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Frank Sinatra
- Self
- (archive footage)
Storyline
Did you know
- ConnectionsEdited from Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music (1965)
Featured review
A Tale of Two Sinatras
Tina Sinatra narrates this collection of her father's performances, which first aired on TV in 2011. Her memories add little to the film. At one point, she says her father had great respect for lyrics and tried his best to honor them (in so many words).
Nothing could be further from the truth. Frank Sinatra is widely recognized as one of the best vocalists when it comes to phrasing (if not the best). That assessment is absolutely true. Frank had an uncanny knack for extracting the most from a song phrase. But there were two Frank Sinatras--the great vocal stylist and the ring-a-ding-dinger.
This collection is fairly comprehensive with its inclusion of a broad sampling of iconic Sinatra hits. But the quality of the sampling is lackluster. We hear Old Blue Eyes wringing every ounce of meaning out of a lyric. But we also hear the Sinatra who was, perhaps, bored with the repetition of singing the same hits.
When Sinatra performed with the Rat Pack, he had no regard for the subtle meanings within a lyric. He and his entourage were too cool to care for the audience or the sentiment in a song, always laughing among themselves at their own private jokes. This too-cool persona was Sinatra's modus operandi for many years.
In these performances from his television show and his specials, we hear him (intentionally) slur words as a joke. He skips words--not the worst effect--and he changes the words, often in service to his cool cleverness, not for emotional impact. He sang some of the greatest ballads of the twentieth century and massacred many of them on occasion. It's a shame, because every song in this film was performed by Frank, at some point, with great earnestness and honesty.
I am sure there are many superfans of Sinatra who will not care, appreciating virtually everything he sings, just as many Elvis fanatics forgive every over-the-top Vegas vocalization. The rest of us, who cherish the best of Sinatra, have many other recordings and performances to enjoy.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Frank Sinatra is widely recognized as one of the best vocalists when it comes to phrasing (if not the best). That assessment is absolutely true. Frank had an uncanny knack for extracting the most from a song phrase. But there were two Frank Sinatras--the great vocal stylist and the ring-a-ding-dinger.
This collection is fairly comprehensive with its inclusion of a broad sampling of iconic Sinatra hits. But the quality of the sampling is lackluster. We hear Old Blue Eyes wringing every ounce of meaning out of a lyric. But we also hear the Sinatra who was, perhaps, bored with the repetition of singing the same hits.
When Sinatra performed with the Rat Pack, he had no regard for the subtle meanings within a lyric. He and his entourage were too cool to care for the audience or the sentiment in a song, always laughing among themselves at their own private jokes. This too-cool persona was Sinatra's modus operandi for many years.
In these performances from his television show and his specials, we hear him (intentionally) slur words as a joke. He skips words--not the worst effect--and he changes the words, often in service to his cool cleverness, not for emotional impact. He sang some of the greatest ballads of the twentieth century and massacred many of them on occasion. It's a shame, because every song in this film was performed by Frank, at some point, with great earnestness and honesty.
I am sure there are many superfans of Sinatra who will not care, appreciating virtually everything he sings, just as many Elvis fanatics forgive every over-the-top Vegas vocalization. The rest of us, who cherish the best of Sinatra, have many other recordings and performances to enjoy.
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- atlasmb
- Dec 9, 2015
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Frank Sinatran parhaat laulut
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime58 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 4:3
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