Title: Il prigioniero
(The prisoner)
Year: 1978
Composer: Ennio Morricone
A forgotten
TV movie about an intellectual man who is sent to political exile in 1930s
Italy under Mussolini’s rule. That’s pretty much everything I know about the
project and the score by Ennio Morricone doesn’t really give a clue about the
events that they should underscore. Even though this score isn’t a classic
there are certainly much to enjoy in the 2010 Digitmovies album which is now
sold out completely.
When you
look at the tracklist you notice only a few different titles. L'estate è finite is the main theme
which is almost unbearable with its sadness. The beautiful flute solo carries
the piece and it’s accompanied by soft strings that transform from their
ominous beginning to offering at least some salvation at the theme’s latter
part. The melody is then reprised by the harpsichord. Versione 2 drops the main melody and just has the melancholic backing
strings while harpsichord plays the slow ostinato that usually accompanies the main
melody. After many long suspense cues the theme is reprised fully in Versione 3 making it sound both
nostalgic and fragile. Versione 4 offers
another ‘backing track’ without the main melody and harpsichord. The final
sendoff of the theme in track 15 has only the solo harpsichord and strings but
it lacks the emotion that is achieved by the flute.
The longest
tracks on the album are devoted to uneasy yet restrained suspense. I due prigionieri introduce this main
idea with two solo flutes resembling the opening string phrase of the main
theme. However the mood continues to a completely different direction: the
flutes wander together endlessly and are later joined by intense unison string
backing and countermelodies. Some people might find this kind of scoring
irritatingly boring but there is an intrigue about Morricone’s attention to
ever developing sense of doom that never reaches a climax. This method was
utilized in another Morricone score I…
comme Icare the following year. The motif gets its best variation in Versione 3 that begins with a piano solo
that has some qualities that are heard in Maestro’s chamber music works. The
strings appear once again but this time they become almost overbearing with
their dramatic intensity that is amplified further with harmonies that start to
sound a bit off at times. Finally the crystal-clear flute comes in and pounds
the shocking repetitive musical effect straight to the bottom of the listeners’
stomachs. Similar more aggressive variation by the woodwind section is applied
to Versione 7 but with more tedious results.
Versione 4 begins directly with the
whole orchestra and this time the orchestrations make it float in a way that is
almost pleasing. The longest version in track 12 is also the most extroverted
and features a piano, a harpsichord and a bassoon as the primary instruments.
The last album cue leaves the listener into a state of anxiety because there is
no clear resolution to the wandering suspense.
Versione 2 is a different suspense method that Morricone
reprised in Il bandito dagli occhi
azzurri in 1980. This time the flutes form open chords and the suspense is
created with countermelodies provided by the piano and bassoon. It’s developed
fully in Versione 5 which begins with
two echoing piano lines that are joined by a harpsichord playing that very same
line but slowed down. The unison high strings also make an appearance but they
never outshine the other instruments and thus the track has almost serene
qualities despite being suspenseful. At the end the strings settle in their
lower register and provide actually moving harmonies while the suspense is
handled by the pianos.
Si l’ammuri is an original song that sounds like a Sicilian
folk song. The performance by the unnamed male voice is tragic, but his voice
isn’t very pleasant to listen to. There is also a viola-piano duet called Dove sei amore which resembles the
material of some romantic composers and would be perfect for a restaurant
setting. There’s also Versione vocal
of the track but it’s actually a different melody this time in 4/4 beat. The
vocal performance has a schlager music like cling to it.
It might
sound that I describe only moods and instruments in my review but that’s pretty
much which makes the soundtrack special. Most of the cues comprise of repeating
short phrases and there isn't much variety melodically or harmonically.
However the listener’s interest is maintained with instrumental choices and at
times meditative, at times brooding atmosphere. The album is very heavy to
finish with one listen due to the overbearing drama of the music. It’s nevertheless a
nice addition to Morricone’s more small scale efforts.
Rating: ****
Tracklist:
1. L'estate
è finita (versione singolo lato A) (03:03) *****
2. I due
prigionieri (04:54) ****
3. I due
prigionieri (versione 2) (03:58) ****
4. Si l'ammuri (01:42) ***
5. L'estate è finita (versione 2) (02:48) ****
6. I due
prigionieri (versione 3) (05:29) *****
7. Dove sei
amore (03:34) ****
8. I due
prigionieri (versione 4) (04:22) ***
9. L'estate
è finita (versione 3) (02:14) *****
10. I due
prigionieri (versione 5) (06:01) *****
11. Dove
sei amore (versione vocal) (03:02) ****
12. I due
prigionieri (versione 6) (06:11) ***
13. L'estate
è finita (versione 4) (02:48) ****
14. I due
prigionieri (versione 7) (03:01) ***
15. L'estate
è finita (versione 5) (02:15) ****
16. I due
prigionieri (versione singolo lato B) (03:39) ****
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