Sinatra: All or Nothing at All

A richly rendered portrait of a man who defined not only the sound but the style of 20th-century America, this documentary unfolds largely in his own voice, using the setlist from his 1971 “retirement” concert as a narrative spine. The film traces his journey from a working-class boy in Hoboken - who, I was surprised to learn, studied voice with a singer from the Metropolitan Opera - to a global icon whose influence extended far beyond music. But it doesn’t rest on nostalgia or fame; it delves into the contradictions that made Sinatra so compelling: his constant reinvention, his entanglements with politics and controversy, his need for control, and the vulnerability beneath the polished exterior. He understood image before “branding” had a name, and blurred the line between celebrity and artist long before it became standard practice. More than a performer, Sinatra inhabited every lyric he sang - and that’s why his voice still echoes with such power and authenticity today.