Sol Madrid is a 1968 film directed by Brian G. Hutton and filmed in Acapulco. Based on the 1965 novel Fruit of the Poppy by Robert Wilder, it was released in the UK as The Heroin Gang and in Australia as The Secret File of Sol Madrid.[1] The MGM film starred David McCallum, Stella Stevens, Telly Savalas and Ricardo Montalbán with John Cassavetes being replaced by Rip Torn prior to filming.[2] It was the final film of Paul Lukas.
| Sol Madrid | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Brian G. Hutton |
| Screenplay by | David Karp |
| Based on | Fruit of the Poppy 1965 novel by Robert Wilder |
| Produced by | Hall Bartlett Elliott Kastner Jerry Gershwin (uncredited) |
| Starring | David McCallum Telly Savalas Ricardo Montalbán |
| Cinematography | Fred J. Koenekamp |
| Edited by | John McSweeney, Jr. |
| Music by | Lalo Schifrin |
Production companies | Hall Bartlett Pictures Inc. Gershwin-Kastner Productions |
| Distributed by | MGM |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editHalf a million dollars is stolen from the mafia by small-time crook Harry Mitchell, who splits it with girlfriend Stacey Woodward and takes off for Acapulco.
The mob sends hitman Dano Villanova to deal with Harry and get the money back. Sol Madrid, an undercover narc, is out to find Harry first, hoping to persuade him to testify against organized crime in court.
Stacey happens to be Villanova's former girlfriend. Things get complicated in Mexico, where a heroin dealer named Dietrich is engaged in criminal activity while Mexican law official Jalisco is on the case. Before she can flee on a yacht, Stacey is taken captive by Villanova and shot up with dope until she becomes an addict.
Harry is caught and killed. Jalisco is not what he seems to be, so Madrid not only must deal with him, but with Villanova and Dietrich as well.
Cast
edit- David McCallum as Sol Madrid
- Stella Stevens as Stacey Woodward
- Telly Savalas as Emil Dietrich
- Ricardo Montalbán as Jalisco (credited as Ricardo Montalban)
- Rip Torn as Dano Villanova
- Pat Hingle as Harry Mitchell
- Paul Lukas as Capo Riccione
- Michael Ansara as Capt. Ortega
- Michael Conrad as Scarpi
Soundtrack
edit| Sol Madrid | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 1968 | |||
| Recorded | November 9 & 10, 1967 MGM Scoring Stage, Culver City, California | |||
| Genre | Film score | |||
| Length | 28:22 | |||
| Label | MGM SE 4541 ST | |||
| Producer | Jesse Kaye | |||
| Lalo Schifrin chronology | ||||
| ||||
The film score was composed by Lalo Schifrin and the soundtrack album was released on the MGM label in 1968.[3] An expanded edition of the soundtrack was released on by Film Score Monthly in 2010 as part of the five CD box set The Cincinnati Kid: Lalo Schifrin Film Scores Vol. 1 (1964-1968).[4]
Track listing
editAll compositions by Lalo Schifrin
- "Sol Madrid (Main Theme)" - 2:00
- "Fiesta" - 1:35
- "Stacey's Bolero" - 2:36
- "The Burning Candle" - 2:25
- "Adagietto" - 2:50
- "Sol Madrid (Main Theme)" - 1:55
- "The Golden Trip" - 2:35
- "Charanga" - 2:20
- "El Patio" - 2:25
- "Villanova's Villa" - 2:10
- "Bolero #2" - 2:07
- "Villanova's Chase" - 2:07
Personnel
edit- Lalo Schifrin - composer, conductor
- Laurindo Almeida - guitar
- Unnamed Orchestra conducted by Robert Armbruster
- George del Barrio - orchestration
References
edit- ^ "THE SECRET FILE OF SOL MADRID Original Daybill Movie Poster David McCallum Telly Savalas".
- ^ "Stella Stevens: "I had the pleasure to work with a lot of great directors, but Vincente Minnelli was just wonderful"". 25 September 2017. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ Payne, D. Lalo Schifrin discography Archived 2021-02-25 at the Wayback Machine accessed March 19, 2012
- ^ Film Score Monthly Website Archived 2012-04-10 at the Wayback Machine accessed March 19, 2012
External links
edit- Sol Madrid at IMDb
- Sol Madrid at AllMovie
- Sol Madrid at the TCM Movie Database
- Sol Madrid at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
