how well Shostakovich's music fits the action on screen. Would anyone know if the film was edited at all when the new music was added?

I've now gone and made my own CD of the various cuts and edits that's a close approximation of what's heard in the movie, though it doesn't all fit on one CD. Although the film is a shade over 70 minutes in length I have a total of 82 minutes (that may fit on one CD if all the pits and grooves shove up?) because there was at least one sequence early on that had a lot of edits that I got lost with and so just used an entire sequence. And, there's a bit of a difference with the various performances of all the symphonies, but I'm happy with that.

Here's some detail if anyone is interested Numbers are track numbers followed by the times from the Youtube video):

01 - "The Ship / Sleeping Sailors"
00:00 – 03:19 – 5th, First movement : 3:19

02 - "The Men and The Maggots / The Canteen" - this was a sequence where I just took an 11-minute sequence from the symphony rather than edit it down.
03:39 – 09:32 – 11th, Second movement : 5:53

03 - "The Soup / The Ship's Store / Our Daily Bread"
09:32 – 14:10 – 10th, Third movement : 4:38

04 - "The Deck / The Men Divided"
14:20 – 19:55 – 10th, First movement : 5:35

05 - "The Condemned Sailors / The Priest"
19:55 – 23:09 – 10th, First movement : 3:14

06 - "The Mutiny / Assault On The Priest"
23:40 – 24:50 – 10th, Third movement : 1:10
24:50 – 25:56 – 10th, Third movement : 1:06

07 - "Brothers, Victory Is Ours! / Vakulinchuk Shot"
25:56 – 29:48 – 4th, Third movement : 3:52

08 - "The Death of Vakulinchuk / To Odessa / Vakulinchuk Laid Out"
29:50 – 31:18 – 11th, Second movement : 1:28
31:18 – 32:36 – 11th, Second movement : 1:18
32:36 – 33:05 – 11th, Second movement : 0:29

09 - "The Harbor of Odessa / The Uprising Gathers Pace"
33:05 – 41:45 – 11th, Third movement : 8:40

10 - "The People of Odessa March / Workers United"
41:45 – 43:36 – 11th, Fourth movement : 1:51
43:36 – 44:00 – 11th, Fourth movement : 0:24

11 - "The Odessa Flotilla Greets The Potemkin"
44:07 – 48:33 – 5th, Second movement : 4:26

12 - "The Odessa Steps"
48:33 – 52:16 – 11th, Second movement : 3:43
52:16 – 52:48 – 11th, First movement : 0:32
52:48 – 55:12 – 5th, Third movement : 2:24

13 - "The Reply To The Massacre"
55:12 – 55:50 – 4th, First movement : 0:38

14 - "Stormy Meetings"
55:55 – 57:25 – 4th, Third movement : 1:30

15 - "Restless Night"
57:25 – 1:01:11 – 4th, Third movement : 3:46

16 - "The Squadron Sighted / All Hands On Deck"
1:01:12 – 1:02:54 – 10th, First movement : 1:42
1:02:54 – 1:03:07 – 11th, First movement : 0:13
1:03:07 – 1:05:05 – 11th, Second movement : 1:58

17 - "Full Steam Ahead!"
1:05:12 – 1:08:45 – 8th, Third movement : 3:33

18 - "Brothers!"
1:08:51 – 1:12:51 – 5th, Fourth movement : 4:00

Taking a listen to both Meisel's version of the Odessa Steps sequence and what was used from Shostakovih's material it seems to me that Meisel's more rhythmic music seems to emphasise the advancing troops from beginning to end. However, the Shostakovich's music highlights the fleeing of the people in the face of the advancing troops.

I'm hoping to have a listen to both and see how both scores work in the film.

http://sdtom.wordpress.com/2011/07/03/p … stakovich/

I've included the dies irae and theremin tracks.
Tom

You managed to get there in the end!

Ironically I'm listening to another score right now that also has long references to the Marseillaise. A very popular film if one would care to guess.
Tom

AWESOME! I love Gadfly! IMHO, his best film score.

-Erik-

Indeed! His music as a whole is fucking super amazing awesome!

-Erik-

I will be interested which version you prefer.

Is this a Russian label?