This 1992 Emmy and Golden Globe winning miniseries spans the years from 1925 to 1974 and is anchored by a remarkable performance by Philip Casnoff in the title role. Bearing just enough of a physical resemblance to the real Sinatra to properly evoke him, Casnoff inhabits the role completely, with absolutely Sinatra-esque diction and body movements. It's an uncanny performance, and it is matched by several others in the piece, none more amazing than Olympia Dukakis as Sinatra's finagling mother. It may come as a surprise to some Sinatra fans to find out his mother did everything from run a saloon to "arrange" elections to, more problematically, perform abortions, but in Dukakis' able hands, Dolly Sinatra is simultaneously lovable and irascible, in equal measure. The other standout is Gina Gershon as Sinatra's first wife Nancy, and mother of his three children. Gershon does an outstanding job portraying a "down home" girl who finds herself thrust into a lifestyle she never dreamed possible, all the while having to suffer her husband's repeated extramarital dalliances, none more damaging than his passionate affair with Ava Gardner (Marcia Gay Harden), which ultimately leads to the first marriage's dissolution. Sinatra's selfishness in personal relationships is not glossed over, and in fact is rather troublingly portrayed more than once in this miniseries, but it's fascinating, if subject to analysis by some relationship expert, to see the women in his life continually forgiving him for his boorish behavior. In fact in the scene where Sinatra wins an Academy Award for From Here to Eternity, we see Nancy rooting for him from home, while Gardner, who had already separated from him, does similar service from another seat in the auditorium.

Sinatra also doesn't shy away from the ups and downs of Sinatra's career, going into some detail of his late 40s-early 50s decline before his Oscar win. Kudos must be given to scenarist William Mastrosimone for portraying Sinatra as the angry heel he evidently was during this period, with a chip on his shoulder that could be seen for miles. Casnoff does admirable work here showing the vulnerability and hurt beneath the bravado, as Sinatra, once the idol of millions, finds he can't sell out the Paramount, maintain a recording contract or even attract enough of a national audience to sustain a variety show.

The telefilm does a mostly admirable job of telescoping the 50 or so years it portrays and has a panoply of walk-ons, including everyone from Tommy Dorsey to Sam Giancana (Rod Steiger in a featured billing, though the role is rather small). There are a couple of montage sequences that left me wanting more, notably Sinatra's comeback in the 50s after his Oscar win, highlighted by a series of classic albums arranged by such luminaries as Gordon Jenkins, Billy May and Nelson Riddle. What we are treated to is a quick survey of album covers with "Come Fly with Me" playing over them. The same technique is used a decade later for Sinatra's brief fling and marriage to Mia Farrow, where we get a lot of shots of them cavorting together set to "You Make Me Feel So Young."

I personally would have loved a little more examination into at least the album creation period, where Sinatra forged a then-new idea of thematically linking material to create a "concept album." And as a fan of Brasilian music, how I would have loved a little time spent on Sinatra's love of this idiom, including his great collaborations with Antonio Carlos Jobim and Deodato. Sinatra does judiciously use a lot of original Sinatra recordings, all more or less well lip-synched to by Casnoff, and adds some new snippets voiced by Frank, Jr. and Tom Burlinson. Artie Butler provides an unobtrusive underscore utilizing, for obvious reasons, "It Was A Very Good Year." In fact the music is a large part of what sells Sinatra as the "real thing," as it well should be. While the film ends with Sinatra's triumphant "comeback" (probably the sixth or seventh of his long and storied career) in 1974 at Madison Square Garden, one wonders why the film didn't at least progress to his landmark recording of "New York, New York," which garnered him fans from a whole new generation. These are fairly small qualms, however, in what is overall a very involving examination of one of the icons of our age.

The DVD

Video:
The full frame image is certainly decent, if hampered by some occasional scratches and other abrasion. Colors are excellent with good saturation.

Sound:
The standard stereo soundtrack is superb, with top-notch separation and fidelity throughout, especially in the many musical sequences. English subtitles are the only option available.

Extras:
None are offered.

Final Thoughts:
Sinatra the man was a complex character who left an indelible imprint on 20th century culture. Sinatra the miniseries does an admirable, if somewhat abbreviated, job in getting beneath the skin of this icon to explain what made him tick. Recommended.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet