THE ESCAPE ARTIST
Composed and conducted by Georges Delerue

PERCEPTO-019

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During the 1980s, Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios was a groundbreaking production enterprise specializing in films that continually pushed the boundaries of American cinema. From the political twists and turns of THE CONVERSATION to the razzle dazzle of ONE FROM THE HEART to the sly detective drama HAMMETT, Coppola’s renowned fellowship of talent continually went against the tide of standard popcorn entertainment and paved the way for a library of artful motion pictures that have aged more gracefully than most of the popular blockbusters of the day.

One of the studio’s most memorable, yet seldom-seen offerings was THE ESCAPE ARTIST, a sophisticated coming-of-age drama starring Griffin O’Neal as a young teen whose budding talents as the offspring of the world’s greatest escape artist leads him on a colorful and dangerous path of magic, corruption and the inevitable truth behind the murder of his father.

The film, produced in 1982, sported a topnotch cast with Raul Julia, Teri Garr, Joan Hackett, John P. Ryan, Desidario (Desi) Arnaz and Jackie Coogan, coupled with a script penned by E.T.’s own Melissa Mathison (with co-writer Stephen Zito). Directing duties went to renowned cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (THE BLACK STALLION, THE NATURAL, THE RIGHT STUFF) with Production Designer Dean Tavalouris and Stephen H. Burum as Director of Photography also on board.

One of the film’s most notable highlights proved to be composer Georges Delerue’s masterful score which tapped deep into the story’s vivid mixture of human drama, magical whimsy and political intrigue. Delerue’s lush melodies were a key element in maintaining a sense of heart and emotional cohesion to the film’s elusive story line and in retrospect now stands as one of the most powerful musical efforts from his illustrious career.

For this world premiere release, Zoetrope and Percepto have joined forces to present Delerue’s score as it’s never been heard before. Newly remastered from the original 24-track master tapes, this state-of-the-art soundtrack showcases every exquisite note of Delerue’s score, plus an additional series of bonus tracks featuring music scored though not used in the film, rare source cues and even the composer’s original piano demos.

Also included is a full-color 24-page booklet with exhaustively researched liner notes by Daniel Schweiger featuring reminisces from director Deschanel and others, rare behind-the-scenes photos and much more.

This deluxe limited edition of 1,500 copies is sure to enthrall anyone with an appreciation for Delerue’s unforgettable orchestral flourishes.

Total Disc Time: 55:37