Hans Werner Henze chose Wagnerian themes for this movie. The opening scene is at the Rhine river and so Henze chose musical themes influenced by Das Rheingold. Henze called it "the poisoned river" because the dirty water was like the virus in society that was destroying German culture.[4] The music is also a bit disjointed at parts to reflect this. Many of the different musical themes are brought together in a rondo at the end.[6]
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