UN GIORNO DA LEONI / LA BATTAGLIA DI EL ALAMEIN

Un giorno da Leoni (1961) directed by Nanni Loy and starring Renato Salvatori, Carla Gravina, Tomas Milian, Nino Castelnuovo and Saro Urzi.
The main protagonists are three ordinary young Italian men, more or less anti-heroes, who at first just want to save their own skin without taking any particular position or having any patriotic ideals, but who are then forced by the circumstances of the war and by the German oppressors to take over responsibility and to carry out an heroic act.
Carlo Rustichelli’s music -even more so than the one by other Italian film composers- always sounded characteristically Italian, he had an inimitable lyrical symphonic style and an immense melodic gift. Un giorno da leoni is a prime example of this.
The main theme has that typical Rustichelli touch with its melodic beauty and it discrete elegance. It is one of those touching themes which goes straight to the heart. Through this music which throughout the score recurs in many subtle variations. All in all, Rustichelli has written a lovely, haunting and highly emotional score dedicated to the spirit of the partisan soldiers which now gets its world premiere on this CD.

In addition our CD also contains as a bonus the first ever release of the rather short score - with a duration of about 20 minutes- which Rustichelli wrote for the 1968 war movie La battaglia di El Alamein. Directed by Giorgio Ferroni (under the English pseudonym of Calvin Jackson Paget), the movie which dealt with the 1942 battle between Rommel and Montgomery in North Africa from an Italian point of view had a quite interesting international cast of Italian, French and British actors starring Robert Hossein, Michael Rennie, Frederick Stafford, George Hilton and Enrico Maria Salerno.
Almost from the outset a mood of despair and hopelessness is established which is also underlined by Rustichelli’s ominous and suspenseful music with its string tremoli and threatening chords and with the mysterious sombre humming of a male choir. Music is used very sparingly throughout the first half of the picture with many short and disjointed cues so that we have decided to combine some of them to somewhat longer tracks.
Besides an oriental dance in a bar and a Scottish bagpipe tune which is imitated by two electronic organs, there is also a nice solemn orchestral variation with male choir and high strings of the famous Italian “Rusticanella” theme.
Due to the age of this soundtrack the original mastertapes had some defects and anomalies which we tried to correct as best as possible during the mastering process. Although the sound quality in some tracks could not be improved, we have nevertheles decided to include them in this edition for their historical and musical value. --- from the label

UN GIORNO DA LEONI
01. Marcia Tedesca (Main Title - German March) 1:14
02. Un Giorno da Leoni (Danilo and Michele - Drowned German Soldiers - Michele Returns ) 2:48
03. Un Giorno da Leoni (The Germans Stop the Train - On the Run ) 1:14
04. Tema Partigiani (The Partisans) 1:55
05. Un Giorno da Leoni (The Bridge) 0:40
06. Un Giorno da Leoni (Conversation Between Edoardo and Danilo ) 1:42
07. Un Giorno da Leoni (The Child - The Hanged Partisans ) 2:44
08. Un Giorno da Leoni (Gino Searches Mariuccia - Reunion) 1:27
09. Un Giorno da Leoni (The Military Camp) 1:25
10. Un Giorno da Leoni (Reflections and Remembrances) 3:54
11. Un Giorno da Leoni (Under the Bridge) 2:01
12. Un Giorno da Leoni (Michele Photographs Edoardo - Edoardo’s Arrest) 0:40
13. Un Giorno da Leoni (Orlando Gets Back to His Family) 1:11
14. Un Giorno da Leoni (Edoardo’s Widow) 2:18
15. Un Giorno da Leoni (Preparations for the Blowing up of the Bridge) 4:23
16. Un Giorno da Leoni (Michele’s Heroic Deed - The Explosion) 2:34
17. Un Giorno da Leoni (Finale) 0:59
Bonus Tracks - Unusued Tracks
18. Un Giorno da Leoni (Gino Searches Mariuccia - Alternate) 0:49
19. Un Giorno da Leoni M 21 0:40
20. Un Giorno da Leoni M 22 1:12
21. Quel Motivetto Che Mi Piace * 0:52
22. Danube Waves Waltz (Vocal)** (Used in the film) 2:16

Music composed by CARLO RUSTICHELLI
Conducted by PIER LUIGI URBINI


LA BATTAGLIA DI EL ALAMEIN
23. La Battaglia di El Alamein (The Dead Italian Soldier - German Soldiers Are Caught - Execution of the Unarmed German Prisoners) 2:36
24. La Battaglia di El Alamein (The British Division Advances) 2:21
25. La Battaglia di El Alamein (The Scottish Pipers - The British General Gets Captured) 1:50
26. La Battaglia di El Alamein (Oriental Dance) 2:26
27. La Battaglia di El Alamein (Night Patrol - Lt. Borri’s Escape And Trek Through the Desert) 3:05
28. La Battaglia di El Alamein (Tragic Death of Lt. Graham) 1:02
29. La Battaglia di El Alamein (Rommel Orders the Retreat - The Italians Cover the Retreat) 2:06
30. La Battaglia di El Alamein (The Last Stand) 2:48
31. La Battaglia di El Alamein (Heroic Sacrifice - The Last Survivors) 1:58
32. La Battaglia di El Alamein (Finale) 1:11
Source Music
33. Rusticanella Vers. 1 - Soldier’s Song - Main Title *** 1:28
34. Rusticanella Vers. 2 - Soldier’s Song)*** 1:37
35. Santa Lucia (Harmonica Solo) **** 1:29

Music composed by CARLO RUSTICHELLI
Conducted by BRUNO NICOLAI