Ennio Morricone is one of the world's best-known master of film scores, and his music is sought after all over the world as a common language for people to communicate with each other. In 2020, trapped by the pandemic, Morricone's Deborah Theme Song, scored by Once Upon a Time in America, was reinterpreted by an Italian musician on an electric guitar and resounded over Rome's Piazza Navona. The video went viral on online platforms, which once again proved Morricone's musical influence. Sadly, Morricone passed away in Rome on 6 July 2020 at the age of 92.
Ennio Morricone (1928-2020)
The Shanghai International Film Festival screened a 4K restored version of Cinema Paradiso in the 2019 "SIFF Classic" section, a tear-jerking work scored by Morricone that was hard to come by at the time, and countless audiences were eager to experience this great work once in a lifetime in front of the big screen. In order to commemorate Morricone, the great soundtrack master in the history of cinema, the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival will jointly commemorate this music master through the "Tribute to the Master" section to screen a number of film classics scored by Morricone.
Enno Morricone was born on November 10, 1928 in Rome, Italy, where his father was a trumpeter and his musical initiation teacher. Morricone showed his musical talent in childhood, writing music as early as the age of six. At the age of twelve, he officially entered the conservatory, studying trumpet, composition, chorus, etc., and he completed four years of courses in six months.
Young Morricone, a former jazz trumpeter (left)
Italian film maestro Sergio Leone was the leader of Morricone's film score. In the early 1960s, Leonne, a fellow elementary school classmate, invited Morricone to score his first Western film, Red Dead Redemption, which took a major turn in Morricone's musical life. Leone gave Morricone great freedom of arrangement, telling him only the plot synopsis and theme, asking him to compose the music first, and Leone then designed the plot of the film through the soundtrack. The limited budget inspired Morricone's musical creativity, with narrative melodies, avant-garde experimental instrumental choices, and atmospheric baroque styles increasingly becoming the style of his soundtrack compositions.
Leone once commented: "I always say that my best lines and screenwriters are written by Ennio Morricone. Because many times, a note, or a group of arrangements, will be more important than a line. When you can use a look back and a set of music to represent the plot, rather than just a few words, I think that's a more complete work. ”
Sergio Leone and Morricone
Morricone subverted the orchestral traditional film score to reach the realm of "music without anything". He expanded the possibilities of film scores, making music an important "narrator" of the film by capturing the atmosphere of the film and incorporating a large number of elements of life. In addition to the flexible use of clarinet harmonica, whistle, flute and other instruments that are rare in film soundtracks, Morricone will also skillfully combine sound effects such as typewriters, cans, and whips to give the film a unique vitality. Because of his experimental musical development, he not only opened a new door to film scores, but also inspired a generation of pop music producers, rock, heavy metal, electronic music and other music genres have his musical shadow.
Morricone, who lived in Rome almost all his life, scored more than five hundred films for film and television works, which were internationally recognized and won numerous awards. Hollywood had thrown him an olive branch and invited him to score Hollywood movies on the condition of free housing, but Morricone refused. In 2007, the Academy Awards awarded him a lifetime achievement award. In 2016, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for "Eight Wicked Men.".
Ennio Morricone
Even with the favor of more awards, Morricone's world is focused only on music. He once said: "If I win an award, I will naturally be very happy." However, that's not my main goal. I'm only nervous when I have a concert to do that night, and I want to do my best. That's what I'm focused on, not the Oscars. ”
Morricone was a pioneer of the musical path, and with his bold musical creativity, he completely changed the mode and form of film music production through his keen understanding of images. He broadens the imagination of the film through musical notes, and conveys his passion for music to the bottom of every listener's heart. As giuseppe Tornadore, the master of contemporary Italian cinema, said, "[Morricone] is not only a great film scorer, but a great composer." ”
Today's announcement is the first list of films paid tribute to Morricone at the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival, a total of seven masterpieces:
Red Dead Redemption
A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS
-1964-
Highlights: "Macaroni Western" created by Akira Kurosawa
One of the "Dart Trilogy" by Italian film master Sergio Leone. Remade from Japanese film master Akira Kurosawa's "Heart Stick", it tells the story of a dart player who circumvents the evil and promotes the good between two major gangs. Leone spent eight weeks filming, boldly deconstructing the language of Hollywood films, subverting the traditional Western duel scenes, mixing into dangerous games with documentary techniques, and creating a new era of "macaroni Westerns" through subjective shots with large close-ups of faces and swirling sky, creating a box office myth of Italian films at that time. "Movie Evergreen" Clint Eastwood made his debut as the protagonist, successfully portraying the "unsung" hero. Italian music maestro Morricone collaborated with Leone for the first time and won the Silver Ribbon Award for Best Score for his bold and innovative film score.
Twilight Double Darts
FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE
-1965-
Highlights: Record-breaking "macaroni Westerns"
Italian film master Sergio Leone 'The Second In The Dart Trilogy'. A pair of bounty hunters who meet on a narrow road go after a bully with a high bounty. In order to enhance the documentary sense of the film's reality, Leone created the most exquisite western town in history in Tabernas, Spain, and went to northern Italy to customize 19th-century guns as props to restore history. The film's narrative goes hand in hand, for the first time through the "Italian classic comedy" elements to connect events, music as an invisible protagonist, auxiliary flashback narrative techniques to completely outline the mysterious memory maze, and construct a religious carnival-style western mythology. Acting pro-actor Lee Van Cliff became famous for his grim appearance.
Golden Triad
THE GOOD,THE BAD
AND THE UGLY
-1966-
What to watch: One of the greatest Westerns in film history
Italian film maestro Sergio Leone's "The Third Part of the Bodyguard Trilogy" tells the story of the American Civil War, when good people, clowns and evil people fight each other to find secret treasures. Leone used the fixed team of the two previous games of the darts to flip through a large number of historical archives and unveil the historical veil that had been forgotten by the public. Focusing on three small characters through an epic narrative approach, seeking sensory stimulation with surreal lens language, unexpectedly hilarious humor embodies the mysterious "ronin spirit" under the absurd war, and explores the stupidity and cruelty of human beings. Morricone's score "The Ecstasy of Gold" became one of the most famous film scores in film history, and after being covered by the metal band, it was even more popular as a divine comedy for rock fans.
The Past in the West
ONCE UPON A TIME
IN THE WEST
-1968-
What to watch: The best ideas for Westerns are here
Italian film master Sergio Leone's "Past Trilogy" is the first. A mysterious man, a widow and a killer play a game for the great cause of the railway. The future Italian film master Bertolucci and horror film master Aquido co-wrote the screenplay, and combined the classic passages in Hollywood Westerns. The film paints a new era of film murals with a soothing and gloomy narrative rhythm, showing the struggle between the exploited and the exploited class. For the first time and only time, Leone has placed a female character at the heart of the film, and the screen goddess Claudia Katina flexibly plays this humble independent woman. Oscar-winning actor Henry Fonda subverted the image of the decent tough guy of the past and shocked the audience as a cold killer. Won the Italian David Award for Best Production.
An investigation into an unquestionable citizen
INVESTIGATION OF A CITIZEN ABOVE SUSPICION
-1970-
What to watch: The murderer is me, come and arrest me
The first installment of the "Neurotic Trilogy" by Italian cinematic master Elio Bertoli. A newly promoted sheriff killed his mistress and deliberately left clues to prove that the killer was him. Through expressionism, Bedoulli vividly portrays the absurdity of life under the bureaucracy, interlacing reality and dreams, and sharply satirizing the corrupt evils and unquestionable authority of the Italian government at that time. After the premiere of this film, it was strongly opposed by the police department executives, but it was unanimously sought after by the audience and the box office was popular. Morricone's ingenious incorporation of springs into the soundtrack enhances the sense of satire in the audiovisual language, and Kubrick said he wanted to work with the film after listening to the soundtrack. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Fabizi Film Critics Award.
Untouchables
THE UNTOUCHABLES
-1987-
What to watch: A gunfight action scene that pays homage to Eisenstein
Masterpiece of American film master Brian de Palmer. Based on real people and events, it tells the story of how Carbon, a gangster who sold alcohol in Chicago in the 1930s, was punished. Through exquisite sets, cool shots and hot chase scenes, Palma recreates the battle between good and evil in chicago, the city of war in the Prohibition era, and the train station sniper scene borrows the popular Odessa staircase section of Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin, which is a new model of montage. Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro does not hesitate to fatten up and interpret the villain in order to restore historical figures. British male god Sean Connery won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his superb acting skills.
Youguo Station
A PURE FORMALITY
-1994-
Highlights: Polanski, the master of the film, fights cannes film emperor Depardieu
A self-written and directed thriller by Italian contemporary cinema master Giuseppe Tornadore. A writer who has lived in seclusion for many years is confronted by a detective who has been a loyal reader of his life. Using enclosed spaces, Tornatore constantly dramatizes the plot through subjective visual lenses and dense dialogue, and unexpected memory flashbacks hide the truth under the language, torturing the lonely pain behind human nature with surreal brushstrokes. Polish film master Romain Polanski rarely starred in the role of a majestic and rational detective, and competed with the Cannes film emperor Gerald dePardieu, who played the writer. Winner of the Italian David Award for Best Art Design. The film is also one of Morricone's self-considered most iconic soundtrack films.
Stay tuned to us and be the first to grasp the blockbuster list of the 2021 Shanghai International Film Festival.
Note: In case of change in the film schedule, the actual schedule shall prevail.