By Darren Allison, Cinema Retro Soundtrack Editor
Let’s
face it, 1979 was a particularly bad year for the Concord. It was the year in
which the ‘Airport’ franchise were about to deliver their latest offering in
the shape of the quite awful Airport ’79
The Concord. However, Airport ’79
was beaten (by several months) to the screen by a cheesy little flick from
Italy, Concord Affaire '79. Directed
by Ruggero Deodato, Concord Affaire '79
is more an action thriller rather than the formulated disaster flick that we
have come to know. Some commentators
have argued that it is actually far better than its ‘Airport’ rival, and to be honest, I would probably side with that
opinion. But let’s be clear from the
start, neither film will ever be described as a classic…
Deodato’s
film was not a big budgeted project, the film’s restraints are apparent –
mainly through the use of stock footage of the British Airways supersonic
‘bird’ or the (less than seamless) shots of some average miniature models. But
of course, that is half of the film’s 70s charm and its era defining identity
stamp. Concord Affaire '79 separates
itself from the typical disaster genre film right from the start, largely by
having the plane crash in the first reel. There is no long laborious build up –
this plane is down, crashing into the ocean off the coast of Martinique and
leading us to believe there are no survivors. Of course, that’s not quite true,
Jean Beneyton, the young French flight attendant played by Mimsy Farmer, does
survive the crash. She is captured / rescued by the man responsible for the crash
– Milland, played by Hollywood veteran Joseph Cotton. The film in fact boasts a
string of established stars; Van Johnson plays Captain Scott, whilst Edmond
Purdom played Danker, one of Milland's leading henchmen. Heading the cast is
the ever enjoyable James Franciscus as Moses Brody, an American investigative
reporter who decides to go to the Antilles in an attempt to rescue Jean
Beneyton and uncover the story. From here on, it’s all rather good fun.
Stelvio
Cipriani’s score for Concord Affaire '79
marks its debut release on CD. It’s only previous release was on vinyl LP
consisting of 15 tracks and released in Japan on Polydor records. Whilst
Cipriani sets an energetic pace with his opening main title Danger flight, there are also plenty of
lush romantic cues. The score does however illustrate an age, due mainly to an
overwhelming backbeat of Euro disco, an era which perhaps does not transfer too
easily in today’s society. But of course, its style is very much of its time
and still retains a certain retro charm. The composer cleverly based his score
on variations of a single theme, which is hard to achieve unless in the hands
of someone such as Cipriani. The central theme is used to good effect,
sometimes melodic and rich or in the case of the underwater scenes there is an
edgy dreamlike quality attached. But above all else, Cipriani uses Concord Affaire '79 to indulge himself
deep into a world of synths and electronica, perhaps in reflection of the
futuristic, supersonic era of the film’s narrative. Synth theme in particular is a long, almost operatic homage to a
haunting electro heaven. However, Cipriani never seems to step too far over the
line, and later adds more familiar analogue instrumentation (such as strings)
to the synth sound and as a result, the blending works very well in deed.
Concord Affaire '79
is a curious, almost experimental score, yet Cipriani ultimately succeeds in
making it work. But there are moments where one is left considering, if
Cipriani perhaps deliberated over which route to take when composing this
score. It is certainly an eclectic mix of styles, both in mood and in its
instrumentation. For Cipriani collectors and soundtrack collectors in general, Concord Affaire '79 is well worth adding
to your collection. Consisting of 27 tracks, (7 of which did not make it into
the film), the CD is a huge improvement over the original album and its audio
has been beautifully remastered. Chris’ Soundtrack Corner has demonstrated a full
commitment to Cipriani’s work - with Concord
being the composer’s Sixth title in their increasingly impressive catalogue. We
can only hope there is more to come.
http://www.soundtrackcorner.de/