''Maddalena'', also known as ''The Devil in Maddalena'', is a 1971 drama film directed by
Jerzy Kawalerowicz and starring
Lisa Gastoni, Eric Woofe and
Ivo Garrani. The film features a notable score by
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
, including the composition, "
Chi Mai". A co-production between the Italian company Unitas Film and Yugoslavian company Bosna Film, it was released in 1971 in New York City, but release in Italy was delayed until 1972 due to censorship issues.
Plot
Maddalena is a young free-spirited woman who attends erotic parties while separated from her husband who won’t grant her a divorce, after an apparent car accident. She is prone to strange and erotic themed flashbacks, some with biblical significance, which blur the line between reality and her own fantasies. At a party a blindfolded priest is led before her, and she decides to try to seduce him, seeing him as perhaps her salvation.
Cast
*
Lisa Gastoni: Maddalena
* Eric Woofe: Priest
*
Ivo Garrani: Maddalena's husband
* Paolo Gozlino: Fisherman
* Barbara Pilavin: Priest's mother
* Ezio Marano: Priest's aid
Production
Music
Despite featuring one of Morricone's best-known pieces, "
Chi Mai", much of the score is described as "more
psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...
, with lots of percussion, vocalization and experimentation." Lisa Gastoni herself sings on the composition, "Chi Mai", while regular collaborators,
Bruno Nicolai
Bruno Nicolai (20 May 1926 – 16 August 1991) was an Italian film music composer, orchestra director and musical editor most active in the 1960s through the 1980s.
While studying piano and composition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, ...
,
Edda Dell'Orso
Edda Dell'Orso (born Edda Sabatini; February 16, 1935) is an Italian singer known for her collaboration with composer Ennio Morricone, for whom she provided wordless vocals to a large number of his film scores. Dell'Orso also provided vocals to ...
, and
Alessandro Alessandroni also perform on the score.
Release
Home media
One 7 Movies released ''Maddalena'' on
Blu-ray on September 21, 2021.
References
External links
*
1971 films
Italian drama films
1970s Italian-language films
Films scored by Ennio Morricone
Films directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz
1970s Italian films
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