COMANDAMENTI PER UN GANGSTER (1968)
Comandamenti Per Un Gangster is an Italian action-thriller directed by Alfio Caltabiano, and written by Dario Argento, in one of his earliest film productions. It stars Serbian actor Ljuba Tadic as Northon, a former gangster wants to avenge the murder of his sister and uncover the mystery surrounding her husband’s disappearance, which coincided with the simultaneous disappearance of a transport container full of gold. The movie allowed Morricone to explore some of his more subdued, experimental, and avant-garde tendencies, although I feel that only some of it will appeal to casual fans – quite a lot if it difficult to connect with, even though the highlights are worth exploring.
The main theme, “Comandamenti Per Un Gangster,” is a deliciously dark piece that starts with a powerful explosion of voices, brass, and swirling strings, that eventually emerges into a propulsive, turbulent sounding theme for an exotic-sounding woodwinds, ancient keyboards, tolling bells, and more vocals courtesy of Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni. Much of the rest of the score is dramatic and at times quite oppressive, built around little rhythmic motifs that jump around from electric guitars and muted horns to organs, all underpinned with a bold timpani motif that drives everything forward. Cues like “Primo Comandamento: Spara,” “Terzo Comandamento: L’Oro,” and the shockingly abrasive and emotionally heightened finale “Ultimo Comandamento: Uccidi i Traditori,” are good examples of this.
The main love theme, as heard in “Uno Squarcio Tra Le Nuvole,” is a hesitantly romantic piece for strings and breathy vocals that picks up a mellow solo trumpet element in its second half, and is partially reprised with a more lyrical sweep in “E’ Soreno l’Orizzonte”. “Secondo Comandamento: Non Perdonare” is a very clever bait-and-switch cue which starts with a church organ motif and slowly add layers of glorious strings and vocals as though it is going to climax with something grand, but ends with a series of broken minor key chords that indicate something has gone terribly wrong.
The album also includes a lovely chill-out song, “Solo Nostalgia,” co-written by Morricone wity lyricist Audrey Stainton Nohra, performed by Jane Relly, and which gets a vocal-less instrumental reprise at the end of the score. The score for Comandamenti Per Un Gangster has been released a few times over the years, most notably by the Italian label CAM in 1992. This review is of the 2011 release by GDM Music, which added a couple of bonus tracks to CAM’s original programme; unfortunately, the vintage sound quality is quite poor by today’s standards, which may put some people off.
Track Listing: 1. Comandamenti Per Un Gangster (1:53), 2. Primo Comandamento: Spara (3:15), 3. Uno Squarcio Tra Le Nuvole (1:35), 4. Secondo Comandamento: Non Perdonare (1:31), 5. Pieta Per Un Giusto (1:10), 6. Terzo Comandamento: L’Oro (1:13), 7. E’ Sereno l’Orizzonte (1:12), 8. Quarto Comandamento: Dormi Sveglio (2:22), 9. Solo Nostalgia (3:18), 10. Quinto Comandamento: Tre Pistole E Un Mitra (1:01), 11. Sesto Comandamento: Non Fidarti (0:40), 12. Settimo Comandamento: Rubare (1:06), 13. Ottavo Comandamento: Corri Veloce (2:03), 14. Nono Comandamento: Taci (0:44), 15. Decimo Comandamento: Odio (3:30), 16. Ultimo Comandamento: Uccidi i Traditori (3:24), 17. Solo Nostalgia (Versione Strumentale) (3:17), 18. Comandamenti Per Un Gangster (Suite) (8:30). GDM Music 4145, 41 minutes 44 seconds.
