Broxton Comment-MB-011-103

FORZA G (1971)

Forza G – released as Winged Devils in English – is an Italian action comedy directed by Duccio Tessari, starring Riccardo Salvino and Pino Colizzi. Salvino plays Gianni Orlando, the son of a rich family, who dreams of being an aerobatic pilot in the Italian Air Force. He eventually convinces the military commanders to let him join, but his reckless ways result in him being relegated to a reserve. However, he begins to prove himself when the Frecce Tricolori is challenged to an aerobatic competition by members of the Red Arrows – the elite squadron from the British Royal Air Force.

The score for Forza G is essentially based around two main themes. The first, called “Forza G – Per Gioco-Presentazione Della Pattuglia,” is a playful and mischievous march for pizzicato strings and processed keyboards, and tinkling harpsichords, which captures the playboy image and carefree attitude of the protagonist. Subsequent performances in “La Festa,” “L’Aliante,” and “Burlsceo,” are similarly jovial, and then in “Quella Donna” Edda dell’Orso comes back with her orgasm noises from L’Uccello Dalle Piume di Cristallo, alongside some groovy guitars and jazz orchestrations. Later, “Prova d’Acrobazia” features theme being whistled, while “Le Frecce Tricolori” is a straightforward reprise of the opening cue.

The second, called “Sospesi Fra Le Nuvole” – ‘Suspended in the Clouds,’ is a little more wistful and dreamily romantic, a combination of lovely lilting strings, warm and inviting woodwinds, with a contemporary light rock percussion backing. As the theme develops it gains some soft voices intoning wordlessly, and becomes a lovely, intimate pseudo-lounge piece that expresses the effortless love of soaring through the clouds. The theme reappears in four subsequent cues (“Ripresa Prima,” “Ripresa Seconda,” and so on), all of which are really lovely.

When these two themes are not present there are a couple of standout standalone pieces; “Come Un Western” features the unusual circumstance whereby Morricone is pasticheing his own theme from A Fistful of Dollars, “Psichedelico Jazzistico” sounds exactly like you think it does. Interestingly, considering that the film features several spectacular scenes of aerobatics, there is nothing in the score that could be described as heroic or sweeping or in any redolent of the exhilaration of flight; a shame, as I was eager to hear Morricone go down that road.

The score for Forza G is quite popular in its home country, and has been released several times over the years, by several labels. The one I’m reviewing here is the 2002 CD release from Cinevox, which runs for just over half an hour.

Track Listing: 1. Sospesi Fra Le Nuvole (3:42), 2. Forza G – Per Gioco-Presentazione Della Pattuglia (4:07), 3. Come Un Western (2:35), 4. Ripresa Prima (2:44), 5. Psichedelico Jazzistico (1:42), 6. La Festa (1:33), 7. Ripresa Seconda (2:56), 8. L’Aliante (1:33), 9. Burlesco (1:34), 10. Ripresa Terza (2:43), 11. Quella Donna (2:30), 12. Un Pilota e Il Suo Aereo (3:02), 13. Ripresa Quarta (2:51), 14. Prova d’Acrobazia (1:34), 15. Le Frecce Tricolori (2:05), 16. Come Un Miracolo (2:13). Cinevox CDMDF-351, 39 minutes 24 seconds.

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