Sign in Register. Throughout the centuries the famous Greek legend of the two friends Damon and Pythias had provided the basis for many plays and ballads. The story takes place in the Greek colony of Syracuse in B. However, Dionysius allows Pythias to return to Athens to visit his ailing wife with the understanding he will then come back to face his punishment. Damon Guy Williams , a street thief and friend of Pythias, offers himself as a hostage to guarantee Pythias' return.
Since the end of the s Lavagnino had become an expert in scoring many sword and sandal movies which above all during the early s were at the peak of their popularity. Rather it is a film about the power of friendship and Lavagnino takes this into account in his remarkable and varied score which often seems to be accompanying a film far more ambitious than the one for which it was written. The main theme which works as a kind of frame and which is intoned in the Main Title and Finale is a noble and expansive theme intoned by the full string section and backed by distant French horns which underlines the idea of friendship.
For the main part of the score Lavagnino above all concentrates on the two love relationships between Pythias and his wife Nerissa and between Damon and his mistress Adriana, each of which have their own themes. With great sensitivity the composer emphasizes the feelings, thoughts and psychological conflicts of the four main characters with partly intimate, but also sweeping romantic music which makes for a delightful listening on its own.
The film also contains one memorable action sequence as Damon and Pythias flee from a band of Syracusan soldiers via horseback and a horse-cart. For the ensuing chase Lavagnino composed a dynamic and powerful piece of battle music β it is a real set piece with a duration of about four minutes.
All in all, this is an imaginative, romantic as well as epic score in which Lavagnino shows off not only his mastery of the full orchestra, but also how subtly he can employ different solo instruments in some intimate settings. Our CD edition which contains a page booklet with extensive liner notes and colour stills from both movies will be limited to copies. This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Find out more here.
