Decoder (film)

Decoder
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMuscha
Written by
Produced by
  • Klaus Maeck
  • Muscha
  • Volker Schäfer
  • Trini Trimpop
Starring
CinematographyJohanna Heer
Edited by
  • Jonathon Braun
  • Klaus Maeck
  • Muscha
  • Volker Schäfer
  • Eva-Maria Will
Production
company
Fett Film
Distributed byFreunde der Deutschen Kinemathek
Release date
  • 19 February 1984 (1984-02-19) (West Germany)[1]
Running time
87 minutes
CountryWest Germany
Languages

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 musician who discovers that by changing the background music at a burger shop from pleasantly calming to industrial "noise" music, he can incite riots and a revolution against the looming power of the government.

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]

  1. ^ "Декодер (1984) - КиноПоиск.ru" (in Russian). KinoPoisk. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  2. ^ "Time Capsule of Almost Forgotten Films: DECODER (Muscha) [1984]". 12 June 2011.
  3. ^ a b ""Decoder" is a Forgotten Star-Studded Indie Thriller About Sonic Terrorism | Motherboard". Archived from the original on 2014-01-13. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  4. ^ "Decoder". Vinegar Syndrome. Retrieved 2019-08-10.