Stelvio Cipriani

Limited to 400 copies on transparent red with black marble vinyl. Remained unseen for over two decades, "Cani Arrabbiati"(aka Rabid Dogs, 1974) is still considered an exceptional work in the distinguished career of Mario Bava. Remastered from the original master tapes at Toxic Basement Studio, Maestro Stelvio Cipriani’s score is finally available for the first time ever in a complete restored version, including unreleased tracks and library cues.

Pressed on 180g LP, with a pulp artwork by Basthard Design “Cani Arrabbiati”. Mario Bava began production on his crime thriller Cani Arrabbiati (Rabid Dogs) in 1973. Beset by one problem after another, it took nearly a quarter century for the film to get a restored release, long after its director’s death in 1980. Even then the film was a shadow of Bava’s original intent, existing as a polished work print modified by diverse hands into several variegated forms. By the early 1970s, Bava’s mastery of artistic Italian science fiction and horror films was becoming eclipsed by the rise of the giallo film and the more graphic excesses of newly-successful Italian filmmakers. Intended to revive Bava’s career and give him credibility in the contemporary Italian crime thriller (poliziotteschi) genre, Rabid Dogs would be a visceral hostage thriller presented in real time, in which nearly all of the action takes place within the tight space of a single car.

After filming was completed, however, a series of financial set-backs bought the production to a halt. When producer Roberto Loyola went bankrupt and was unable to pay Bava’s cast and crew, his creditors seized his holdings, including the rough edit of the film and Cipriani’s demo recordings of its score. The impounded elements were locked away in a bank vault until the delinquent bills could be paid, and that’s where Rabid Dogs stayed for twenty years.