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December 18, 2015

ITALIAN SOUNDTRACKS

New releases: I always love receiving updates from Screen Archives Entertainment. In a mainstream world of mediocrity, it's great to know someone out there is digging through master tapes like Indiana Jones to uncover old treasures. Although I didn't see any masterpieces listed recently, there are a number of soundtracks from the world of crime jazz and genre films that might appeal to Spy Vibers. Pay special notice to the parody of James Coburn's Flint films! And if you're a fan of movies from the 1980s, check out the SAE site for a new 6CD Autographed soundtrack collection. Descriptions below from SAE. Enjoy!


Il Vostro Super Agente Flit: "Bruno Canfora composed many soundtracks including this enjoyable one for the film “Flit” which is a parody of the film “Our Man Flint” starring James Coburn (who also starred in “In Like Flint”), to music by Jerry Goldsmith. Canfora composed the brilliant main score “Miliardunesimo” with a shake rhythm and a female voice, heard in the opening titles. It is then repeated in instrumental versions with a rock beat arrangement. There is also no shortage of action music, a romantic love theme, and cocktail bar background music. For this CD, the complete OST is included for the first time ever. The mono master tapes from the original recording session were used and a rare full stereo mix of the song is included, perhaps intended for a record. Strange episodes happening during important diplomatic meetings worldwide threaten peace on earth. Heads of State, Ambassadors and Consuls mock each other for no apparent reason, as if they were in the grip of madness. In order to resolve this delicate situation, the head of N.A.T.O., Hayes, summons Super Agent Flit who is famous around the world for his exploits. Flit discovers that the diplomat’s strange behavior is being caused by extraterrestrials who have hypnotized them. The aliens have had to leave their planet and come to earth where they try to instill terror in the world powers in order to start a nuclear world war which would lead to the self-destruction of the human race and make it possible for the aliens to invade the earth (for ethical reasons they are not allowed to kill humans directly). Flit, along with Aura- a young converted alien who falls in love with Flit, end up saving the world and render the other aliens harmless."


Il Baco Da Seta: "Mario Bertolazzi composed a main score in music-hall style for Smeralda, the failed singer in the film, which is repeated with instrumental variations and also a vocal French version. The leitmotif is alternated with high-tension music typical of giallo films, electronic atmospheres, lounge songs you might hear at a cocktail party, and a danceable shake that seems to tastefully wink at famous American colleagues like Quincy Jones, Lalo Schifrin and Henry Mancini. This excellent OST has been released in its complete version on CD for the first time ever, using the master tapes in full stereo from the original recording session. Smeralda Amadier is a former French singer who lives in Italy in Castiglioncello. She has serious economic problems and is not able to pay her creditors, who threaten to accuse her of fraudulent bankruptcy. One morning she discovers her jewels, which were her last hope to pay her debts, were stolen out of the safe where she was keeping them. Police commissioner Guarneri arrives at the scene and scrupulously starts his investigation. Among the suspects are Smeralda’s sister Ivonne, Smeralda’s lawyer and administrator Planger, the secretary Marcelle, former lover and leech Didier, and in particular Kostas, a young student from Greece who has a habit of making beautiful women take care of him and who had been at Smeralda’s house the night before. In reality, the Greek student was just a pawn in Smeralda’s plan to get the money from the insurance. So when Kostas comes back to get his part of the money, Smeralda kills him and convinces an obliging Guarneri that she had to do it in self-defense."


Arcana: "For this film, Romolo Grano composed an OST where the main score emerges as a sort of concerto in three movements performed by an orchestra (with an emphasis on winds), the voice of Edda Dell’Orso, and pieces played by a Hammond organ. The score develops into an impending classic theme with the modern sound of drums. Psychedelic and macabre atmospheres alternate with a colorful Taranta (folk music) to accompany the most memorable scenes in the film. This OST was arranged and conducted by Berto Pisano.  “L’uomo del tesoro di Priamo”. This OST transports the listener into the world of the archeologist Schliemann. The main score begins with a modern, danceable Greek flavor and is alternated with a charming archaic and Middle Eastern atmosphere with cord instruments, flutes and percussion, as well as sirtaki and bouzouki songs, a nineteenth century waltz and symphonic music. This OST was arranged and conducted by Gianni Oddi. For our CD we were able to use the master tapes in full stereo which had been previously recorded for the promotional albums released under the label Pegaso (listed as PEGASO PG7 e PEGASO PG14). Directed in 1972 by Giulio Questi. Starring Lucia Bosé, Maurizio Degli Esposti, Tina Aumont, Renato Paracchi, Giovanni Ricci, Gianfranco Pozzi, Annarella De Faveri, Dario Viganò."



Milano... Defenders O Morire"For this poliziottesco (Italian crime film), Gianni Ferrio composed an OST which starts with a subdued introduction with strings, piano, distorted guitar and sax pieces, and then develops into dramatic American blues. The composer repeats the main score with orchestral variations, sometimes nostalgic for the difficult love story between the main characters, and sometimes with a pop beat alternated with a charged-up crime drama theme for the action scenes. During the film a danceable discoteque melody can be heard, presumably a piece from a pre-existing repertoire, which was not found on the master tapes. This is a jewel of an OST, salvaged and preserved on CD for the absolute first time thanks to the only copy of the mono master which survived from the private archive of Gianni Ferrio, and which had been carefully preserved by his wife Alba.  Director and Cast: Directed in 1978 by Gianni Martucci. Starring Marc Porel, George Hilton, Annamaria Rizzoli, Al Cliver, Guido Leontini, Barbara Magnolfi, Bruno Di Luia, Anthony Freeman, Silvia Mauri, Osvaldo Natale, Amparo Pilar, Nino Vingelli, Parvin Tabrizi."

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