Composer Profile: Ennio Morricone (1928)

Ennio Morricone is the most famous Italian composer of film music in the world. Born in Rome in 1928, Morricone worked as an arranger before he started composing but worked with many famous artists, arranging songs for RCA. In the 1960s, he began writing for the Italian cinema, scoring films from westerns to crime thrillers, comedies and horror. His breakthrough in the field came with his innovative scores for Sergio Leone's westerns, resulting in legendary scores such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Once Upon A Time In The West.

 The first Sergio Leone Western in The Man With No Name Trilogy

              The Second film in the Trilogy

The third film by Sergio Leone in The Man With No Name Trilogy

 Morricone used the pseudonym Leo Nichols for this film

The most famous Sergio Leone Western of the 1960s, originally conceived for Clint Eastwood.

Working for Sergio Leone put Ennio Morricone in a favored position as Leone would often ask him to compose themes before the film was shot because by playing the themes for the actors, Leone would be able to influence the actors in their performances and thereby also 'direct' them.

Morricone and Leone in the 1980s

Moving on from westerns and the other mentioned genres, Morricone became a much sought after composer and worked with many renowned directors in his days. Also in the 1970s, he created a great many interesting scores, both for television and film.

 With Le Clan des Siciliens by Henry Verneuil Morricone also conquered French Cinema in 1971.

Based on the novel of JAWS author Peter Benchley

 

 A well known social drama of the mid-70s

For My Name Is Nobody Morricone would even lampoon his own style of Spaghetti Western Music.

 

A masterful dramatic film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci starring Robert De Niro and many others.

A beautiful example of an American Drama scored by Morricone in the 1970s.

Spielberg did Jaws with John Williams. Ennio Morricone did ORCA !

The music of this horror film was excellent, the film itself was not so good.

 Burt Lancaster played Moses in this 6 hour television series scored by Ennio Morricone. 

 The 1980s brought Morricone a very large choice of select productions from renowned artists as well as lesser known directors. His music however developed into fully orchestral scores with beautifully melodic themes.

Butterfly was an early example of erotically charged films in Morricone's career.

 Marco Polo was a highly rated 10 hour television series that Morricone scored.

Basil Poledouris scored Conan the Barbarian, Ennio Morricone scored Red Sonja.

 Ennio Morricone scares us to hell for John Carpenter's highly rated The Thing.

 Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn star in this highly charged dramatic VietNam war movie.

An Italian series that deals with the Mafia and that has gone into many, many seasons.

 Roland Joffe's highly acclaimed historical drama where Morricone uses a very dramatical choir.

Another very interesting Italian television series that Morricone scored.

 In this French thriller Ennio Morricone re-used the popular theme Chi Mai.

Romy Schneider starred in a drama in the French financial world.

My personal favorite: Brian De Palma's The Untouchables in which Elliot Ness defeats Al Capone, with masterful performances by Robert de Niro, Kevin Costner and Sean Connery.

Sergio Leone also teamed up with Ennio Morricone again in the 1980s for Leone's Gangster Epic Once Upon A Time In America, starring Robert De Niro, James Woods and many others.

In the 1990s Morricone scored Shakespearean drama's...

...historical television series....

...dramas based on controversial literary material...

...and more gangster movies.

He also scored drama's by Giuseppe Tornatore...

...as well as ludicrous American horror films...

...more historical drama's.....

....love stories from the past...

 ....as well as high octane thrillers.

Morricone has also scored science fiction films although this is not a genre that has come to him by nature. Brian De Palma however set Morricone to work for Mission to Mars.

And Giuseppe Tornatore asked Morricone to score his latest drama as well:

In recent years, Morricone has been spending a lot of time going on a world tour, playing his most famous themes all over the world. Only recently he performed in Amsterdam at the Ziggo Dome and in London at the O2. Mind you, he had had to postpone a good many concerts due to problems involving his back. Well, he is not exactly a young man anymore, you know. 

Still, Ennio Morricone is one the greatest Composers of Music for the Cinema today. He has fans all over the world and will leave an enormous legacy of work when he passes away. Which, to our all hope, is still a good, long time away. GRAZIE, Signor Morricone !