Il Gigante Di Metropolis (The Giant Of Metropolis), a 1961 Italian film by Umberto Scarpelli starring Bella Cortez, Roldano Lupi and legendary muscleman Gordon Mitchell in the main role. The film was a unique hybrid of 2 genres very popular at the time, Peplum and Sci-Fi. Whereas the second is not as evident as the first once can still definitely call the film a hybrid of the two. The music has definitely played a major role in putting the sci-fi element under a stronger light.
The music for this unique film was composed by Italian legendary composer Maestro Armando Trovajoli; whose music carreer spanned for over 60 years! Composer of classics such as Il Vedovo (Alberto Sordi), Il Fornaretto Di Venezia (Stefania Sandrelli), La Guerra Continua (Jack Palance), Gli Onorevoli (Totò), Il Magnifico Cordunto (Cardinale & Tognazzi), Matrimonio all'Italiana (Loren & Mastroianni), Rugantino (Celentano), La Famiglia (Gassman & Sandrelli) and over 300 more films. His music is featured in documentaries, commericals and more recently his music from I Lunghi Giorni Della Vendetta was heard again on Tarantino's Kill Bill. The genres he scored ranged from drama to comedy, from erotic to adventure films, Peplums to Spaghetti Westerns. You name it and Trovajoli could do it and do it to perfection and ledning it his very own distinctive sound, like he did with IL GIGANTE DI METROPLOLIS.
L'Araucana : Massacro Degli Dei (also known as "Massacre Of The Gods" and "The Conquest Of Chile"), a 1971 Italo-Spanish-Chilean co-production Directed by Julio Coll, starring Elsa Martinellia and Venantino Venantini.
The music for this dramatic adventure film was composed by Italian composer Maestro Carlo Savina; music director of films such as Coppola's The Godfather (1972), Fellini's Amarcord (1973), Annaud's The Bear (1988) and close collaborator of various great composers of the 20th century such as Morricone, Trovajoli, Rota, Nascimbene, Myers, Sondheim, Sarde and none less than the legendary Miklós Rózsa, whose work left a very clear mark on L'ARUACANA. The gypsy violin parts and melodramatic moments are a clear homage to Miklós Rózsa (for whome Savina had a deep respect and admiration) and his epic music.
Canterbury N.2 (Nuove Storie D'Amore Del '300) also known as Tales of Canterbury. This 1973 film starring Patrizia Adiutori, Rik Battaglia, Shirley Corrigan and Federico Boido was directed by John Shadow aka Aristide Massacesi, known to the public as Joe D'Amato. In this film Geoffrey Chaucer (yes the writer), escorted by Knight Quick, is located in an inn along other pilgrims going to Canterbury. As the bad weather prevents their departure, the gathering kill time by telling by stories, of a very specific kind...
The music for Canterbury N2 was written by none less than notorious duo (and brothers) Guido and Maurizio De Angelis (Sandokan, Yor, Zorro Is Back, Mannaja, Galaxy Express 999, Rocky Joe, Around the World with Willy Fog and an endless list of films for Bud Spencer and Terence Hill) The music of this CD encompasses a wide yet very well glued musical spectrum. Each story narrated by the people of the Inn has its own score, there are medieval ballads, love songs and dark cryptic choral chants. The music on this disc will definitely not let you get stuck in a rut of monotony, quite the opposite, at the end you will just want it was longer.
You cannot go wrong, even when it comes from the other side of the world... depending on which side of the world you might come from.
Jeremy [The Wolf]