Il ladro di Bagdad

Digitmovies proudly releases as volume XIII of the series dedicated to the Italian Peplum the complete OST of Carlo Rustichelli for the adventurous film "Il ladro di Bagdad" (aka "The Thief of Bagdad") directed in 1960 by Bruno Vailati and Arthur Lubin and starring Steve Reeves, Giorgia Moll, Arturo Dominici, Fanfulla and Daniele Vargas. In addition to this film, we should mention the other film versions of "The Thief of Bagdad": the 1924 silent version from director Raoul Walsh and starring Douglas Fairbanks, the 1940 version directed by Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell and Tim Whelan (a sumptuous production of the Hungarian Alexander Korda), scored by compatriot Miklos Rozsa and starring Conrad Veidt and Sabu and the 1978 version directed by Clive Donner starring Frank Finlay, Ian Holm, Kabir Bedi, Marina Vlady, Peter Ustinov, Roddy McDowall and Terence Stamp. The film tells the adventures of Karim (Reeves, the thief of the title, who is competing with princes and warriors) searching for the blue rose, whose magical influence will assist the Princess of Bagdad to recover from a rare disease. Besides, the Sultan, her desperate father, has promised to give her hand in marriage to the person who can find this mysterious flower. So Karim begins a journey through enchanted castles and animated forests, but on his return the city is beset by the evil Prince Osman who wants at all costs to marry by force the sick Princess. Karim is not despondent and with the help of a magical army born from a magic ring given to him from a mysterious character, manages to defeat Osman and to set Bagdad free. He can cure the Princess and then becomes her happy husband. The orchestral soundtrack of Carlo Rustichelli had only been issued on a vinyl 33 rpm album in 1987 in the Phoenix collector's series. Thanks to the great help of our friends at C.A.M. we could use the complete mono master tapes of the original 1960 recording session and in addition to the material (35: 28) already issued on the Phoenix LP (Phoenix PHCAM 10) we could add extra material bringing our CD to the long duration of 66: 41. Certainly one of the most beautiful soundtracks of M°Rustichelli and the same author considered it as one of his favourites. A symphonic score, conducted by Carlo Savina, which is perfect background to the adventures of Karim. Carlo Rustichelli wrote an emotional love theme for orchestra and choir, introduced by an epic passage of Eastern flavour in the "Titoli di testa" (Tr.1). Rustichelli wrote a burlesque theme (Tr.2), then reprised in heroic style in Tr.4. The love theme is gently reprised for flute, celesta and strings in Tr.6 and Tr.9, then dramatic and mysterious music in pure "thousand and one night style" is alternated as in Tr.2, Tr.11, Tr.12, Tr.16, Tr.17, Tr.18, Tr.19 and Tr.23. The score also features court dances (Tr.7, Tr.23). The main love theme returns in the glorious finale (Tr.38). We include four bonus tracks: the alternate "Titoli di testa" with less evident string tremolos at the beginning of Tr.38, an alternate dance (Tr.39) and "L'invito di Karim" with a different ending (Tr.40) and the uncut version of the "Finale" (Tr.41) containing the reprise of the comical theme previously introduced in Tr.2. A crucial rescue of the Italian Golden Age film music.