IL MONACO

Digitmovies releases for the first time on CD complete and in full stereo the OST by Piero Piccioni from the movie “Il monaco” (aka “The Monk”) directed in 1972 by Ado Kyrou and starring Franco Nero, Nathalie Delon, Nicol Williamson, Elisabeth Wiener, Nadja Tiller, Eliana De Santis. The scenario by Luis Buñuel and Jean-Claude Carrière is based on the novel “The Monk” written in 1796 by Matthew Gregory Lewis. In 17th century Madrid Father Ambrosio (Nero), prior of the Capuchins, is noted for the austerity of his costumes, his intransigent faith and his excessive chastity. The monk gives in to carnal temptations by copulating with the very beautiful Mathilde (Delon), a witch sent to earth by Satan and who introduces herself disguised as a male novice. After becoming his lover, she moves to the castle of Duke Calembour (Williamson), a diabolical being who lets little female orphans being kidnapped for the sole purpose of eating them or sacrificing them to the devil. The little girl Antonia enters the scene with whom the monk falls in love, but when he can't take hold of her, he later kills her mother. After remorse and confession of his crimes, Ambrosio falls anew into the dark whirlpool of sin bewitched by the magic arts of Mathilde whom he follows to the castle. There the protagonist finds again the little girl Antonia who commits suicide after being kidnapped by the evil duke. With the intervention of the inquisition the nobleman, Mathilde and the monk are arrested: Calembour succeds in being declared innocent; due to her powers, the witch sets herself free; father Ambrosio, by selling his soul to the devil, not only escapes his faults, but he will even become pope. In 1972 neither a 45 rpm nor a 33 rpm with the OST was issued, and only in 1993 Cinevox issued nine selections from the score on the CD “Fantafestival Vol. 4”. For our CD (36:06) we have used every note recorded in stereo at that time and preserved on the original master tapes of the Cinevox Record archives. Legendary composer Piero Piccioni (on various sources also Ennio Morricone was erroneously mentioned as co-composer of the OST) has written a short, but very effective symphonic score of a dramatic kind that evokes the whole atmosphere of the plot between sacred and profane, emphasizing above all the diabolical side. The monk theme is introduced in “Main Titles”, a sacred, Gregorian chant-like motif for organ and orchestra (Tr.1) where strings intrude with macabre dissonances. Satan’s presence is often underlined by slow and gloomy music performed by organ, woodwinds and strings as in Tr.2,Tr.4,Tr.6,Tr.7,Tr.9 where the Dies Irae is quoted. A proper rescue and preservation to pay homage to the music art of Piero Piccioni. “The Monk” will come back to cinema theatres with a new remake directed by Dominik Moll and starring Vincent Cassel, Geraldine Chaplin and Déborah François. The score by Alberto Iglesias will be available on CD from the Spanish label Quartet Records which is specialized in film music.