I cannibali

Digitmovies is proud to present for the first time the complete score by Ennio Morricone for the 1969 movie “I CANNIBALI” (aka “The Cannibals”) directed by Liliana Cavani and starring Britt Ekland, Pierre Clementi, Tomas Milian. “I CANNIBALI” – the second collaboration between director Cavani and composer Morricone after “GALILEO” (1968) – is a modern interpretation of “Antigone”, the ancient Greek tragedy by Sophocles and set in a modern-day, clearly recognizable Milan, with patent political symbolism. Antigone (Britt Ekland), a young girl from a middle class family, wants to bury her brother killed during the revolt. Not being allowed to give her beloved brother a decent burial, the girl rebels. She meets Tiresia (Pierre Clementi), a young man from an unknown country. He speaks a strange language she doesn’t understand, but he is the only one willing to help her. The subversive activities of Antigone and Tiresia soon lead to death. At the time of this film's release, only a 45 r.p.m single was released (CAM AMP 077) containing the shortened versions of the two title songs „Cannibal” and „Song of life” performed by Don Powell and the Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni. One year later the „Song of life” was also included on a rare promotional EP (DET Cine 21). In 1982 Cerberus Records (USA) released a double feature LP (“LA BANDA J & S” coupled with “CANNIBALI”), containing as Side B the unedited versions of the songs and 6 instrumental selections from Morricone’s score (Cerberus CEM-S 0111). The same selections and the single version songs were first released on CD in 1992 as a part of CAM’s much appreciated Soundtrack Encyclopedia (CAM CSE 055). Thanks to the always precious help of friends at CAM, the complete mono session master tapes have been discovered recently, that made us possible to release the complete score with film versions and interesting unused takes. The music of Ennio Morricone provides a perfect background for the strong realism of the images. The composer has created a series of fascinating instrumental variations based on the two main theme songs “Cannibal” and “Song of life” that brilliantly gives to the listener the right music mood influenced by the weird plot: the “Cannibal theme” is reprised with atonal strings and reverberated electric guitar (Tr.3), with a Beat groove organ (Tr.7). The motif is also reprised in “Dove sei, dove siete voi” with choir (tr.4), with organ (Tr.10), with oboe (Tr.16), then in a wild shake (Tr.14) and in a terrific (unused) version with guitar (Tr.18). The “Song of life” theme is presented with liturgical organ, giving a delicate sense of sacred and profane (tr.2), with choir (Tr.6) and with electric piano (Tr.12). Ennio Morricone provided another other cool theme called “Scherzo rondo” (Tr.5 and Tr.11), a weird theme with classic style piano a la “H2S” accompanied by rhythmic alternated to Latin Shake music with choir. Another great Italian Silver Age score rescued and preserved in its complete form in a de-luxe presentation.