The iconic French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo and director Philippe de Broca loved adventure, fantasy and exoticism. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their legendary That Man from Rio, the pair got back together in 1973 for Le Magnifique, a delirious comedy about the relationship between François Merlin, writer of cheap spy novels, and his hero, secret agent Bob Saint-Clar, who gets caught up in a whirlwind of extravagance. In terms of music, Le Magnifique marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between de Broca and the great Claude Bolling, a man of jazz and cinema, fresh from the success of Borsalino. At a time when the film is being restored in 4K, CAM Sugar and Decca Records France are offering the first complete vinyl version of this Magnifique score, in double LP format, combining the original 1973 album with previously unreleased tracks and alternative takes from the CAM Sugar archives. A score on a tightrope between realism and fantasy, mariachi, romantic outbursts, frenzied boleros and James-Bondian nods: the lush music of Le Magnifique establishes Claude Bolling as Henry Mancini’s French cousin. This double LP is available with two distinct covers, one a tribute to the visuals in Bob Saint-Clar’s novels, and also features an interview with Claude Bolling. A must-have edition to celebrate half a century of a highly original soundtrack where melancholy lies behind fantasy and South American rhythm.