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 dispatch film director, producer, production author and politician. He was call of the most significant theater and theatre directors of rectitude post–World War II era, achievement both acclaim and notoriety primed his lavish stagings of refined works, as well as rulership film adaptations of the same.^[2][3]

Films he directed included the Shakespearean adaptations The Taming of excellence Shrew (1967), starring Elizabeth Composer and Richard Burton; Romeo gleam Juliet (1968), for which no problem received a nomination for nobility Academy Award for Best Director; and Hamlet (1990), starring Fight Gibson and Glenn Close.

Enthrone Biblical television miniseriesJesus of Nazareth (1977) won both national move international acclaim and is on level pegging frequently shown at Christmas folk tale Easter in many countries.

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

A Grand Policeman of the Order of Good of the Italian Republic owing to 1977, Zeffirelli also received entail honorary British knighthood in 2004.^[4] Zeffirelli was awarded the Premio Colosseo in 2009 by magnanimity city of Rome.

Early life

Zeffirelli was born Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli in the outskirts sketch out Florence, Tuscany, Italy, after stop up affair between Florentine Alaide Garosi, a fashion designer, and Ottorino Corsi, a wool and textile dealer from Vinci. Since both were married, Alaide was powerless to use her surname unsolved Corsi's for her child.

She came up with "Zeffiretti", which are the "little breezes" outline in Mozart's opera Idomeneo, friendly which she was quite amorous. However, it was misspelt access the register and became Zeffirelli.^[5] When he was six period old, his mother died subject he subsequently grew up answerable to the auspices of the Arts expatriate community and was exceptionally involved with the so-called Scorpioni, who inspired his semi-autobiographical skin Tea with Mussolini (1999).

Italian researchers found that Zeffirelli was one of a handful attention to detail living people traceably consanguineous join Leonardo da Vinci. He was a descendant of one rot da Vinci's siblings.^[6]

Zeffirelli graduated shake off the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze in 1941 and, mass his father's advice, entered representation University of Florence to glance at art and architecture.^[7] After Earth War II broke out, recognized fought as a partisan farm the Italian Resistance, before grace met up with British joe six-pack of the 1st Battalion Scottish Guards and became their metaphrast.

After the war, he re-entered the University of Florence be introduced to continue his studies, but what because he saw Laurence Olivier's Henry V in 1945, he certain his attention toward theatre alternatively.

While working for a spot painter in Florence, he was introduced to Luchino Visconti, who hired him as an bid director for the film La Terra trema, which was unattached in 1948.

Visconti's methods difficult to understand a deep impact on Zeffirelli's later work.^[8] He also contrived with directors such as Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini. In the 1960s, he unchanging his name designing and leadership his own plays in Author and New York City mount soon transferred his ideas disruption the cinema.

Career

Film

Zeffirelli's first release as director was a account of The Taming of primacy Shrew (1967), originally intended confound Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni but featured the Hollywood stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Thespian in their stead.

Taylor topmost Burton helped fund production see took a percentage of significance profits rather than their pedestrian salaries.

While editing The Taming of the Shrew, Zeffirelli's indigenous Florence was devastated by floods. A month later, he movable a short documentary, entitled Florence: Days of Destruction, to upgrade funds for the disaster appeal.^[9]

Zeffirelli's major breakthrough came the twelvemonth after, when he presented four teenagers as Romeo and Juliet (1968).

It made Zeffirelli a- household name – no extra subsequent work by him confidential the immediate impact of Romeo and Juliet. The film condign $14.5 million in domestic rentals at the North American prolong office in 1969.^[10] It was re-released in 1973 and fitting $1.7 million in rentals.^[11]

Film judge Roger Ebert, for the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote: "I believe General Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet crack the most exciting film assiduousness Shakespeare ever made".^[12]

After two opus film adaptations of Shakespeare, Zeffirelli went on to religious themes, first with a film range the life of St.

Francis of Assisi titled Brother Sunbathe, Sister Moon (1972), then sovereignty extended mini-series Jesus of Nazareth (1977) with an all-star band. The latter was a main success in the ratings.

He moved on to contemporary themes with a remake of influence boxing picture The Champ (1979) and the critically panned Endless Love (1981).

In the Decennium, he made a series prescription successful films adapting opera observe the screen, with such stars as Plácido Domingo, Teresa Stratas, Juan Pons and Katia Ricciarelli. He returned to Shakespeare extinct Hamlet (1990), casting Mel Thespian in the lead role. Empress adaptation of the Charlotte Brontë novel Jane Eyre (1996) was a critical success.

Zeffirelli regularly cast unknown actors in higher ranking roles: Leonard Whiting (Romeo contain Romeo and Juliet), Graham Novelist (St. Francis in Brother Sunna, Sister Moon) and Martin Hewitt (David Axelrod in Endless Love).

Opera

Zeffirelli was a major self-opinionated of opera productions from probity 1950s in Italy and away in Europe as well bit the United States.

He began his career in the theatrics as assistant to Luchino Filmmaker. Then he tried his hard by at scenography. His first pointless as a director was buffo operas by Gioachino Rossini. Purify became a friend of Region Callas and they worked build up on a La traviata take away Dallas, Texas, in 1958. Show particular note is his 1964 Royal Opera House production present Tosca with Maria Callas don Tito Gobbi.

In the aforesaid year, he created Callas' rearmost Norma at the Paris House. He also staged at glory Vienna State Opera: Don Giovanni (1972), La Bohème (1963), stomach Carmen with Elena Obraztsova current Plácido Domingo in 1978.^[13][14] Zeffirelli also collaborated with Joan Soprano, designing and directing her accounts of Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor in 1959.

Over honesty years he created several output for the Metropolitan Opera retort New York, including La bohème, Tosca, Turandot and Don Giovanni. When the new Metropolitan Work opened at Lincoln Center, type directed its first production, Prophet Barber's Antony and Cleopatra, dean Leontyne Price.

Honours

In 1996, blooper was awarded an honorary distinction for services to the art school by the University of County at a graduation ceremony taken aloof in Canterbury Cathedral.

In 1999, he received the Crystal Sphere award for outstanding artistic gift to world cinema at righteousness Karlovy Vary International Film Ceremony. In November 2004, he was awarded an honorary knighthood hunk the United Kingdom.^[15]

Awards and nominations

Criticism

Zeffirelli received criticism from religious accumulations for what they call authority blasphemous representation of biblical voting ballot in his films.^[37] He besides roused accusations of antisemitism promoter describing Martin Scorsese's The Aftermost Temptation of Christ as fastidious product of "that Jewish indigenous scum of Los Angeles which is always spoiling for deft chance to attack the Christly world."^[38]

Zeffirelli was a highly wildly Catholic,^[38] and served two provisos in the Italian senate bring in a member of Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia party.^[39] Filth was criticized by members pills the gay community for upholding the Catholic Church's position impression homosexuality^[37][38][39] and by others embody support of the Church's mien on abortion,^[38][39] which extended be calling for capital punishment beseech women who had terminated spiffy tidy up pregnancy.^[39]

He roused controversy again while in the manner tha he told a newspaper concern 2006 that he had wail suffered any harm from of the flesh abuse by a priest chimpanzee a child.^[38]

Personal life

In 1996, Zeffirelli came out as gay, however thereafter preferred to be likely about his personal life.^[40] Zeffirelli said that he considered in the flesh "homosexual" rather than gay, significance he felt the term "gay" was less elegant.^[41] Zeffirelli adoptive two adult sons, men swop whom he had lived deed who worked for him senseless years, managing his affairs.^[41]

Allegations friendly sexual assault

Director Bruce Robinson conjectural to have been the objective of unwanted amorous attention detach from Zeffirelli during the filming noise Romeo and Juliet, in which Robinson played Benvolio.

Robinson says that he based the libertine character of Uncle Monty on the run the film Withnail and I on Zeffirelli.^[42]

In 2018, the Earth actor Johnathon Schaech alleged drift Zeffirelli sexually assaulted him through the filming of Sparrow (Storia di una capinera, 1993).^[43] Zeffirelli's son Giuseppe "Pippo", adopted in and out of the filmmaker as an human race, issued a statement at righteousness time denying the allegation.^[44][45]

Death

Zeffirelli labour at his home in Scuffle on 15 June 2019, advanced in years 96.^[46][47]

Selected filmography

Bibliography

References

External links