Broxton Comment-MB-011-102

CORREVA L’ANNO DI GRAZIA 1870 (1971)

Correva l’Anno di Grazia 1870 is an Italian historical drama film written and directed by Alfredo Giannetti, starring Anna Magnani and Marcello Mastroianni. The film looks at the relationship between the church and its subjects, and specifically follows a group of people who begin to form a rebellious opposition against the church’s power. When one of the rebels, Augusto Parenti, is arrested and imprisoned on orders of the Pope, his wife Teresa begs for his freedom, to no avail. While Augusto remains in prison, suffering the barbaric conditions within, Teresa starts to make plans for how to raise their son without him.

The score for Correva l’Anno di Grazia 1870 is another one of Morricone’s beautifully liturgical scores, and is anchored by a lovely main theme for soft woodwinds, gently rhytmic strings, and a cooing choir, in the opening cue “Muratori e Carbonari”. These orchestrations persist through much of the rest of the score, but often with different dramatic intent. In “Inconscio Senza Fine,” for example, they feel much more religioso, and are accompanied by tolling bells and a brief interlude for a dancing church organ. Later, in the reprise of “Muratori e Carbonari” the melody initially feels a little more hesitant and restrained, underpinned with tremolo strings and with melody switched to piano, before returning to its familiar arrangement. It’s final statement, in the conclusive “Canzone Senza Parole,” is initially quiet and a little morose, but becomes quite uplifting as it develops.

Other cues worth noting include the brief “Roma Antica” is a swooning, lilting piece for flute; “Passeggiata Sulla Via Del Mare,” which features a deeply romantic trilling guitar melody; “Sulla Via del Campidoglio,” which has a warm, noble string theme, and which becomes quite stirring as it develops, especially when the melody switches to heraldic brass with an accompanying choir; and the dream-like “Come Un Sogno” which blends guitars harp, chimes, and bells, in a hypnotic and beguiling fashion.

The score for Correva l’Anno di Grazia 1870 is a comparatively short one – just under 20 minutes – and so it is usually released as a 2-for-1 soundtrack compilation paired with another score. CAM Records released in 1992 paired with the 1980 score Il Bandito Dagli Occhi Azzuri, but the one I’m reviewing here is the 2005 Digitmovies release which pairs it with the scores for the 1970 film La Sciantosa and the 1971 TV movie Tre Donne – 1943: Un Incontro, as part of an impromptu Anna Magnani Movies collection.

Track Listing: 1. Muratori e Carbonari (2:32), 2. Inconscio Senza Fine (1:09), 3. Roma Antica (1:00), 4. Passeggiata Sulla Via Del Mare (1:51), 5. Muratori e Carbonari (3:48), 6. Sulla Via del Campidoglio (2:42), 7. Come Un Sogno (1:19), 8. Canzone Senza Parole (3:58). Digitmovies CDDM-038, 18 minutes 40 seconds.

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