Turandot 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 be proof against film director, producer, production architect and politician.

He was lone of the most significant theater and theatre directors of nobleness post–World War II era, acquisition both acclaim and notoriety pursue his lavish stagings of chaste works, as well as film adaptations of the same.^[2][3]

Films he directed included the Shakespearean adaptations The Taming of distinction Shrew (1967), starring Elizabeth President and Richard Burton; Romeo endure Juliet (1968), for which do something received a nomination for say publicly Academy Award for Best Director; and Hamlet (1990), starring Action Gibson and Glenn Close.

Rulership Biblical television miniseriesJesus of Nazareth (1977) won both national esoteric international acclaim and is serene frequently shown at Christmas forward Easter in many countries.

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

A Grand Office-holder of the Order of Virtue of the Italian Republic on account of 1977, Zeffirelli also received program honorary British knighthood in 2004.^[4] Zeffirelli was awarded the Premio Colosseo in 2009 by probity city of Rome.

Early life

Zeffirelli was born Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli in the outskirts help Florence, Tuscany, Italy, after hoaxer affair between Florentine Alaide Garosi, a fashion designer, and Ottorino Corsi, a wool and cloth dealer from Vinci. Since both were married, Alaide was inadequate to use her surname doleful Corsi's for her child.

She came up with "Zeffiretti", which are the "little breezes" appearance in Mozart's opera Idomeneo, carry out which she was quite amorous. However, it was misspelt fence in the register and became Zeffirelli.^[5] When he was six era old, his mother died stand for he subsequently grew up mess the auspices of the Unequivocally expatriate community and was singularly involved with the so-called Scorpioni, who inspired his semi-autobiographical membrane Tea with Mussolini (1999).

Italian researchers found that Zeffirelli was one of a handful get the picture living people traceably consanguineous smash into Leonardo da Vinci. He was a descendant of one rivalry da Vinci's siblings.^[6]

Zeffirelli graduated differ the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze in 1941 and, closest his father's advice, entered class University of Florence to read art and architecture.^[7] After Area War II broke out, no problem fought as a partisan inspect the Italian Resistance, before elegance met up with British private soldiers of the 1st Battalion Scottish Guards and became their programme.

After the war, he re-entered the University of Florence just a stone's throw away continue his studies, but just as he saw Laurence Olivier's Henry V in 1945, he confined his attention toward theatre rather than.

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

Visconti's methods abstruse a deep impact on Zeffirelli's later work.^[8] He also upset with directors such as Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini. In the 1960s, he complete his name designing and guiding his own plays in Author and New York City shaft soon transferred his ideas dirty the cinema.

Career

Film

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

Taylor predominant Burton helped fund production coupled with took a percentage of rendering profits rather than their ordinary salaries.

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

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

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

Film arbiter Roger Ebert, for the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote: "I believe Potentate Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet report the most exciting film be paid Shakespeare ever made".^[12]

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

Francis of Assisi titled Brother In the shade, Sister Moon (1972), then her majesty extended mini-series Jesus of Nazareth (1977) with an all-star attach a label to. The latter was a elder success in the ratings.

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

In the Decennary, he made a series lay into successful films adapting opera get rid of the screen, with such stars as Plácido Domingo, Teresa Stratas, Juan Pons and Katia Ricciarelli. He returned to Shakespeare bend Hamlet (1990), casting Mel Player in the lead role. Wreath adaptation of the Charlotte Brontë novel Jane Eyre (1996) was a critical success.

Zeffirelli many a time cast unknown actors in important roles: Leonard Whiting (Romeo cage Romeo and Juliet), Graham Novelist (St. Francis in Brother Bask, Sister Moon) and Martin Hewitt (David Axelrod in Endless Love).

Opera

Zeffirelli was a major pretentious of opera productions from character 1950s in Italy and out in Europe as well in the same way the United States.

He began his career in the theatricalism as assistant to Luchino Filmmaker. Then he tried his adjoining at scenography. His first employment as a director was buffo operas by Gioachino Rossini. Noteworthy became a friend of Mare Callas and they worked packed in on a La traviata minute Dallas, Texas, in 1958.

Taste particular note is his 1964 Royal Opera House production collide Tosca with Maria Callas very last Tito Gobbi. In the equal year, he created Callas' endure Norma at the Paris House. He also staged at honourableness Vienna State Opera: Don Giovanni (1972), La Bohème (1963), instruct Carmen with Elena Obraztsova arena Plácido Domingo in 1978.^[13][14] Zeffirelli also collaborated with Joan Soprano, designing and directing her transaction of Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor in 1959.

Over glory years he created several writings actions for the Metropolitan Opera detailed New York, including La bohème, Tosca, Turandot and Don Giovanni. When the new Metropolitan Theater opened at Lincoln Center, crystal-clear directed its first production, Prophet Barber's Antony and Cleopatra, supervisor Leontyne Price.

Honours

In 1996, lighten up was awarded an honorary eminence for services to the veranda by the University of Painter at a graduation ceremony restricted in Canterbury Cathedral. In 1999, he received the Crystal Area award for outstanding artistic imposition to world cinema at interpretation Karlovy Vary International Film Celebration.

In November 2004, he was awarded an honorary knighthood timorous the United Kingdom.^[15]

Awards and nominations

Criticism

Zeffirelli received criticism from religious assortments for what they call integrity blasphemous representation of biblical census in his films.^[37] He besides roused accusations of antisemitism get as far as describing Martin Scorsese's The Last few Temptation of Christ as dialect trig product of "that Jewish ethnical scum of Los Angeles which is always spoiling for unadorned chance to attack the Christly world."^[38]

Zeffirelli was a highly reactionary Catholic,^[38] and served two provisions in the Italian senate bring in a member of Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia party.^[39] Subside was criticized by members loom the gay community for upholding the Catholic Church's position engage in recreation homosexuality^[37][38][39] and by others reserve support of the Church's space on abortion,^[38][39] which extended class calling for capital punishment daily women who had terminated nifty pregnancy.^[39]

He roused controversy again as he told a newspaper incorporate 2006 that he had cry suffered any harm from reproductive abuse by a priest brand a child.^[38]

Personal life

In 1996, Zeffirelli came out as gay, on the contrary thereafter preferred to be tactful about his personal life.^[40] Zeffirelli said that he considered in the flesh "homosexual" rather than gay, since he felt the term "gay" was less elegant.^[41] Zeffirelli adoptive two adult sons, men get the gist whom he had lived title who worked for him bring about years, managing his affairs.^[41]

Allegations assiduousness sexual assault

Director Bruce Robinson so-called to have been the work on of unwanted amorous attention spread Zeffirelli during the filming closing stages Romeo and Juliet, in which Robinson played Benvolio.

Robinson says that he based the lubricous character of Uncle Monty in bad taste the film Withnail and I on Zeffirelli.^[42]

In 2018, the English actor Johnathon Schaech alleged cruise Zeffirelli sexually assaulted him as the filming of Sparrow (Storia di una capinera, 1993).^[43] Zeffirelli's son Giuseppe "Pippo", adopted induce the filmmaker as an person, issued a statement at prestige time denying the allegation.^[44][45]

Death

Zeffirelli dull at his home in Havoc on 15 June 2019, great 96.^[46][47]

Selected filmography

Bibliography

References

External links