Quartet Records and Gruppo Sugar presents the world premiere release of the complete score by Carlo Rustichelli (La lunga notte del 43, L’isola di Arturo, Il Ferroviere, Avanti!) for the submarine war-drama Torpedo Bay (aka Finché dura la tempesta)
Torpedo Bay (also known as Beta Som in the US) was a French/Italian co-production which involved a great number of British talents, so nations that stood on opposite sides in the war were now ready to co-operate on a picture detailing the events. The film stars James Mason and Gabriele Ferzetti as the English and Italian captains, who must form an uneasy alliance in the neutral city of Tangiers…
Carlo Rustichelli’s music opens with a title music that features an extended suspenseful opening before turning into a music with definite martial flourishes – however, since the film doesn’t really take sides and takes no sides in the war effort, there’s no glory to be found in the militaristic section of the score. The other half consists of great easy listening lounge cues, emanating from car radios and the nightclubs of Tangiers.
Brief selections of the score were available on EP from CAM – divided into a score side and a source music side. This new Quartet Records CD contains the complete score in a more listener-friendly arrangement, mixing score and source cues evenly. Mastered by Claudio Fuiano, with additional restoration by Chris Malone. The 8-page booklet by Gergely Hubai discusses the movie, the composer and its music.
