From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Riziero "Riz" Ortolani (25 March 1926 - 23 January 2014) was an Italian film composer.
Early life
Ortolani was born on 25 March 1926 in Pesaro, Italy.
Career
In the early 1950s Ortolani was founder and member of a well-known Italian jazz band. He wrote his first score for Paolo Cavara and Gualtiero Jacopetti's pseudo-documentary Mondo Cane, whose main title-song More earned him a Grammy and was also nominated for an Oscar as Best Song. The success of the soundtrack of Mondo Cane led Ortolani to score films in England and the United States such as The 7th Dawn (1964), The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964), The Glory Guys (1965) and The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966). Another renowned track was his main-title for the movie O Cangaceiro (1970).
Ortolani scored all or parts of over 200 films, including German westerns like Apache's Last Battle (Old Shatterhand, 1964) and a long series of Italian giallos, spaghetti westerns, Eurospy films, Exploitation films and mondo films. Notable films scored by Ortolani include Il Sorpasso (1962), Io ho paura (1977), Castle of Blood (1964), Anzio (1968), The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom (1968), Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso (1972), Africa Addio (1966), Addio Zio Tom (1971), House on the Edge of the Park (1980), Cannibal Holocaust (1980), and the first series of La Piovra (1984).
Later career
More recent his music was used on soundtracks for Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969 (1999), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), Drive (2011) and Django Unchained (2012).
Death
Ortolani died on 23 January 2014 in Rome, aged 87.
Selected filmography
| Year
| Film
| Directed by
| Notes
| Latest CD / Digital Release
|
| 1961
| Ursus in the Valley of the Lions
| Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia
|
|
|
| 1962
| Mondo Cane
| Paolo Cavara, Franco Prosperi, Gualtiero Jacopetti
|
| CAM Sugar / 2021
|
| Il Sorpasso
| Dino Risi
|
|
|
| 1963
| The Fall of Rome
| Antonio Margheriti
|
|
|
| The Virgin of Nuremberg
| Antonio Margheriti
|
| Quartet Records / QR231 / 2016
|
| 1964
| Castle of Blood
| Antonio Margheriti, Sergio Corbucci
|
| Digitmovies / CDDM242 / 2014
|
| The 7th Dawn
| Lewis Gilbert
|
| Film Score Monthly / FSM BOX 03 / 2008
|
| Old Shatterhand
| Hugo Fregonese
|
|
|
| The Yellow Rolls-Royce
| Anthony Asquith
|
|
|
| Brandy (film)
| José Luis Borau, Mario Caiano
|
|
|
| 1965
| The Glory Guys
| Arnold Laven
|
| Film Score Monthly / FSM BOX 03 / 2008
|
| Berlin, Appointment for the Spies
| Vittorio Sala
|
|
|
| Red Dragon
| Ernst Hofbauer
|
|
|
| Lightning Bolt
| Antonio Margheriti
|
|
|
| 1966
| The Spy with a Cold Nose
| Daniel Petrie
|
|
|
| Maya
| John Berry
|
|
|
| Africa Addio
| Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi
|
|
|
| 1967
| Tiffany Memorandum
| Sergio Grieco
|
|
|
| Day of Anger
| Tonino Valerii
|
| GDM / GDM 2076 / 2006
|
| Woman Times Seven
| Vittorio De Sica
|
|
|
| The Chastity Belt
| Pasquale Festa Campanile
|
|
|
| 1968
| The Biggest Bundle of Them All
| Ken Annakin
|
|
|
| Bandits in Milan
| Carlo Lizzani
|
|
|
| Beyond the Law
| Giorgio Stegani
|
| GDM / GDM 2085 / 2007
|
| Anzio
| Edward Dmytryk, Duilio Coletti
|
|
|
| The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom
| Joseph McGrath
|
|
|
| The Girl Who Couldn't Say No
| Franco Brusati
|
|
|
| Emma Hamilton
| Christian-Jaque
|
|
|
| Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell
| Melvin Frank
|
|
|
| Dead Men Don't Count
| Rafael Romero Marchent
|
|
|
| The Last Roman
| Robert Siodmak, Sergiu Nicolaescu/ Andrew Marton (2nd unit)
|
|
|
| 1969
| One on Top of the Other
| Lucio Fulci
|
| Beat Records Company / CDCR 134 / 2017
|
| Night Of The Serpent
| Giulio Petroni
|
| Digitmovies / CDDM145 / 2009
|
| 1970
| The Unholy Four (1970 film)
| Enzo Barboni
|
|
|
| A Girl Called Jules
| Tonino Valerii
|
| GDM / GDM 4340 / 2014
|
| The Adventures of Gerard
| Jerzy Skolimowski
|
|
|
| Invasion
| Yves Allégret
|
| Quartet Records / QR443 / 2021
|
| Say Hello to Yesterday
| Lucio Fulci
|
|
|
| The McKenzie Break
| Lamont Johnson
|
|
|
| Madron
| Jerry Hopper
|
|
|
| 1971
| The Statue
| Rod Amateau
|
| Quartet Records / QR205 / 2015
|
| Confessions of a Police Captain
| Damiano Damiani
|
| GDM / CD CLUB 7073 / 2009
|
| The Hunting Party
| Don Medford
|
|
|
| Web of the Spider
| Antonio Margheriti
|
|
|
| Goodbye Uncle Tom
| Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi
|
| GDM / CD CLUB 7089 / 2010
|
| 1972
| Brother Sun, Sister Moon
| Franco Zeffirelli
|
|
|
| The Valachi Papers
| Terence Young
|
|
|
| Seven Blood-Stained Orchids
| Umberto Lenzi
|
|
|
| The Dead Are Alive
| Armando Crispino
|
| Digitmovies / CDDM250 / 2014
|
| Shadows Unseen
| Camillo Bazzoni
|
|
|
| Don't Torture a Duckling
| Lucio Fulci
|
| Beat Records Company / CDCR 134 / 2017
|
| The Assassin of Rome
| Damiano Damiani
|
|
|
| A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die
| Tonino Valerii
|
| Digitmovies / CDDM293 / 2018
|
| 1973
| Dear Parents
| Enrico Maria Salerno
|
|
|
| Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye
| Antonio Margheriti
|
|
|
| Hospitals: The White Mafia
| Luigi Zampa
|
|
|
| No, the Case Is Happily Resolved
| Vittorio Salerno
|
|
|
| Super Bitch
| Massimo Dallamano
|
| Chris' Soundtrack Corner / CSC 024 / 2018
|
| Only Love Defies
| Giorgio Bontempi
|
| Quartet Records / QR240 / 2016
|
| Teresa the Thief
| Carlo Di Palma
|
|
|
| Mean Frank and Crazy Tony
| Michele Lupo
|
|
|
| One Russian Summer
| Antonio Calenda
|
|
|
| Counselor at Crime
| Alberto de Martino
|
|
|
| War Goddess
| Terence Young
|
| Quartet Records / QRSCE029 / 2011
|
| 1974
| There Is No 13
| William Sachs
|
|
|
| How to Kill a Judge
| Damiano Damiani
|
|
|
| 1975
| Mondo Candido
| Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi
|
| Dagored / Red 113-2 / 2000
|
| 1976
| Submission
| Salvatore Samperi
|
|
|
| 1977
| Death Steps in the Dark
| Maurizio Pradeaux
|
|
|
| Casanova & Co.
| Franz Antel as Francois Legrand
|
|
|
| I Am Afraid
| Damiano Damiani
|
|
|
| The Pyjama Girl Case
| Flavio Mogherini
|
| Quartet Records / QR155 / 2014
|
| Sahara Cross
| Tonino Valerii
|
|
|
| Double Murder
| Steno
|
|
|
| 1978
| Red Rings of Fear
| Alberto Negrin
|
|
|
| First Love
| Dino Risi
|
|
|
| Cyclone
| René Cardona Jr.
|
|
|
| 1979
| Tigers in Lipstick
| Luigi Zampa
|
|
|
| The Fifth Musketeer
| Ken Annakin
|
| Quartet Records / QR268 / 2017
|
| Neapolitan Mystery
| Sergio Corbucci
|
|
|
| Mimi
| Florestano Vancini
|
|
|
| From Hell to Victory
| Umberto Lenzi
|
|
|
| 1980
| Cannibal Holocaust
| Ruggero Deodato
|
| Beat Records Company / DDJ 047 / 2019
|
| House on the Edge of the Park
| Ruggero Deodato
|
|
|
| 1981
| Madhouse
| Luigi Zampa
|
|
|
| Help Me Dream
| Ovidio G. Assonitis
|
|
|
| Fantasma d'amore
| Dino Risi
|
| Quartet Records / QR241 / 2016
|
| Nessuno è perfetto
| Pasquale Festa Campanile
| aka Nobody's Perfect
|
|
| 1982
| The Girl from Trieste
| Pasquale Festa Campanile
|
| Beat Records / CDCR145 / 2021
|
| 1983
| Zeder
| Pupi Avati
|
| GDM / 4334 / 2021
|
| 1984
| Warriors of the Year 2072
| Lucio Fulci
|
|
|
| Tuareg – The Desert Warrior
| Enzo G. Castellari
|
| GDM / 4336 / 2014
|
| 1985
| Miranda
| Tinto Brass
|
|
|
| 1986
| The Inquiry
| Damiano Damiani
|
|
|
| 1987
| Capriccio
| Tinto Brass
|
|
|
| The Last Minute
| Pupi Avati
|
|
|
| 1989
| Killer Crocodile
| Fabrizio De Angelis
|
| Kronos Records / KRONCD020 / 2013
|
| Massacre Play
| Damiano Damiani
|
|
|
| 1991
| Paprika
| Tinto Brass
|
|
|
| 1994
| The Voyeur
| Tinto Brass
|
|
|
| 2007
| The Hideout
| Pupi Avati
|
|
|
| 2010
| A Second Childhood
| Pupi Avati
|
|
|
