Nino Rota: The Godfather

23 August 2014, 16:30 | Updated: 29 August 2014, 11:11

This monumental crime masterpiece needs a soundtrack to match, and Nino Rota's music certainly packs a punch.

Rota's score for Francis Ford Coppolla's gangster epic was removed at the last minute from the list of 1973 Academy Award nominees when it was discovered that Rota's famous 'Love Theme' used the same melody as one he had used previously in Eduardo De Filippo's 1958 comedy Fortunella. 

Confusingly, Rota's score for The Godfather Part II went on to win the Oscar in 1974, even though it featured the same 'Love Theme' that made the 1972 score ineligible!

Listen to Rota's 'Love Theme' played by Andre Rieu and his orchestra in the video below.