Released by Special Arrangement With Turner Classic Movies Music.

The Wrath of God (1972) is an action-adventure film that has been viewed as everything from a violent drama to a parody of movie conventions. Set in an unnamed Latin American country of the 1920s, the film was written and directed by Ralph Nelson (Lilies of the Field, Once a Thief) and starred Robert Mitchum, Ken Hutchison and Victor Buono as a trio of expatriate Westerners forced to confront a vicious local despot (Frank Langella), costarring Rita Hayworth (in her last role) as Langella's mother. The highlight of the film is Mitchum's portrayal of what is surely the best-armed priest in movie history.

Scoring The Wrath of God was a man not only at the top of the film-scoring profession, but a prominent Latin recording artist: Lalo Schifrin. Schifrin provided a terrific score in the traditions of his western and action efforts of the time (such as Clint Eastwood's Joe Kidd), with a distinctive Latin flavor as well as orchestral elements ranging from the avant garde to contemporary rock (perhaps evoking spaghetti westerns and their anachronisms). The film's offbeat nature made a strong musical voice not only possible, but essential.

Highlights of the score include a tender love theme performed by flute, several Latin-flavored source cues in the classic Schifrin style, and sizzling, propulsive action music, particularly for a chase involving horses and a car. What 100 Rifles is to Jerry Goldsmith's canon, so is The Wrath of God to Schifrin's—brassy, South of the border action circa the early 1970s.

This premiere release of the complete score to The Wrath of God is presented in excellent stereo sound, remixed from the original three-track masters, with liner notes (including new comments by the composer) by Jeff Bond and Lukas Kendall.