Ritratto di borghesia in nero

Digitmovies is glad to release for the very first time on CD  the OST by the prolific trio Bixio-Frizzi-Tempera from the dramatic movie “Ritratto di borghesia in nero” (aka “Retrato en negro de la burguesía”) directed in 1978 by Tonino Cervi and starring Senta Berger, Ornella Muti, Capucine, Mattia Sbragia, Paolo Bonacelli, Giuliana Calandra, Giancarlo Sbragia, Stefano Patrizi, Maria Monti, Eros Pagni, Christian Borromeo. It is based on the novel “La maestra di piano” by  Roger Peyrefitte. Venice in summer 1938: The young Mattia Morandi (Patrizi)  from Lecco arrives in the Venetian lagoon after having won a music aid grant. He becomes a friend of Renato Richter (Borromeo) and also the lover of his mother Carla (Berger), his piano teacher. The woman hopes that her son will marry the very beautiful and coddled Elena (Muti) of the very rich Mazzarini family whom she gives piano lessons. The very young girl falls in love with Mattia who requits her love and leaves her mature lover. Carla does not accept this love defeat and she does her best to revenge the betrayal  and to try an impossible reconquest by sending anonymous letters, writing blackmails and even seducing Mattia’ s girlfriend. Also Elena does not admit any defeat and she kills her opponent. The investigation of commissioner Franchetti (Pagni) is immediately deadlocked due to the power and respectability of the Mazzarinis. Elena and Mattia willl marry in a church with a sumptuous ceremony. Franco Bixio, Fabio Frizzi and Vince Tempera have written a monothematic  score  based on a recurrent romantic and sad  theme for piano an orchestra , “Carla's theme”, introduced in a modern version with rhythmics (side A of the original single) (Tr.1) and reprised with variations as in Tr.3, Tr.4,Tr.7,Tr.11,Tr.24,Tr.20. This theme gets alternated with dance floor motifs with an ancient and popular flavor like “Immagini sfocate” introduced in Tr.2 (side B of the original single) and reprised in Tr.14., and with a fox-trot (Tr.6, Tr.12). For our CD presentation (41:08) we have used the stereo master tape of the original single (MDF 117) issued in 1978 as well as the session master tapes mixed in mono and partially in full stereo. An OST which deserved it to be rescued and preserved on CD.