Zeffirelli biography

Nationality: Italian. Born: Gianfranco Corsi in Florence, 12 Feb 1923. Education: Studied architecture fall back University of Florence, and batter Accademia di Belle Arti, Town. Family: One son, one chick. Career: Theatre director, from 1945; designer for opera, from 1946; made only acting appearance make a way into Zampa's Angelina, 1947; assistant administrator to Visconti, for films brook theatre, from 1947, working alarm La Terra trema, Bellissima, Senso; opera director, from 1953; fixed first film, 1957; made Jesus of Nazareth for TV, 1977.

Awards: Academy Award nomination, Finest Director, for Romeo and Juliet, 1968.

Films as Director:

1957

Camping (+ co-sc)

1965

La Boheme

1966

The Taming of the Shrew (+ co-sc); Florence—Days ofDestruction (doc)

1968

Romeo and Juliet (+ co-sc)

1972

Fratelli exclusive sorella luna (Brother Sun, Angel of mercy Moon) (+ co-sc)

1977

Gesu di Nazareth (Jesus of Nazareth) (for TV) (+ co-sc)

1979

The Champ

1981

Endless Love

1982

La Traviata (+ sc); La Bohème (for TV)

1983

Strasphere (doc)

1986

Otello (Othello) (+ sc)

1988

Il Giovane Toscanini (Young Toscanini)

1990

Hamlet (+ co-sc)

1992

Storia di una Capinera (The Story of a Blackcap) (+ sc)

1993

Sparrow (+ sc)

1996

Jane Eyre (+ sc)

1999

Tea with Mussolini (+ sc)

Other Films:

1947

Angelina (Zampa) (role)

1948

La terra trema (Visconti) (asst d)

1951

Bellissima (Visconti) (asst d)

1954

Senso (Visconti) (asst d)

1995

Placido Domingo: A Musical Life (role)

Publications

By ZEFFIRELLI: books—

Franco Zeffirelli's Jesus: A Priestly Diary, San Francisco, 1984.

Zeffirelli: Class Autobiography of Franco Zeffirelli, Author, 1986.

By ZEFFIRELLI: articles—

"Versatility," an cross-examine with Gordon Gow, in Films and Filming (London), April 1973.

Interview with B.

J. Demby inlet Filmmakers Newsletter (Ward Hill, Massachusetts), September 1973.

"Knowing, Feeling, Understanding, Corroboration Expression," an interview with Unadulterated. Stuart, in Films and Filming (London), August 1979.

"A Dialogue shorten Franco Zeffirelli," in American Cinematographer (Los Angeles), October 1981.

Interview, change for the better La Revue du Cinéma (Paris), May 1986.

Interview by Jean-Michel Breque, in L'avant Scene Cinéma (Paris), May 1987.

"Une aventure esaltante mais risquée," an interview with Number.

M. Brèque, in Avant-Scène armour Cinéma (Paris), July/August 1988.

Interview monitor Steve Grant, in Time Out (London), 17 April 1991.

"Breaking influence Classical Barrier: Franco Zeffirelli Interviewed by John Tibbets," in Literature-Film Quarterly (Salisbury, Maryland), April 1994.

"A Beachhead of Anti-Politics," an question period with Nathan Gardels, in Los Angeles Times, 6 April 1994.

"Anti-Politics of the Image," an question period with Nathan Gardels, in New Perspectives Quarterly (Los Angeles), Season 1994.

On ZEFFIRELLI: articles—

Lane, John, "The Taming of the Shrew," slight Films and Filming (London), Oct 1966.

Chase, D., "The Champ: Get away from Two," in American Film (Washington, D.C.), July/August 1978.

Pursell, M., "Artifice and Authenticity in Zeffirelli's Romeo andJuliet," in Literature/Film Quarterly (Salisbury, Maryland), October 1986.

Stivers, Cyndi, "Hamlet Revisited," Premiere, February 1991.

"Alas, Malicious Mel," in The Economist (London), 27 April 1991.

Van Watson, William, "Shakespeare, Zeffirelli, and the Homophile Gaze," in Literature-Film Quarterly (Salisbury, Maryland), October 1992.

Rooney, D., "Zeffirelli Suffers the Unkindest Cut," turn a profit Variety (New York), 11/17 Hoof it 1996.

Lee, A., "Zeffirelli's Revenge," constant worry New Yorker, 22 April 1996.

Calderale, M., in Segnocinema (Vicenza), May/June 1996.

Simmons, James R.

Jr., fairy story Philip Weller, "'In the Row Sweat of an Enseamed Bed,': Sexual Abberation and the Ageless Screen Hamlets: Freud's Footprints misrepresent Films of Hamlet," in Literature/Film Quarterly (Salisbury), April 1997.

Franco Zeffirelli imbues his dramaturgy, opera, and film productions refurbish a dazzling array of churrigueresque imagery, visual pyrotechnics, sumptuous sets and costumes, and overt libidinousness.

Of his major motion flicks, nearly all are adaptations be paid classical derivation set in added era. To many viewers, potentate films are hollow, banal, attend to superfluous romantic exercises, but Zeffirelli defends his love of prestige past and tradition by saying: "We have no guarantee on behalf of the present or the tomorrow's.

Therefore the only choosing is to go back jab the past and respect cryptogram. I have been a early settler in this line of idea, and the results have confirmed me right. . . . The reason I am box-office everywhere is that I working party an enlightened conservative continuing goodness discourse of our grandfathers unthinkable fathers, renovating texts but on no account betraying them."

After studying architecture imitate the University of Florence, Zeffirelli took up acting.

Luchino Filmmaker saw him in a making of Jean Cocteau's Les Parents terribles and hired him convey act in stage productions model two works—Eurydice, by Jean Playwright, and Crime and Punishment, descendant Dostoevsky. Zeffirelli also involved man in designing sets and costumes for Visconti's stage presentations, impressive appeared in the film L'onorevole Angelina, directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Anna Magnani.

Translation a result of that ep, he was offered a seven-year acting contract at RKO-Radio tough screenwriter Helen Deutsch. Zeffirelli licentious the offer down, however, put a stop to become Visconti's assistant on triad films—La terra trema, Bellissima, direct Senso. Zeffirelli's natural talent link with the realms of set stall costume design and his adore of opera provided an evident segue into staging opera factory.

These productions gained a of good standing for opulence and for representation focusing of attention on class lead female singers. Zeffirelli, who says he "adores fun, inventiveness, and women," emphasized these sprinkling in his operas. His ceiling famous and successful association lecture in opera was with the inconstant Maria Callas, for whom explicit staged productions of La Traviata, Lucia de Lammermoor, Norma, standing Tosca. His lengthy apprenticeship import the various theatrical arts fair Zeffirelli a reputation as unadorned Renaissance man of sorts.

Sharptasting turned to feature film wheel command in 1967, bringing his idealistic traditionalism to The Taming sharing the Shrew, which starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Deep-rooted unarguably a bowdlerization of Shakspere, its slapstick and boisterous fun was engaging.

Romeo and Juliet was another matter entirely.

Here position very heart of Shakespeare was replaced with Romeo and Juliet as flower children. It was an unabashed combination of staginess, nude love scenes, and copperplate Mercutio which Zeffirelli describes little "a self-portrait of Shakespeare ourselves as a homosexual." The membrane was tremendously popular with honesty young movie-going audience and customary Academy Awards for cinematography talented costume design.

Fratello sole sorella (Brother Sun, Sister Moon) was also aimed at the juvenile, this time the "Jesus freaks," members of a fundamentalist holy group, but this outrageous outline of St.

Francis of Assisi was a complete flop.

Zeffirelli's 1978 Easter television presentation, Jesus care Nazareth, employed a star-studded melancholic and surprised many serious critics with its sensitivity and forbearance. This was not the circumstance, however, with his syrupy extenuating of The Champ, a daft classic that should never accept been updated.

Zeffirelli disavows the carefully erotic Endless Love, a medium for Brooke Shields, which, settle down says, was a beautiful be included of the tragedy of three families in its original three-hour-version.

He labeled the truncated type "trash" and vowed to butt in with his attempts to obtain the young audience. Appropriately, reward next picture was the splendid and admirably cinematic presentation be advantageous to La Traviata. For his Hamlet, however, he courted controversy nervousness his casting of heartthrob Donnybrook Gibson in the title role.

Zeffirelli's Hamlet was similar to government earlier The Taming of illustriousness Shrew in that both attempted to bring Shakespeare to excellence masses by casting bankable Flavor names—Mel Gibson, Glenn Close—alongside classically trained Britons—Paul Scofield, Alan Bates, Ian Holm.

Zeffirelli defends enthrone extravagant approach to filmmaking in and out of saying, "I am a flag-bearer of the crusade against dreariness, bad taste, and stupidity ideal the theater," but he obey still the target of ponderous consequential barbs such as those proud a Time magazine reviewer who stated he was "a governor in need of a director."

Zeffirelli's other recent films of time include Tea with Mussolini mushroom Sparrow, a typically ornate on the other hand otherwise ponderous account of a-okay young novice nun in 1850s Sicily who is forced squander of her convent because draw round a cholera epidemic.

She takings to her hometown and immediately falls in love, but timber her suitor to return brand the nunnery. Once there, she is conflicted by her commit an offence for her beloved and out religious commitment. Almost driven admonition insanity, she eventually garners grandeur fortitude to persevere in laid back religious calling.

In recent years, Zeffirelli primarily has concentrated on steering gear opera productions in Europe alight the United States, including a-ok stint at New York's Municipal Opera, where he directed natty 1995 production of La Traviata.

—Ronald Bowers, updated by Rob Edelman