Arguably the finest pairings of composer and director in cinematic history have been
Bernard Herrmann
with
Alfred Hitchcock
and that of
Nino Rota
Federico Fellini
.
Casanova
, the last great
Rota
/
Fellini
collaboration, shows composer
at peak form. Whether employing a glass harmonica, music box motifs, electric pianos, or a full-blown operatic choir and orchestra, the maestro's distinctive sound palette and slightly off-kilter melodies evoke various shades of melancholia to haunting effect.
made films after
Rota's
death, but they lacked the magical mood that
music created. ~ Rick Watrous