Femina Ridens

Digitmovies presents for the first time on CD the complete full stereo original motion picture score composed and conducted by Stelvio Cipriani for the 1969 movie “Femina ridens” (aka “The laughing woman”), directed by Piero Schivazappa and starring Philippe Leroy, Dagmar Lassander and Lorenza Guerrieri. The movie tells with grotesque tones the story of Doctor Sayer (Philippe Leroy), director of a philanthropic institute. A childhood trauma makes his life uncomfortable: he has a recurrent fear of being killed by a woman during a sexual act in a similar way as the scorpion female kills the male. Therefore Doctor Sayer, to meet trouble half-way, has got into the habit of torturing and killing his partner every time he has sex, at every week-end. But something in his perfect machine breaks down. Being unable to find his usual week-end-victim, he decides to trepan Mary (Dagmar Lassander), his secretary, to play his vicious games. But she surprises Doctor Sayer by subverting his tricks and tortures, and takes him on a diabolical journey that he could never have foreseen. He becomes the prey, while the real predator is the woman, who arranges a diabolical plan to kill the doctor: accomplishing the final triumph over the males, the last of a long series of revenges, those of Femina Ridens. This CD project was again made possible thanks to the friends of C.A.M., in whose archives the stereo master tape of the original 1969 album (C.A.M. SAG 9017) as well as the master of the whole stereo session recording have been carefully preserved. The album is surely one of the rarest items in the Film Music history. This CD gives the fans the chance to enjoy a very fascinating score, good example of refined Lounge Music especially created for the big screen by one of the greatest soundtracks composers, Stelvio Cipriani, adored by fans around the world (he is particularly popular in Japan). Maestro Cipriani has created a very varied score. The main theme is a romantic orchestral waltz introduced in Tr.1, then reprised by violin and piano (Tr.5). A magic and suspended version of the theme also features the voice of Edda Dell’Orso (Tr.8). Many different musical styles are represented in this score, including pieces between experimental and Lounge (Tr.2, Tr.10), a minuet with the voice of Edda simulating an orgasm (Tr.3), Bachian music with jazz arrangements performed by band and by the choir of Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni (Tr.4), shake music once again with the sensual voice of Edda (Tr.6), another shake sung by Olympia and accompanied by the Cantori Moderni choir (Tr.7) and a fabulous Western Deguello for orchestra and choir (Tr.11). Our CD encloses also eight inedit tracks discovered on the original session master tapes. These are mainly reprises of the album tracks including instrumental versions (Tr.13, Tr.16) and the off vocal base with orchestra and choir (Tr.19) of the vocal shake.