Start the weekend with one of my favorite composers, Nino Rota. Rota began scoring films in the 1940s and is best remembered for his long collaboration with director Federico Fellini. The two worked closely together between The White Sheik (1952) and Orchestra Rehearsal (1978), with Rota scoring Fellini's major films like La Strada, La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, Juliet of the Spirits, Satyricon, Roma, Casanova, and Amarcord. In fact, Rota also composed music for one of Fellini's early Neorealist hits as a screenwriter, Rome Open City (1946). Fellini often relied on the composer to create a carnival-like atmosphere in his movies, and it's difficult to imagine what the director's work would have been without Rota's essential sounscapes. Here are a few of their record designs from the 1960s and 1970s. If you haven't heard the music, I urge you to check out the soundtracks. And if it's your first time seeing the films, oh, how I envy you! I suggest starting with 8 1/2- in my top-5 favorite movies.You might also look at Juliet of the Spirits, the first foreign film I ever saw at age twelve- scared the Hell out of me, but it sowed a seed of curiosity that helped define the rest of my life. Enjoy!
