Romberg–Riff Song, movie (also high on Hill)

It is another Monday, and we are now diving into the first songs from Act I, Scene 1 of The Desert Song. In Norton’s Chronology, the first song is called Opening (“High on a Hill”) and features Sid El Car, second in command to the Red Shadow, leader of the Riff Revolt, and a chorus of Riff Soldiers. This song establishes the Riffs and their cause in the mountains of Morocco.

The second song is Margot (O! Pretty Maid of France”), and it returns us to the French Garrison town, where Captain Paul Fontaine is trying to woo the beautiful Margot Bonvalet. She is also being pursued by Pierre Birabeau, son of the Governor of the Province, General Birabeau. What no one knows is that the foppish Pierre is also the person behind the mask of the notorious Red Shadow.

If the plot of the seemingly unmanly son is familiar, it should be. The Legend of Zorro was based on the same concept; at night the man is a bold fighter for freedom behind a mask; by day, he masquerades as a milk toast.

Hey, if it works…

We have two versions of the Opening and the Riff Song; we will follow with a version of Margot.

We will be using three main sources for these posts: the 1929 movie with John Boles and Carlotta King; the 1944 studio recording with Kitty Carlisle, Wilbur Evans and Felix Knight as Sid El Car; and the 1958 recording by Giorgio Tozzi, Kathy Barr and Warren Galjour as Captain Fontaine. There are some other recordings that we will slip in from time to time to fill in some blanks or to show off some great tenor voices, such as Richard Crooks and Mario Lanza.

We start with the opening of the 1929 movie, which provides a summary of the plot, if you can read it. The quality is not great, but it gives us a sense of the dramatic nature of the show, with the music as emphasis. The soundtrack gives us the symphonic melody of “High on a Hill” but there are no lyrics until they start “The Riff Song.”