Date: 20 April – 20 May 2023
Venue: Broadway Cinematheque (Prosperous Garden, 3 Public Square Street, Yaumatei, Kowloon), PREMIERE ELEMENTS (2130, 2/F, Fire, ELEMENTS, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon)
bcinephile members and MOViE MOViE members can enjoy 20% off (at BC) or 15% off (at PE).
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Italian Cultural Institute Hong Kong and Broadway Cinematheque are presenting “Ennio Morricone: A Retrospective” during 20 Apr to 20 May 2023 at Broadway Cinematheque and PREMIERE ELEMENTS, showcasing 13 films scored by Morricone, along with the latest release of the documentary Ennio, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore.
Ennio Morricone is one of the most popular and prolific film composers of the 20th century, author of over 500 unforgettable soundtracks for film and television productions. His music is beloved by both international and Hong Kong film lovers. Three years after he passed away in 2020, the release of the documentary Ennio (directed by his longtime collaborator Giuseppe Tornatore) provides a glimpse into his creative life and it is the perfect time for the audience to revisit the maestro’s works through a long-awaited retrospective.
The retrospective will present highlights from his different stages in his career spanning over 50 years. With Ennio as the centerpiece, 13 classic films of different genres are selected to showcase his creative flair in all styles. Selections include the most iconic and timeless Spaghetti Western film Once Upon a time in the West; the lesser known but equally important Allonsanfan; a highlight of his contribution to the Italian cinema Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion; as well as a display of his eclectic mix of styles The Mission. A talk with music experts will be held to extend the discussion of Ennio’s work and his influence on other filmmakers, offering a more comprehensive overview of his legendary life of music.
As Morricone once said, “All too often, no less today than in the past, music is not considered as a language that concurs to shape the content of a film, but as something that plays in the background. Starting from this bias, film composers have themselves underestimated their own contribution…” The retrospective offers an opportunity for the audience to review Morricone’s epoch-making contribution to film music and to reflect on the value of the complementary relationship between film and music.
Ennio Morricone (1928-2020)
Born in Rome in 1928, Ennio Morricone received his trumpet diploma in 1946 and received his diploma in Composition at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in 1954. He wrote his first concert works at the end of the 1950s, then worked as arranger for RAI and RCA-Italy. He started his career as a film music composer in 1961 with the film Il Federale.
Since then, Morricone has scored over 500 film and TV productions working with numerous renowned directors including Sergio Leone, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bernardo Bertolucci and Giuseppe Tornatore. His works include: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Battle of Algiers, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, The Untouchables, The Mission and Cinema Paradiso.
His long artistic career includes a wide range of composition genres, working as orchestrator, conductor and composer for theatre, radio and cinema. He received a Golden Lion in 1995 and an Honorary Oscar in 2007. In 2016, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score with The Hateful Eight.