Although Cam Sugar pressed a new LP in 2021, as the third in their “Morricone Segretto” collection, I sourced the original 1982 vinyl from Discogs, primarily for the excellent cover art.
Released in 1980, The Blue-Eyed Bandit (aka Il Bandito Dagli Occhi Azzurri) is an amusing Italian poliziottesco picture. Written and directed by Alfredo Giannetti, it stars Franco Nero and Dalila Di Lazzaro, and features Morricone’s jazziest score.
The Album:
Side 1.
Side 2.
Other Editions:
The Film:
From MUBI.com:
Franco Nero stars as a mild mannered, elderly bank clerk, who shuffles in and out of the bank everyday, unnoticed by his co-workers, or anyone else for that matter.
But this is quickly revealed to be a facade. The balding hairline is a wig. The dark eyes, contact lenses. The shuffle, an affectation.
The disguise is in aid of Nero’s real job, robbing banks as “The Blue-eyed Bandit” of the title.
Complicating things at work is his attraction to (and attention from) his beautiful co-worker, played by Dalila Di Larraro, who also starred in the Morricone-scored “Stark System” the same year (co-starring Gian Maria Volonte, star of many Morricone-scored films himself).
The Director:
From Wikipedia:
Alfredo Giannetti (1924–1995) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1962 for his work in Divorce Italian Style.
Selected filmography
- The Railroad Man (1956)
- A Man of Straw (1958)
- Divorce Italian Style (1961)
- L’immorale (1967)
- 1870 (1971)
- The Automobile (1971)
- Febbre da cavallo (1976)
- Il bandito dagli occhi azzurri (1980)
External links
Posters:
Links:
Listen to the album here:
Purchase the 1982 original vinyl here:
Purchase the Cam Sugar re-issue from Amazon here:
Purchase the DVD from REVOK.com here:
Watch the film for free here:
The Blue Eyed Bandit (1980) – English
