Sol Madrid

1968 film by Brian G. Hutton

February 7, 1968 (1968-02-07)

Running time

90 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Sol Madrid is a 1968 film directed by Brian G. Hutton and filmed in Acapulco. Based on 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.

Plot

Half 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

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

Sol Madrid

Soundtrack album by

Lalo Schifrin

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

Cool Hand Luke
(1967)

Sol Madrid
(1968)

The Fox
(1968)

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

All 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

Lalo Schifrin - composer, conductor
Laurindo Almeida - guitar
Unnamed Orchestra conducted by Robert Armbruster
George del Barrio - orchestration

References

^ https://moviemem.com/products/film-noir-crime-movie-posters/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