New release: Screen Archives Entertainment and Film Score Monthly have announced the upcoming release of rare soundtracks by composer Regerro Cini. So rare, in fact, they have never appeared in complete form before! From the press release: "I FANTASTICI 3 SUPERMEN - 3 SUPERMEN A TOKYO. This CD contains the world premiere complete recordings of two very nice scores by composer Ruggero Cini for the 1967/1968 action/spy movies “I FANTASTICI 3 SUPERMEN” (aka “THE THREE FANTASTIC SUPERMEN” – “DIE DREI SUPERMANNER RAUMEN AUF” – “LES TROIS FANTASTIQUES SUPERMEN”) directed in 1967 by Gianfranco Parolini (aka Frank Kramer) and starring Tony Kendall, Brad Harris, Nick Jordan, Gloria Paul, Sal Borgese and “TRE SUPERMEN A TOKYO” (aka “DREI TOLLE KERLE” – “3 SUPERMEN À TOKYO”) directed in 1968 by Bitto Albertini starring George Martin, Dick Gordon, Willy Newcomb, Gloria Paul. In the first movie an agent of the F.B.I. joins two professional thieves to get hold of a sum of money that will allow him to discover a lousy gang, whose boss has not so very quiet plans for humanity. The three men all endowed with great physical strength and exceptional acrobatic qualities, succeed in the exploit also thanks to some bulletproof jerseys created by a scientist, father of the girlfriend of one of the three supermen who’ll complete their work, destroying the deadly invention and eliminating dangerous individuals forever. In the second movie a British agent investigating a short film about the lives of senior English personalities—some episodes of which could have triggered a scandal if released—allies with two very clever thieves and sets off in search of the film. The three arrive in Tokyo where they manage to overcome the most serious difficulties and dangers, cheating death only because they are in possession of a bulletproof vest. The three then use a machine created to miniaturize and manage to foil the scandal. These two motion pictures mix all the elements of comic book superheroes (typical of the Italian Cinema of those years with characters like Diabolik, Kriminal, Satanik and many others), Eurospy movies and the masked look of famous Mexican wrestlers. Composer Ruggero Cini (Scandicci, 30 November 1933 - Rome, 8 April 1981) has worked for Cinema and at the same time he was a highly talented arranger for singers Luigi Tenco (song “Vedrai vedrai”) and Patty Pravo (for whom he wrote the music to her 1968 super hit “La bambola”) , Claudio Baglioni and Renato Zero. RCA issued just two singles from the soundtracks of these motion pictures. The composer wrote two very brilliant scores featuring a recurrent cheerful and easy-going Burt Bacharach-style main theme for trumpet in a very lounge mode that perfectly describes the adventures of the three Supermen, also reprised for sax as a fantastic bossa nova, but suspense/action music, funny marches and circus music are not missing here. The rescue and preservation of these two very lovely scores was overdue as sincere tribute to genre cinema and its fantastic soundtracks." I loved these Italian spy thriller/costumed hero hybrid movies. Argoman is still is fave! Happy to see Beat Records working to preserve these genre-bending soundtracks. More info here. Enjoy!
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Another busy week here at the Spy Vibe lair. It was a mad dash to get all of my art students ready for their annual exhibit before everyone left for a week-long experiential learning course and spring break. I spent weeks planning a trip with students to visit major literary sites in the UK. We were going to sty with host families in Stratford Upon Avon and soak in some Shakespeare, followed by London exhibits to study old faves such as Sherlock Holmes, Alice, and Dickens. Amazingly I got sick the day before our departure and another teacher went in my place. So sad to miss the adventure and getting through a virus is no fun, but I've been passing the last few days with Poirot mysteries and getting reacquainted with some of the 1960s classics that really walk the line between spy/espionage, crime, and science fiction. One film that brought a smile to my face once again was Fantastic Argoman. This Italian production was released in 1967 and drew heavily from the costumed hero/anti-hero traditions in Europe, which included Superargo, The Three Fantastic Supermen, and Diabolik. Argoman is one of those rich playboy types with a butler and modernist lair, who has the reputation of the rogue/thief, but works (sort of) on the side of the law to thwart other criminals. It seems Argoman always demands payment for his services, so he comes across as quite the mercenary, enjoying his own private collection of rare art and antiquities (like the Mono Lisa!). Argoman also uses his superpowers of suggestion and telekinesis to get women (yikes!), though he loses his powers for six hours after "being" with them. Despite this kind of cringeworthy attitude from the period, the old thriller conventions in the film are playful and fun and, as you can see from these graphics, the sets and costumes were steeped in the visual language of science fiction and cliffhanger serials. The set designers literally elevated the notion that the character is above- above the law, above normal men, a fantasy, a carefree bachelor- by suspending all of his furniture on ropes (the results are pretty silly). You can also see psychedelic elements creeping in with organic patterns replacing the Op-influence so prevalent between 1965-1967. Argoman's costume is nothing to write home about, but the femme fatale does get to don a green hat that resembles Cardin's 1966 Space helmet design. Music by movie maestro Piero Umiliani and costumes by Gaia Romanini (Operation Kid Brother, Special Mission Lady Chaplin). Below: German Lobby cards and French poster. Spy Vibers can read a great review of the movie at our sister site, Double O Section. If you enjoy costumed crime/sci-fi characters from the 1960s, check out They Call Me Superseven, a fun homage to the period by stuntman/writer/director Robert Griffith (also on DVD). Enjoy!
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