"Ennio" — Portrait of a Genius

Though he wasn't a filmmaker, his name is inextricably bound with Italian cinema and some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters. Known for his longtime collaborations with directors Giuseppe Tornatore, Sergio Leone, and Quentin Tarantino, Ennio Morricone created the soundtracks for Italian classics like "Cinema Paradiso" and "Malena" and American films like "The Hateful Eight," for which he won an Oscar, and "The Untouchables."

Now, we have a deeply moving documentary that immerses us in the life and music of this modest genius. Written and directed by Tornatore, "Ennio" traces Morricone's path to becoming a renowned composer, focusing on his work on numerous films. It features archival and original footage, poignant interviews with Morricone conducted between 2015 and 2016, and heartfelt conversations with his peers and collaborators. The film spans Morricone's 80+ years in music, from trumpet lessons at six years old to his death at 91 in 2020.

We learn that Morricone aspired as a child to be a doctor, but his father, a professional musician, enrolled him in trumpet lessons and set him on a different path. The documentary features a wonderful clip of Morricone as a boy playing the trumpet. "I was very weak at solfège," Morricone explains, referring to the sol-fa-la syllables of the musical scale. "My father became very strict. During the holidays, I wasn't allowed to play any bingo or card games, and then I improved."

When his father became ill, a young Morricone used his talent to help his family scrape by, but it wasn't a positive experience. "Playing the trumpet to earn enough to eat was a terrible humiliation," he said, "so I stopped loving the trumpet."

Morricone began composing music, studying it formally at an elite conservatory in Rome. There, he met composer Goffredo Petrassi, a teacher whose tough love and sage guidance had a huge impact on Morricone's life and career.

Morricone was perhaps best known for his longtime collaboration with Sergio Leone, the legendary Italian director who launched the Spaghetti-Western genre. The first time they worked together was on Leone's "A Fistful of Dollars," a western set in Mexico. The film was shot in Spain and starred a relatively unknown television actor named Clint Eastwood. When Leone suggested that he might use music by another composer for the final duel in the film, Morricone threatened to walk away. He then created a piece inspired by one of his previous compositions that turned out to be perfect for the dramatic scene while complimenting the film's introductory score.

"Ennio" creates a strong sense of nostalgia, transporting us to black-and-white variety shows of decades gone by and including interviews with peers who have passed away in recent years. It also features contemporary artists who speak to the multi-generational appeal of Morricone's work. One of these artists is Carlo Verdone, who collaborated with Morricone when he was young and is now in the twilight of his own career.

The film highlights how Morricone was truly ahead of his time, taking the world a while to appreciate his immense talent. New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis reminded readers that most American film critics panned "A Fistful of Dollars" when it opened in the United States in 1967. New York Times critic Bosley Crowther was infuriated by its violence and lack of morals and criticized Morricone's music for employing "tricks and themes that sound derivative."

Despite the rough start, Morricone achieved legendary status with his mesmerizing compositions, intense passion for writing, and down-to-earth demeanor. "I feel like I've known him and loved him forever," Quincy Jones commented in the documentary. That sentiment was mirrored by the many people of all ages and backgrounds who were interviewed for the film. Tornatore not only succeeded in creating a portrait of a genius but also captured Morricone's humanity and humble nature, which undoubtedly played a role in his successful collaborations and iconic compositions.

Click here to stream "Ennio" on Amazon Prime Video.

- Written by Jeannine Guilyard for Fra Noi Magazin. Click here to subscribe.

Comments

The Anthology Film Archives Presents: The Italian Connection: Poliziotteschi and Other Italo-Crime Films of the 1960s and '70's

June 19 – June 29 Influenced both by 1960s political cinema and Italian crime novels, as well as by French noir and American cop movies like "Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection," many Italian filmmakers in the late-60s and early-70s gradually moved away from the spaghetti western genre, trading lone cowboys for ‘bad’ cops and the rough frontier of the American west for the mean streets of modern Italy. Just as they had with their westerns, they reinvented the borrowed genre with their inimitable eye for style and filled their stories with the kidnappings, heists, vigilante justice, and brutal violence that suffused this turbulent moment in post-boom 1970s Italy. The undercurrent of fatalism and cynicism in these uncompromising movies is eerily reminiscent of the state of discontent in Italy today. ‘The Italian Connection’ showcases the diversity and innovation found in the genre, from the gangster noir of Fernando Di Leo’s "Caliber 9" ...

Ornella Muti: Five decades of Acting and Still Going Strong

Ornella Muti was born Francesca Romana Rivelli in Rome in 1955 to a Neapolitan father and an Estonian mother. She began her career as a model during her teenage years and made her film debut in 1970 with “La Moglie più bella” (The Most Beautiful Wife). Her follow-up role was in the 1971 film, “Sole nella pelle” (Sun on the Skin), in which she played the daughter of wealthy parents who runs off with a hippie they don’t approve of. The film offers a telling journey through Italian society in the seventies, with its political climate, breathtaking seaside, and the styles and cars of that time. Much of the film is set amid the sunny Italian seaside and captures the innocence and beauty of first love. Muti made her American film debut in 1980 with "Flash Gordon." She played the role of Princess Aura. She’s appeared in two other American films, including “Oscar,” directed by John Landis and starring Don Ameche, Chazz Palminteri, and Sylvester Stallone. In 1992, she w...

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann. Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...

Alessandro Gassmann: Born to Act

Alessandro Gassmannin his directorial debut "Razzabastarda" Alessandro Gassmann is the son of the iconic Italian actor/director Vittorio Gassman and French actress Juliette Mayniel. He was born in 1965 and grew up around cinema royalty. He made his cinema debut in 1982 at the age of 17 in his father's autobiographical film, "Di padre in figlio." He went on to study his craft under his father's direction at the Theatre Workshop of Florence. Vittorio Gassman was very active in theater and seemed just as comfortable on stage as he did in front of the camera. Known for his powerful interpretations of Dante's "Inferno" and "Paradiso," it is no surprise that he nurtured his son's acting aspirations on stage before he launched his career in television and film. One of Gassmann's strong qualities, which he undoubtedly inherited from his father is his incredible range and ease in going from genre to genre. He can play ...

The Timeless Vision of Pier Paolo Pasolini

Pondering his films and poetry, I wonder if the uniqueness of Pier Paolo Pasolini's films was rooted in his unconventional childhood. Born in Bologna in 1922, Pasolini's father was a lieutenant in the army, and his family was always moving. He grew up in various small towns in Northern Italy. After his parents separated, he spent most of his time in his mother's hometown of Casarsa, in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. There, he grew to respect the area's peasant culture and began to write poetry in the region's dialect. He studied literature and art history at the University of Bologna and was drafted into the army during World War II. The war proved to be especially tragic for his family as his younger brother was executed by Communist partisans. Following the war, he returned to Casarsa where he worked as a teacher and ironically became a leading member of the Communist party there. Pasolini was later expelled from the party due to allegations of homo...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog