171. Ennio; movie review

 

ENNIO

Cert 15

156 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong violence, bloody images, nudity

From Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns of the 1960s to the fabulous Cinema Paradiso, The Mission and Tarantino's The Hateful Eight for which he won an Oscar, Ennio Morricone created the soundtrack to our movie-watching lives.

So much so that Tarantino compares him favourably with Beethoven and Mozart.

His death in 2020 means we are missing a genius who penned more than 400 scores for the big and small screens.

Consequently, he more than deserved this exhaustive tribute, sculpted from interviews carried out by director Giuseppe Tornatore during five years.

These include some of Morricone's greatest collaborators including Bernando Bertolucci and peers such as John Williams and Hans Zimmer.

Then there are Clint Eastwood and Bruce Springsteen whose lives became richer thanks to the maestro.

Most important are the words of Morricone himself which provide the flesh on the spine of a story which goes back to his childhood.

He explains how his father, who played jazz trumpet, prompted him to follow in his footsteps and even occasionally stand in for him at nightclubs.

However, young Ennio also had ambition and a gift for arrangement and composition... thus, he began writing for television.

Those who played a part throughout his career are also interviewed as well as others who simply appreciate his work.

Tornatore's documentary is incredibly thorough and probably too long but this is a celebration of a life well lived and one which will be hailed for many many years to come.

Reasons to watch: Complete portrait of a genius

Reasons to avoid: Goes on too long

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know? Morricone never left Rome to compose his music and never learned to speak English.

The final word. Sergio Leone: "From Ennio I ask for themes that clothe my characters easily. He’s never read a script of mine to compose the music, because many times he’s composed the music before the script is ever written." Cinephilia & Beyond

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