Tuesday 17 October 2017

Giallo fever: part 9

Title: La lama nel corpo (The murder clinic)
Year: 1966
Composer: Francesco De Masi & Paolo Renosto


La lama nel corpo takes place in the 1800s in a secluded mental institute where a stabber kills the sexy patients one by one. The music was provided by Francesco De Masi whose fully orchestral score depicts the large gothic corridors, dark corners and eerie atmosphere so vividly that you start to look behind your shoulders for a masked killer on the loose. A fellow film composer Paolo Renosto was brought in for some additional romantic material and a few suspenseful passages.

Nel buio della notte introduces the score’s unifying identity right from the get-go. A sinister major 6th interval starts the score and serves as the backbone of the film’s main theme which follows afterwards performed by a solo cello. This descending atonal melody is rarely performed in this form rather it’s always variated in some form or another. It leads to score’s another element, an electric bass guitar whose rhythmic plucks probably depict the killer. What follows then is a series of suspenseful cues of excellent 60s style orchestral horror music. Entrado nel misterio has all the essential elements: harpsichord, bass clarinet, flute and an organ to create the atmosphere. The electric bass guitar reappears in Passagio dell’ombra on top of which a variation of the main theme is heard. The sequence later moves to a faster chase-style music that ends with orchestral knife stabs à la Psycho. A dramatic string moment interrupts Fred! Oh povero Fred which then reprises the main theme.

Renosto’s first attribution is called Shina, forse tu which has harpsichord as the main suspense element ending with an orchestral crescendo. The style of the track doesn’t differ from De Masi’s contributions and eventually another variation of the main theme is also provided. Both Robert nella grotta and Giselle entra nella villa include the fullest main theme performances since the opening cue. Slowly-rising tension fills Scoperta del mostro which concludes to another highly dramatic orchestral moment for an apparently horrific discovery, while the cue’s opening is almost fully reprised in the following Il ricatto di Giselle.

The first real sigh of relief comes in Ricordo di un’epoca felice, a romantic theme written by Renosto. It opens with a solo violin playing the classically inspired melody which then changes to a Viennese waltz and then to a bed of swirling strings and harp arpeggios with the main melody playing on top. The whole cue is then reprised a second time which makes it perhaps a bit taunting. De Masi also wrote a romantic theme for one of the main characters also played by a solo violin. It’s introduced in Mary, solo con te and in tone it’s more mournful and darker than its predecessor but not an inch less beautiful. After a main theme reprise of Incubo di Mary that same melody also ends the original album (and probably the film too) in a powerful rendition for the full orchestra and victorious major finish.

The album presentation also offers previously unreleased material that plays around with the ideas presented within the first 15 cues. Notable inclusions are for example Shina, forse tu (versione 2) which is a short action moment for swirling strings, and a faster reprise of De Masi’s romantic theme in Scoperta del mostro (versione 2). A reprise of Renosto’s romantic theme in track 24 ends in terror after a surprising orchestral surge. The rarely heard fast-paced action music returns in Incubo di Mary (versione 3) followed by another schizophrenic action cue Shina, forse tu (versione 3) which both are excellent additions to the original album programme. Unfortunately there is no satisfying conclusion to the score, though the final Shina, forse tu version is a fine suspense cue complete with orchestral stingers and the plucking of electric bass and harps.

De Masi’s score is perhaps a bit too long and repetitive to grant it the full five stars. Nevertheless it offers some of the best music of the genre utilizing the full potential of the orchestra with its insightful orchestrations. Renosto’s contributions only make the listening experience better and altogether the score is a suspenseful yet constantly melodic journey full of chills.

Rating: ****1/2


Title: Lo spettro (The ghost)
Year: 1963
Composer: Francesco De Masi


The story of the score for Lo spettro is a strange one. Apparently De Masi wrote the final score for the film in only 2 weeks before the film’s premiere. The original score was credited to Frank Wallace, a pseudonym for Franco Mannino, whose score got rejected. Still in the film the score was credited to Wallace, not to De Masi’s usual pseudonym of Frank Mason. It’s a miracle that the score got a release despite all these legal issues, but I’m glad it did. The haunting quality reminiscent of La lama nel corpo is perfect for a story about a couple who decide to murder the wife’s former husband who later returns to haunt them.

When the album is played through it’s even hard to realize the score changed from La lama nel corpo to Lo spettro because the opening phrase of Preludio ad un dramma is so similar to the main theme of the preceding score. The orchestral crescendo then moves to a quieter, melodic suspense moment Incubo notturno that ends with dramatic woodwind and string chord progressions with rattling percussion effects. Ansiosa attesa includes some passages similar to John Barry’s suspense style, with a slow rhythmic build-up that has the film’s main suspense motif playing on top. It’s not as flashy music as in La lama nel corpo, more psychological terror.

The true star of this score and the whole album is the main romantic theme heard in Melanconia autunnale. It’s a fragile, tear-jerkingly pretty tune that gets stuck in your head long after the album is finished. Once again the orchestrations are sublime, including a backing music box and very high string section. The first version is interrupted by the suspense motif in the middle but fortunately we get a full version of the melody for simple music box in La bambola melodica. Luckily there’s a proper end to the score this time, called Tragedia nella notte which begins in a suspenseful fashion but then moves to a full version of the music box melody for the full orchestra which ends with dramatic minor chords and cymbal crashes.

Though Lo spettro is a short score, in some ways, especially with its romantic theme, it surpasses the album’s main event. Casual listeners won’t probably even realize that there are two scores on the disc because of their similarities, yet Lo spettro is more introspective of the two, playing more to the listener’s emotions and psyche, not just underscoring what happens on the screen.

Rating: ****1/2


Tracklist:
“La lama nel corpo”
1. Nel buio della notte (02:53) *****
2. Entrando nel misterio (01:09) *****
3. Passagio dell'ombra (03:10) *****
4. Fred! Oh povero Fred (02:52) ***
5. Robert, cosa pensi? (01:40) ****
6. Shina, forse tu (01:51) ****
7. Robet nella grotta (01:44) *****
8. Giselle entra nella villa (01:50) *****
9. Scoperta del mostro (03:34) ****
10. Il rigatto di Giselle (03:00) ****
11. Ricordo di un'epoca felice (04:50) ****
12. Mary, solo con te (02:33) *****
13. Lizabeth, cosa hai fatto (01:18) ***
14. Incubo di Mary (01:12) ****
15. Verso la speranza (01:14) *****
16. Lizabeth, cosa hai fatto (versione 2) (00:54) ****
17. Giselle entra nella villa (versione 2) (01:16) *****
18. Shina, forse tu (versione 2) (00:38) *****
19. Scoperta del mostro (versione 2) (03:04) *****
20. Ricordo di un'epoca felice (versione 2) (02:45) *****
21. Scoperta del mostro (versione 3) (02:22) ****
22. Lizabeth, cosa hai fatto (versione 3) (00:53) ****
23. Incudo di Mary (versione 2) (00:23) ***
24. Ricordo di un'epoca felice (versione 3) (01:18) *****
25. Incudo di Mary (versione 3) (01:07) *****
26. Shina, forse tu (versione 3) (00:59) *****
27. Passagio dell'ombra (versione 2) (00:57) ****
28. Scoperta del mostro (versione 4) (02:00) ****
29. Shina, forse tu (versione 2) (02:02) ****

“Lo spettro”
30. Preludio ad un dramma (01:17) *****
31. Incubo notturno (02:41) ****
32. Melanconia autunnale (02:57) *****
33. Ansiosa attesa (04:18) *****
34. La bambola melodica (01:00) *****
35. Risvolti del terrore (02:02) ****
36. Tragedia nella notte (02:52) *****

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