Decoder (film)
Decoder is a 1984 West German film directed by Muscha. It is a cyberpunk and counter-cultural film roughly based on the writings of William S. Burroughs, who also acts in the film.[2] Bill Rice plays Jaeger ("Hunter"), an agent of the government in charge of suppressing dissidents, while FM Einheit plays a burger shop employee who discovers that by changing the background music from pleasantly calming to industrial "noise" music, he can incite riots and a revolution against the looming power of the government.
Decoder | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Muscha |
Produced by |
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Written by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Johanna Heer[1] |
Edited by |
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Production company | Fett Film |
Distributed by | Freunde der Deutschen Kinemathek |
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
Country | West Germany |
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Decoder was made on a small budget, and was written by Muscha, Klaus Maeck, Volker Schäfer, and Trini Trimpop. Nevertheless, the project was able to attract a number of notable people within the countercultural and industrial music "scenes" to perform in it. Actors included Burroughs, Genesis P-Orridge, Christiane Felscherinow, and bands included Soft Cell, Psychic TV, Einstürzende Neubauten, and The The.[3]
The film was considered "oddly forgotten", and for numerous years was not in wide circulation.[3] In 2019, however, the film was re-released on Blu-ray and DVD.[4]
Cast
- F.M. Einheit as F.M.
- Bill Rice as Jaeger
- Christiane F. as Christiana
- Berthold Bell as H-Burger trainer (as Britzhold Baron De Belle)
- Matthias Fuchs as H-Burger manager
- William S. Burroughs as Old Man
- Genesis P-Orridge as High Priest
- Ralf Richter
See also
- The Electronic Revolution, by Burroughs
References
- "Декодер (1984) - КиноПоиск.ru" (in Russian). KinoPoisk. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
- http://forgottenoldfilms.blogspot.com/2011/06/decoder-muscha-1984.html
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-01-13. Retrieved 2013-05-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Decoder". Vinegar Syndrome. Retrieved 2019-08-10.