Ennio Morricone

Ennio Morricone, the celebrated Italian composer, orchestrated a career so vast it practically had its own zip code. His name is synonymous with the spaghetti western, but his talents stretched far beyond dusty shootouts to encompass dramas, thrillers, and epics, earning him a long-overdue Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 2007 and a competitive Oscar in 2016.

While his melodies might evoke a certain timeless, almost ancient, resonance, Ennio himself was decidedly not of the tribe. No secret bar mitzvah, no hidden menorah in the family attic, just pure, unadulterated Italian Catholic heritage. His connection to anything Jewish appears to be roughly as strong as his connection to Martian opera.

Nevertheless, the sheer, undeniable brilliance of his work brings a certain, shall we say, nachas to anyone with ears and a soul. From "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" to "Cinema Paradiso," Morricone’s scores didn’t just accompany films; they were the films, elevating them from mere moving pictures to profound cultural touchstones. That