A documentary on the legendary film composer Ennio Morricone.
Aside from Max Steiner, no one has shaped the art of scoring films like Ennio Morricone. Ennio worked with the greatest directors and crafted unforgettable melodies for nearly every film genre. Spanning over two and a half hours in this documentary, one of the world’s greatest composers gets to tell his story in his own words.
Ennio’s father wanted his son to pursue music since it was a steady-paying profession, so he made him learn the trumpet. The young musician played first for the Nazis occupying Rome and then for the liberating US soldiers during WWII. After the War, Ennio began breaking traditional rules in his musical training and thus was able to turn around the period’s discrimination against trumpeters by the elitist orchestra. Besides the war, John Cage’s subversive performance that stunned an audience – and the world – influenced Ennio and many other artists to transcend basic notes and create new soundscapes.
When RCA Records was broke, the company only had five instruments to record music, so Ennio began utilizing cans. By uniquely arranging them or slamming them on the studio floor, he made up for the missing instruments. He also changed how orchestral arrangements are produced by reworking accompanying ballads on record. This innovative approach catapulted him on the music scene and brought in the money that ultimately saved RCA from bankruptcy.
For his first film composition, Ennio operated under a pseudonym. He was worried that his colleagues in the musical world would judge him for composing westerns, a genre considered passé at the time. But everything changed for westerns (and Ennio) when Sergio Leone hired him to compose “A Fistful of Dollars.” To showcase the mood and inspiration for “A Fistful of Dollars,” Leone took the composer to view Kurosawa’s ingenious “Yojimbo.” “Yojimbo” is a humorous riff on Dashiell Hammett’s novel “The Glass Key” – Kurosawa’s version starring Toshiro Mifune centered on a ronin who cleverly pits two gangs against each other. “A Fistful of Dollars” cemented Clint Eastwood’s iconic status as the Man with No Name, Leone as the Western’s savior, and Ennio’s scores as culturally shaping. I had no idea Ennio sampled a trumpet solo from Howard Hawks’s “Rio Bravo,” one of the genre’s best hangout films.
For Leone’s next outing, “For a Few Dollars More,” Ennio somewhat improved and occasionally reworked his western whistles, blazing harmonica, and guitar riffs. Upon his success with Leone, he teamed up with more directors named Sergio. First, Sergio Corbucci for three of my favorites: “Compañeros,” “The Mercenary,” and “The Great Silence.” Then he worked with Sergio Sollima for the exceptional “The Big Gundown,” featuring a great blend of Beethoven’s Fur Elise and Ennio’s guitars.
But none of the partnerships matched the expansive collaboration between him and director Sergio Leone. His work on “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” is iconic. You’re immediately transported to a stand-off when you hear those signature riffs, cracking whips, the coyote howl, and the harmonica. This is truly where Ennio’s avant-garde and rock sensibilities beautifully came together.
Ennio’s wife Maria was his number one critic. If she didn’t like a piece, Ennio wouldn’t submit it to the director of whichever film he was scoring. Next, Ennio recalls how directors, including Bernardo Bertolucci, Dario Argento, and more, pushed Ennio to evolve his sound and avoid repetitive notes and melodies. Famously Pier Paolo Pasolini only used Bach to score his films “until he switched to Ennio.” Ennio stated his only major regret was not getting to work with Stanley Kubrick – due to an inaccurate scheduling error.
Other filmmakers like Clint Eastwood and Quentin Tarantino show up to sing his praises over his prolific body of work. In 1969 alone, Ennio released 21 compositions for films! Somehow he remained distinct while also experimenting with his sound, ultimately composing 411 films. Ennio briefly departed from films after being deeply affected by Roland Joffe’s “The Mission.” I was wondering whether composers witnessing disturbing or distressing footage while having to create music would have ever experienced a difficult time with it.
Rightfully protective of his musical legacy, Ennio had recently won a long-standing legal battle that saw him reclaim the rights to several of his scores. Throughout his career, he won a vast amount of awards. A lifetime achievement Oscar (finally) was awarded in 2007. He also received several Golden Globes, Grammys, BAFTAs, Silver Ribbons, a Golden Lion, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His soundtracks have sold millions, and in 2017 he became a Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
I wish there were further discussions on specific films and his processes with those directors. Still, the plethora of archival footage helped, particularly of Post-War Italy and behind the scenes of “Once Upon a Time in America.” While the straightforward chronology of Ennio’s career makes sense, the documentary would have been fascinating with a bolder cinematic or even an avant-garde approach.
Coming Soon
