Frank Sinatra – The Voice of America

When Frank Sinatra died on 14 May 1998, the 20th century said goodbye. He has given his voice to an epoch. His songs have become the soundtrack of a lifetime for millions of people all over the world. Like no other person before or after him, he embodies America, the old America, the country where immigrants from Europe sought their fortune. The documentary "Sinatra. The Voice of America" tells the story of the Italian immigrant child from New Jersey, who wishes for nothing more than to make it on the other side of the river, in New York. "Sinatra always wanted to be better than the natives. That was his lifelong aspiration," says Charles Aznavour about his colleague. His unconditional will to succeed drives him and at the same time overshadows his life. The "entertainer of the century" is a lonely and depressive person. He cleverly hides this behind the façade of the loudmouth, patriarch and lover. He may have a loyal following and has countless affairs. But he cannot enter into intimate relationships with people. Only when he sings perfectly is he happy. He has been on stage for almost 70 years, experiencing American history. During the 2nd World War his songs comfort the lonely women. The men at the front hate him because he seduces their women with his soft voice. But after the war they want to be like him: cool, casual and elegant, preferably with a glass of whiskey in their hands. Although he himself did not fight in the war, Sinatra thus becomes the prototype of the American man of the post-war years. But the spirit that spreads in America 15 years later during the Vietnam War is no longer Sinatra's thing. The era of the All-American Man is over. Young people prefer to listen to the Beatles or Jimi Hendrix. But Sinatra is not satisfied with that. He works hard to go from relic to living legend. The documentary "Sinatra. The Voice of America" is the portrait of an artist with epochal power. To this day he moves and inspires people. A good reason to look back and find out how the boy with Italian roots lived his dream and became the voice of America. A voice that is still unparalleled today.