Title: Maciste
nelle miniere di Re Salomone (Maciste in King Solomon’s mines)
Year: 1964
Composer: Francesco De Masi
Maciste was
an Italian Hercules-like strongman character who first appeared on the big screen
during the silent film era and later was resurrected by the peplum films of the
60s and 70s. This time he has to save a village from working as slaves in a
gold mine. Only a few tracks from the score by Francesco De Masi have survived
to this day and they were released along with two other short scores in 2010.
The ominous
opening cue Outline of history has De
Masi’s typical dramatic orchestral writing that unfortunately isn’t that
interesting until the end when a short fanfare is introduced probably depicting
the hero himself. Disappointingly that heroic mood is short-lived because the
continuation in Mystery in the mines is
just dull suspenseful music that has barely any melodic hooks to grab on. Some
of the woodwind lines are rather nice but they’re overshadowed by the
surrounding dullness. Maciste and the
King offers more uninteresting drama before the pace fastens and menacing
brass fanfares build into a brief action statement that again dissolves before
developing into something more meaningful. The score is at its loudest in Destruction of the mines however I once
again find myself being bored by the supposed bombast that seems to lack any
thematic thought behind it. Judging by the title I would imagine this cue to be
the film’s final action scene, but judging by the music it never reaches the
right scope. The short finale cue builds into a typical hopeful orchestral
crescendo that would be better if only some of the thematic material heard here
would have been present in the preceding tracks.
The lack of
a hummable melody and feeling of emptiness behind even the larger action
statements make this score quite forgettable. It is by no means unbearable but
just falls flat compared to the other two scores on the album.
Rating: **1/2
Title: La
rivolta delle gladiatrici (The arena)
Year: 1974
Composer: Francesco De Masi
The second
score featured on the album is from a gladiator/exploitation flick about slave
women who have to fight for their freedom in a gladiator arena. A great action
ostinato opens the score after a cool brass fanfare on top of which the film’s
main theme is heard on the woodwinds. This surprisingly emotional melody is
heard in full in Le gladiatrici with
another surprising addition, a mournful humming choir which disappointingly is
never heard again. The lullaby-like nature and the romantic harmonies
nevertheless build into an extremely moving and nostalgic piece of music that showcases
De Masi’s stellar thematic writing.
Unfortunately
this score suffers from the same problems as Maciste. You see, many of the cues can’t hold the listener’s
interest because they offer barely anything to hold on. Sfida nell’arena for instance has only sparse brass fanfares over a
slow, meandering bassline again missing any thematic threads. Combattimento tries to amp up the
atmosphere with percussive action writing but the overall minimalistic approach
and the questionable quality of the brass bursts just doesn’t work. Luckily the
main theme returns in a subdued version in the cue’s latter part Desolazione. Morte nell’arena returns to the duet of percussion and brass which
probably is suitable for the scene in question but really doesn’t musically
depict the threat of a gladiator battle. Even the main theme can’t save the
dullness of the following cue that probably should be one of the film’s
climatic action sequences but just fails musically. The last cue doesn’t offer
anything new and even the short quote of main theme starts to sound uninspired.
There’s no big resolution either but everything just fades away in a quiet and
beaten down manner.
The opening
action and brilliant main theme could have resulted in a much more thrilling
listening experience but unfortunately the minimalistic approach for the
moments of action just doesn’t work without the visuals. Probably due to budgetary
reasons especially the brass section sounds very small hence creating a very
thin sound. Taken all this to account the score unfortunately feels like a
missed opportunity.
Rating: ***
Title: Il
figlio dello sceicco (Kerim, son of the sheik)
Year: 1962
Composer: Francesco De Masi
By far the
best score on this release is the last one, Il
figlio dello sceicco. The film about two rivaling brothers who are battling
for the domination of the desert received a colourful score by De Masi filled
with a vast contrast of styles ranging from Middle-Eastern moods, brutal action
setpieces and a few lovely romantic passages.
Probably
after the previous dull cues the beginning, Aurora
sul deserto sounds just like a breath of fresh air. But also by itself it’s
a magnificent composition that prepares the listener for the wonders of the
Middle-East. The main theme introduced here draws inspiration from oriental
atmospheres but the harmonic touches are pure De Masi. I also love how
seemingly simple the melody is but when you listen closely you realize the underlying
changing time signatures and rhythms. A nostalgic love theme is heard in Trionfo dello sceicco before an
earth-shatteringly majestic rendition of the main theme ends the cue in a
glorious orchestral crescendo. La tenda
dell’odalisca is the score’s most romantic cue which bounces between the love
theme and the main theme but has also surprising bursts of suspense heard
previously in Mistero fra le sabbie.
Love theme returns also in Verso l’oasi
before turning into a dramatic action cue with Middle-Eastern brass fanfares
and menacing low piano lines.
The abundant
action writing is very brutal compared to the romantic moods. Combattimento nel deserto has menacing
brass fanfares amid rhythmic string writing and bursts of larger orchestral
forces clearly signaling a large-scale battle sequence. A driving rhythm
continues in Galoppo e attesa over
which the majestic main theme receives a heroic rendition. The previously mentioned
action fanfares are heard in a major key arrangement at the beginning of Agguato alla carovana which return after
a short moment of sneaky suspense blasting through a wall of sound produced by
the massive percussion section. After another recurring descending action motif
of Introduzione e angoscia the mood
cools down momentarily reprising the action statements in a more peaceful
manner. Mistero fra le sabbie goes
even further offering nocturnal mysterious tension that is just a joy to listen
to due to De Masi’s clever and colourful orchestrations. These moods open also Battaglia fra le palme which then
develops into another massive action cue with occasional glorious main theme
statements signaling the victory for our heroes. But it’s not the complete
victory yet because eventually the tension and drama return again. Wretched
variations of the main theme and action fanfares are heard in L’imboscata dello sceicco which later
features more furious action that continues into a more laid-back yet menacing caravan
cue Pericolo nella Casbah that momentarily
changes to a more hopeful mood before returning to the drama. The final two
cues feature similar action music heard in the other cues but the overall mood
is more hopeful though still very dramatic. Unfortunately there is no big
finish but the score just ends abruptly with no clear musical clue whether or
not the hero won.
The score
feels a bit like one long action cue which showcases some of De Masi’s greatest
orchestral writing. However the brutal nature may be off-putting for some
listeners and the lack of a proper resolution also diminishes the listening
experience a little. Nevertheless it’s the score to return to on this release
due to the great melodic moments and in-your-face attitude presented
throughout.
Rating: ****1/2
Tracklist:
“Maciste nelle miniere di Re Salomone”
1. Outline
of history (02:40) ***
2. Mistery
in the mines (03:29) **
3. Maciste
and the King (02:53) **
4. Destruction
of the mines (03:17) ***
5. Maciste
and the glory (01:26) ****
“La rivolta delle gladiatrici”
6. Azione e
suspense (02:03) ****
7. Sfida
nell'arena (03:21) **
8. Le gladiatrici
(03:32) *****
9. Combattimento
e desolazione (02:48) ***
10. Morte
nell'arena (03:16) ***
11. Preparazione
all'agguato (02:32) **
12. Azione
misteriosa (03:09) ***
“Il figlio dello sceicco”
13. Aurora
sul deserto (02:49) *****
14. Combattimento
nel deserto (03:18) ****
15. Galoppo
e attesa (00:53) ****
16. Agguato
alla carovana (03:13) *****
17. Lo
sceicco in azione (01:20) ***
18.
Introduzione e angoscia (02:28) ****
19. Mistero
fra le sabbie (02:20) *****
20. Trionfo
dello sceicco (01:38) *****
21.
Battaglia fra le palme (03:24) *****
22. La
tenda dell'odalisca (03:54) *****
23. Verso
l'oasi (02:06) ****
24.
L'imboscata dello sceicco (02:30) ****
25. Pericolo
nella Casbah (02:27) *****
26. Inseguimento
tra le dune (02:06) *****
27.
All'ultimo sangue (02:01) ****
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