Lisa and the Devil (Lisa e il Diavolo) [Film Soundtrack] (1973)

Lisa and the Devil (Lisa e il Diavolo) [Film Soundtrack] (1973)
Composed & Conducted by Carlo Savina (1919-2002) 

Tracklisting:

1. [00:00] Lisa And The Devil (Main Titles)
2. [02:33] The Antique Shop
3. [04:33] Lost In Toledo
4. [06:50] Fetching A Ride
5. [08:46] Arrival At The Villa
6. [10:56] Romantic Mood
7. [14:49] Stranger In The Window
8. [16:58] A Cake For Elena
9. [19:36] Shout At The Spirit
10. [21:05] Lisa And Elena
11. [23:42] Kissing Carlo
12. [25:32] The First Murder
13. [26:40] Impromptu Funeral
14. [28:59] A Walk With Statues
15. [31:10] The Stranger Calls
16. [32:53] The Doll Room
17. [34:07] The Stranger's End
18. [35:28] Measurements
19. [37:55] The Countess Caught
20. [40:00] Mother's End
21. [41:34] Body Doubles
22. [42:40] Lisa And The Devil (Finale)

From Italian horror maestro Mario Bava (1914-1980), this Italian / Spanish / West-German co-production horror film stars Alessio Orano, Elke Sommer, Alida Valli (1921-2006), Eduardo Fajardo (1924-2019), Espartaco Santoni (1937-1998), Franz von Treuberg (1907-1982), Sylva Koscina (1933-1994), and Telly Savalas (1922-1994), better known for his role in the 1970's television series 'Kojak. Released in Spain as 'El diablo se lleva a los muertos (The devil takes the dead), the film was cruelly butchered by producer Alfredo Leone in an attempt to capitalize on the continued popularity of Friedkin's 'The Exorcist. This re-edited version was released in the United States as 'The House of Exorcism and is a confusing mess. The original, however, is a tale of nightmarish surrealism and supernatural suspense with the directors vision brilliantly realized by cinematographer Cecilio Paniagua (1911-1979).

Lisa Reiner (Elke Sommer) is an American tourist travelling around Spain. While visiting the town of Toledo, she wanders off from the tour-group to admire the surroundings, finding herself fascinated by an image of a bald, grinning devil in an ancient fresco. Realizing she is now lost, Lisa accepts a ride from the unhappily married Francis (Eduardo Fajardo) and Sophia Lehar (Sylva Koscina). When their car breaks down, they seek refuge in a dilapidated mansion owned by a blind Countess (Alida Valli), who lives there with her son Maximilian (Alessio Orano) and their butler Leandro (Telly Savalas). Lisa soon learns that she looks a lot like Elena, the long-lost lover of the house's young master, Maximilian. She also learns that the Countess herself could be responsible for the disappearance of the young girl. During the course of the evening, the guests realize the house is plagued by dark secrets, and in true Bava fashion, Lisa herself is drawn into a confounding labyrinth of dark hallucinations and strange eroticism, lured ever deeper by a mysterious figure who may in fact be the fresco's Satan made flesh...

Long thought to be lost, Carlo Savina's score is a wonderfully romantic asset, adding to the dreamlike atmosphere of the film. The tone of the film's score was already decided during the shooting as Bava continually played 'Concierto de Aranjuez' by Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) in order to get the emotions desired from his actors. The work was featured so prominently that Spanish resources even list Rodrigo as the composer, whereas the true musical mastermind behind this was of course Savina. The thematically engaging score also features a music box theme for the appearance of the nefarious Leandro and Edda Dell'Orso's beautiful wordless vocals. It must be pointed out that 'The House of Exorcism cut of the film features all kinds of uncredited contributions that do not mesh well with Savina's original score. A man with a long history of making music for Italian films, Carlo Savina was a great composer in his own right and had composed numerous beautiful Gothic horror scores that included 'Malenka, the Vampire's Niece (1969), 'The Feast of Satan (1971) and 'The Legend of Blood Castle (1973) to name a few. 'Lisa and the Devil however was his only collaboration with Bava.

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