'Battleship Potemkin' – The Pet Shop Boys

Sybarite

New member
Just got back from seeing Sergei Eisenstein's 1927 silent classic, Battleship Potemkin at the Barbican, with a score by the Pet Shop Boys, performed by them with the string section (and one trumpet) of the BBC Concert Orchestra.

The film tells the story of the 1905 Russian naval mutiny (the sailors refused to eat soup made from rotten, maggot-ridden meat, and the captain decided to shoot a number of them), which provoked support in nearby Odessa and a massacre of civilians by Cossacks.

I've seen the film before, but only on TV. My appreciation was increased by seeing it on a big screen. It's an amazing work with some iconic scenes – not least the Odessa steps sequence.

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe were approached a few years ago to write a new score for the film. The result links a classic orchestral string section with the kind of electro sound that the Pets are famous for, and works exceptionally well, including – unexpectedly, if you haven't heard it before, three songs, which isn't something that you expect in a silent film, but Tennant's haunting voice brings it off superbly. The music is attentive to the dramatic demands of Eisenstein's work and adds to the experience of seeing the film.

A really interesting and enjoyable event and, if anyone is interested, the score is available on CD, with the Dresdener Sinfoniker.
 

Sybarite

New member
My pleasure, Muza.

It's nice to know that it's of interest.

According to the programme notes, a DVD of the film, with this new(ish) score is going to be released.
 
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