MARE NERO [THE DARK SEA]  / MI FANNO MALE I CAPELLI [IN THE MIRROR]

SILVA SCREEN RECORDS presents two scores from the films of ROBERTA TORRE composed by SHIGERU UMEBAYASHI.

MARE NERO [THE DARK SEA] with MI FANNO MALE I CAPELLI [IN THE MIRROR]

SHIGERU UMEBAYASHI is an internationally renowned film composer, best known for creating ‘Yumeji’s Theme’ in Wong Kar-Wai’s film In The Mood for Love as well as collaborating with Wong Kar-Wai on 2046. He was the music producer and composer for Zhang Yimou’s films House of Flying Daggers and Curse of The Golden Flower and composed the end-title song ‘Lovers’ for the soprano Kathleen Battle.

ROBERTA TORRE is an Italian film director and screenwriter who won the prestigious Nastro
d’argento award for best new director with her first film, Tano da morire (“To Die for Tano”) in 1997 and has been nominated and won many awards since for her body of work. She first worked with Umebayashi on the 2006 film MARE NERO and again on MI FANNO MALE I CAPELLI from 2023.

The director had been looking for an opportunity to work with Umebayashi.

“It was the first time we worked together. I searched for him for a long time and was certain that he would be perfect for the film. I was fascinated and deeply moved by his music, and in fact the soundtrack is extraordinary.
The first time we met was at the Tokyo Film Festival I had a film in competition (Angela) it was 2002 and I had been looking for him for a long time but we had not been able to meet in Europe.

I was very happy because I finally had a chance to tell him what his music represented to me.”

The mood of Mare Nero proved inspirational for the composer.

“Roberta gave me free reign to create the music for ‘Mare Nero’. I used a Japanese bamboo flute for the main theme and some electronic elements to create suspense. It is one of my favourite scores.”

Their next collaboration proved even more fruitful. The title – MI FANNO MALE I CAPELLI – refers to the well-known line delivered by Monica Vitti in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Red Desert and the film is loosely based on the great actress who passed away in early February, though it’s not at all a biopic. It’s the story of a woman called Monica (Alba Rohrwacher) who loses her memory and finds new meaning in her life by identifying with the various film characters played by Monica Vitti. Edoardo (Filippo Timi), who loves her deeply, hopes that this game will save her,
and he allows it to become part of their new day to day life.

Torre describes the film –

“Mi fanno male i capelli (In The Mirror) is a film about memory loss and at the same time it is a declaration of love to the great Italian cinema of the past. Ume’s extraordinary work on the soundtrack was what allowed the story to float between past and present masterfully.
The meticulous and poignant work that has been done on the soundtracks of the repertory films mixed into mine, particularly those of Michelangelo Antonioni, led Ume to tell me that he was happy to be able to work simultaneously with Roberta Torre and Michelangelo Antonioni.”

And Umebayashi’s approach to film is equally expressive –
“For ‘Mi fanno Male i capelli’ I used the cool trumpet of Avishai Cohen and the beautiful sound of Masami Horisawa’s cello in homage to the Italian movies that I love. And it’s a great film for me because I was able to bring my music to the work of two wonderful directors – Michelangelo Antonioni and Roberta Torre – in one film.”

Shigeru Umebayashi started composing film music in 1984 and his talent was immediately recognized in 1985, when the music he composed for the Japanese film production Sorekara (And Then) won several film music awards. He has since scored more than 30 Japanese Films, including Onmyoji and Onmyoji II.

The two score were digitally released on 13th June. Both scores will be released on a 2 CD set on 11th July.

TRACKLIST

Disc 1 – Mi Fanno Male I Capelli

1. Memories
2. A piedi nudi
3. Homeward
4. Sometimes Somewhere
5. Dolcevita
6. Lonelyheart
7. March Rain
8. Returns
9. Mi fanno male i capelli
10. Suddenly, without me knowing
11. Ghost
12. Pieces of life
13. La spaggia sperlonga
14. Appearance
15. No man’s land
16. Monica
17. Siamo cosi simili noi due

Disc 2 – Mare Nero

1. Mare Nero theme
2. Carillon
3. Lounge About the Streets
4. Luca & Ivano
5. Morgue
6. Veronica’s Piano 3
7. Main theme solo sax
8. Selling Drugs
9. Torture
10. The Blond Girl 1
11. Bar
12. Luca’s Dream
13. Veronica’s Piano
14. The Blond Girl 2
15. Luca & Veronica
16. Vila Fiano 2
17. Mare Nero rumba