"A portrait of a composer whose remarkable career traversed the twentieth 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. A precocious musical talent, Rota studied with Ildebrando Pizzetti, Alfredo Casella and Rosario Scalero. Rota encountered cinema early in his career, going on to compose around 150 film scores for directors including Visconti (The Leopard), Zeffirelli (Romeo and Juliet), and, of course, Federico Fellini, beginning with The White Sheik: La Strada, Nights of Cabiria, La Dolce Vita, 8½, Amarcord and Orchestra Rehearsal. With Coppola's The Godfather he achieved his greatest international success, and The Godfather Part II earned him the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Photographs and archival materials are reimagined and woven together with interviews. During his lifetime, Rota's relationship with music critics was often a difficult one. Today, he is reclaiming his rightful place among the great composers, having left a profound and deeply personal mark on the history of music."