Sinatra: All or Nothing at All

Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney's HBO-aired profile of singing legend Frank Sinatra uses Ol' Blue Eyes' 1971 retirement concert as a structuring device, with the 11 songs he performed serving as a kind of autobiography. Gibney combines new and archival interviews with footage from Sinatra's life, while his kids—Nancy, Frank, and Tina—provide much of the voiceover, along with collaborators, such as composer Nelson Riddle. Gibney also incorporates several interviews with Sinatra himself, including a revealing conversation with Walter Cronkite from the 1960s. Sinatra grew up in Hoboken, NJ, during the Depression. When he proved more successful at singing than studying, Sinatra dropped out of school, and his fame grew as he worked with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. Once Hollywood beckoned, Sinatra moved to California, where he embarked on a film career and a series of affairs—after meeting Ava Gardner, his first marriage was over (Gina Gershon provides Gardner's perspective from her writings). Gibney then moves to Sinatra's Oscar-wining turn in From Here to Eternity, his campaigning on behalf of John F. Kennedy, and his marriage to Mia Farrow, which ended just as his work was starting to seem passé. Along the way, the film examines his Mafia ties and his exploits with the Rat Pack in Las Vegas. Although he intended to retire in 1971, Sinatra would revive his music career a few years later, and Gibney closes with a 1978 rendition of “New York, New York.” It's a positive note on which to end an evenhanded portrait of a life with as many lows as highs. Extras include bonus audio interviews. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)