THE STORY – A portrait of a composer whose remarkable career traversed the 20th century. While celebrated for his unforgettable film scores, Nino Rota was also a highly respected composer of concert music. Adopting a free and associative narrative form, the film explores the personal, artistic and spiritual ties that shaped his life, revealing an artist who dedicated himself entirely to music and the ideals it embodies.
THE CAST – N/A
THE TEAM – Walter Fasano (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 115 Minutes
While the production company logos are playing at the beginning of the film, we hear a familiar melody. Seven of the most iconic and recognizable notes in the history of movie music – the theme from “The Godfather.” In other words, director Walter Fasano is being very upfront about what the audience will see – and, more importantly, hear – over the course of two hours. As per the title, this is indeed a film about Nino Rota. It’s the third documentary directed by Fasano, after “Bertolucci on Bertolucci,” which he worked on with frequent collaborator Luca Guadagnino (as of 2026, Fasano has edited nine of his films), and “Pino” (about the photographer Pino Pascali).
Movie buffs will probably go in knowing what to expect, given Rota’s stature in the world of film music. His collaborations with Federico Fellini, Alberto Lattuada, Luchino Visconti, Franco Zeffirelli, Raffaello Matarazzo and Mario Monicelli earned him legendary status even before he won his first and only Oscar for “The Godfather Part II” (after his nomination for the first film was controversially withdrawn due to one track having been composed for a previous score). And that section is amply covered through archival material, including interviews with Fellini and screenwriter Suso Cecchi D’Amico, who was childhood friends with Rota before their paths crossed professionally (he scored 20 films she wrote, including “The Leopard”).
More informative, especially for viewers based outside of Italy, is the part dealing with Rota’s non-film career, which ran parallel to his scoring gigs. A veritable child prodigy, he wrote his first oratorio – a composition with dramatic text for choir or orchestra – at the age of 11, and conducted professionally by 13. Much like Ennio Morricone (as covered in Giuseppe Tornatore’s documentary “Ennio”), he came up in a world where film music was frowned upon in some circles, but he treated every job with the same reverence, sometimes even approaching scores for the cinema as though they were operas. In addition to all his composition work, he made sure to help shape the future of the profession by assuming the directorship of the Liceo Musicale in Bari, a position he held from 1950 until 1978, a year before his death. In one of the more amusing moments, we’re shown what used to be his office, which was originally furnished in such a way so that he could also use it as his living quarters, even though he had a regular residence in the city.
There is clearly an international aim with the project, primarily via the choice of singer Sting as the narrator, an interesting pick since his voice adds gravitas while also clearly belonging to someone who, like Rota, is passionate about music. Yet, the scope is largely Italian, although perhaps not enough to justify a wide release in cinemas domestically (like most documentaries, it will probably find its audience on TV or streaming). The main interviewee not directly tied to the Italian scene is Alexandre Desplat, the French composer who has often cited Rota’s work as an early inspiration for his career.
Then there’s Vince Mendoza, who to some degree is the real star player. A famed arranger and conductor, his contribution to the film goes beyond just chatting to camera; he re-arranged the various Rota tracks that play throughout the picture, giving them a new texture while they retain their recognizable aural identity. Alongside Fasano himself, who naturally serves as the editor, Mendoza is the key component in terms of providing the project with its vibrancy and steady pace. For its entire two-hour duration, the film never overstays its welcome.
If there’s one thing holding it back, it’s arguably the running time. Given the length and richness of Rota’s career, there was clearly room for more, and for existing scenes to breathe a bit longer. This becomes particularly evident in the final stretch, when the inevitable hagiography – it’s hard not to be effusive about a man who was a genius at an early age – cedes its place to something more complex, namely the composer’s family life (he gave his daughter up for adoption, and the two didn’t meet for years). It’s a fascinating topic, but in the context of the documentary, it’s almost a footnote. Then again, this shortcoming is alluded to in the title of the movie itself – this is a film about Rota, not the film about Rota. Will there be more? Perhaps not, but it is a pointed acknowledgement of the fact a single feature-length project will never be enough to fully encapsulate how much Rota meant for music in the 20th century and beyond.
