Quartet Records and Gruppo Sugar are glad to present the ultimate edition of an unforgettable Riz Ortolani masterpiece.
Directed by Dino Risi in 1981, Fantasma d’amore (also known as Ghost of Love) stars Marcello Mastroianni and Romy Schneider as star-crossed lovers in a mystical story about love that conquers all—even death. Over two decades after their affair has ended, Nino Monti (Mastroianni) meets his old flame Anna Brigatti Zighi (Schneider) who seems to have lost not only her beauty, but her fortune as well. Upon recounting the events to his friends, Nino is shocked to learn that Anna is supposed to be dead as one of his buddies had signed the death certificate three years earlier….
The film marked the third (and final) collaboration between director Dino Risi and composer Ortolani—each film bringing out something different from the composer. Fantasma has a rather nostalgic score colored with a hint of jazz and remorseful wish fulfillment, courtesy of legendary clarinetist Benny Goodman. According to the clarinetist’s biography. “Benny Goodman: Listen to His Legacy,” Ortolani presented the tunes to Goodman in New York and the musician gladly agreed to record the solos for the main theme, “Phantom of Love,” and the secondary theme, “Unforgettable Love.”
Fantasma d’amore was originally released on LP by CAM, and while there have been several CD releases, they have only replicated that original LP program. Apart from the remastered original album on Disc 1, Disc 2 features the complete film score, including a large amount of previously unreleased material. The audio has been mastered by Claudio Fuiano from first-generation master tapes. The-full color, 8-page booklet includes liner notes by Gergely Hubai that discuss the film, the composer and the score.
