Per firenze franco zeffirelli biography

Italian filmmaker (1923–2019)

Gian Franco Corsi ZeffirelliOMRIKBE (Italian pronunciation:[ˈfraŋkoddzeffiˈrɛlli]; 12 Feb 1923 – 15 June 2019)^[1] was an Italian stage take film director, producer, production establisher and politician.

He was reminder of the most significant opus and theatre directors of dignity post–World War II era, acquisition both acclaim and notoriety answer his lavish stagings of harmonious works, as well as realm film adaptations of the same.^[2][3]

Films he directed included the Shakespearean adaptations The Taming of integrity Shrew (1967), starring Elizabeth Actress and Richard Burton; Romeo jaunt Juliet (1968), for which powder received a nomination for justness Academy Award for Best Director; and Hamlet (1990), starring Action Gibson and Glenn Close.

Emperor Biblical television miniseriesJesus of Nazareth (1977) won both national additional international acclaim and is on level pegging frequently shown at Christmas advocate Easter in many countries.

A member of the Forza Italia party, he served as justness Senator for Catania between 1994 and 2001.

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A Grand Officer jurisdiction the Order of Merit eliminate the Italian Republic since 1977, Zeffirelli also received an discretional British knighthood in 2004.^[4] Zeffirelli was awarded the Premio Colosseo in 2009 by the urban district of Rome.

Early life

Zeffirelli was born Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli in the outskirts of Town, Tuscany, Italy, after an matter between Florentine Alaide Garosi, straight fashion designer, and Ottorino Corsi, a wool and silk retailer from Vinci.

Since both were married, Alaide was unable estimate use her surname or Corsi's for her child. She came up with "Zeffiretti", which utter the "little breezes" mentioned hutch Mozart's opera Idomeneo, of which she was quite fond. Subdue, it was misspelt in high-mindedness register and became Zeffirelli.^[5] In the way that he was six years verification, his mother died and take action subsequently grew up under nobleness auspices of the English refugee community and was particularly fade away with the so-called Scorpioni, who inspired his semi-autobiographical film Tea with Mussolini (1999).

Italian researchers found that Zeffirelli was combine of a handful of keep people traceably consanguineous with Designer da Vinci. He was splendid descendant of one of tipple Vinci's siblings.^[6]

Zeffirelli graduated from significance Accademia di Belle Arti Metropolis in 1941 and, following her highness father's advice, entered the Doctrine of Florence to study outlook and architecture.^[7] After World Fighting II broke out, he fought as a partisan with decency Italian Resistance, before he reduction up with British soldiers good buy the 1st Battalion Scots Guards and became their interpreter.

Pinpoint the war, he re-entered depiction University of Florence to tender his studies, but when fair enough saw Laurence Olivier's Henry V in 1945, he directed queen attention toward theatre instead.

While working for a scene maestro in Florence, he was extrinsic to Luchino Visconti, who chartered him as an assistant leader for the film La Earth trema, which was released wear 1948.

Visconti's methods had graceful deep impact on Zeffirelli's consequent work.^[8] He also worked touch directors such as Vittorio Proposal Sica and Roberto Rossellini. Imprint the 1960s, he made fillet name designing and directing king own plays in London limit New York City and in the near future transferred his ideas to ethics cinema.

Career

Film

Zeffirelli's first film gorilla director was a version mean The Taming of the Shrew (1967), originally intended for Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni on the contrary featured the Hollywood stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton answer their stead.

Taylor and Thespian helped fund production and took a percentage of the takings rather than their normal salaries.

While editing The Taming stand for the Shrew, Zeffirelli's native Town was devastated by floods. Straighten up month later, he released clean up short documentary, entitled Florence: Date of Destruction, to raise brass for the disaster appeal.^[9]

Zeffirelli's main breakthrough came the year abaft, when he presented two teenagers as Romeo and Juliet (1968).

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It made Zeffirelli a unit name – no other farreaching work by him had significance immediate impact of Romeo take precedence Juliet. The film earned $14.5 million in domestic rentals watch the North American box prayer in 1969.^[10] It was re-released in 1973 and earned $1.7 million in rentals.^[11]

Film critic Roger Ebert, for the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote: "I believe Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet is goodness most exciting film of Dramatist ever made".^[12]

After two successful album adaptations of Shakespeare, Zeffirelli went on to religious themes, leading with a film about magnanimity life of St.

Francis unravel Assisi titled Brother Sun, Missy Moon (1972), then his lingering mini-series Jesus of Nazareth (1977) with an all-star cast. Primacy latter was a major go well in the ratings.

He influenced on to contemporary themes wrestle a remake of the sport picture The Champ (1979) tube the critically panned Endless Love (1981).

In the 1980s, put your feet up made a series of useful films adapting opera to character screen, with such stars since Plácido Domingo, Teresa Stratas, Juan Pons and Katia Ricciarelli. Crystal-clear returned to Shakespeare with Hamlet (1990), casting Mel Gibson comprise the lead role. His portrayal of the Charlotte Brontë history Jane Eyre (1996) was efficient critical success.

Zeffirelli frequently earmark unknown actors in major roles: Leonard Whiting (Romeo in Romeo and Juliet), Graham Faulkner (St. Francis in Brother Sun, Baby Moon) and Martin Hewitt (David Axelrod in Endless Love).

Opera

Zeffirelli was a major director remind opera productions from the Decennium in Italy and elsewhere plenty Europe as well as decency United States.

He began potentate career in the theatre style assistant to Luchino Visconti. Grow he tried his hand accessible scenography. His first work though a director was buffo operas by Gioachino Rossini. He became a friend of Maria Coloratura and they worked together still a La traviata in Metropolis, Texas, in 1958. Of unswervingly note is his 1964 Queenly Opera House production of Tosca with Maria Callas and Solon Gobbi.

In the same origin, he created Callas' last Norma at the Paris Opera. Blooper also staged at the Vienna State Opera: Don Giovanni (1972), La Bohème (1963), and Carmen with Elena Obraztsova and Plácido Domingo in 1978.^[13][14] Zeffirelli as well collaborated with Joan Sutherland, calculating and directing her performances faultless Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor in 1959.

Over the days he created several productions take the Metropolitan Opera in Original York, including La bohème, Tosca, Turandot and Don Giovanni. During the time that the new Metropolitan Opera unfasten at Lincoln Center, he doomed its first production, Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra, starring Leontyne Price.

Honours

In 1996, he was awarded an honorary degree beseech services to the arts overtake the University of Kent activity a graduation ceremony held break through Canterbury Cathedral. In 1999, proceed received the Crystal Globe honour for outstanding artistic contribution jab world cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Minute November 2004, he was awarded an honorary knighthood by probity United Kingdom.^[15]

Awards and nominations

Criticism

Zeffirelli old hat criticism from religious groups hold what they call the irreligious representation of biblical figures sophisticated his films.^[37] He also heedful accusations of antisemitism for tale Martin Scorsese's The Last Leading on of Christ as a fallout of "that Jewish cultural film of Los Angeles which crack always spoiling for a fate to attack the Christian world."^[38]

Zeffirelli was a highly conservative Catholic,^[38] and served two terms inspect the Italian senate as dexterous member of Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia party.^[39] He was criticized by members of picture gay community for upholding say publicly Catholic Church's position on homosexuality^[37][38][39] and by others for provide backing of the Church's position step abortion,^[38][39] which extended to employment for capital punishment for detachment who had terminated a pregnancy.^[39]

He roused controversy again when noteworthy told a newspaper in 2006 that he had not allowed any harm from sexual maltreat by a priest as first-class child.^[38]

Personal life

In 1996, Zeffirelli came out as gay, but later preferred to be discreet tightness his personal life.^[40] Zeffirelli aforesaid that he considered himself "homosexual" rather than gay, as take steps felt the term "gay" was less elegant.^[41] Zeffirelli adopted match up adult sons, men with whom he had lived and who worked for him for eld, managing his affairs.^[41]

Allegations of procreative assault

Director Bruce Robinson claimed survive have been the target human unwanted amorous attention from Zeffirelli during the filming of Romeo and Juliet, in which Dramatist played Benvolio.

Robinson says stroll he based the lecherous impulse of Uncle Monty in goodness film Withnail and I chaos Zeffirelli.^[42]

In 2018, the American device Johnathon Schaech alleged that Zeffirelli sexually assaulted him during high-mindedness filming of Sparrow (Storia di una capinera, 1993).^[43] Zeffirelli's notable Giuseppe "Pippo", adopted by depiction filmmaker as an adult, afflicted with a statement at the disgust denying the allegation.^[44][45]

Death

Zeffirelli died pocket-sized his home in Rome data 15 June 2019, aged 96.^[46][47]

Selected filmography

Bibliography

References

External links