Franco Zeffirelli
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| Franco Zeffirelli | |
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| Born | Birth name: Gianfranco Corsi February 12, 1923 Florence, Tuscany, Italy |
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| Other name(s) | Franco Zeffirelli |
Franco Zeffirelli KBE (born Gianfranco Corsi on 12 February 1923), is an Italian film director. He is also an opera director, designer and producer of opera, theatre, film and television, and a politician.
Internationally, he is known for having directed the 1968 film version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, for which he was nominated to receive an Academy Award. His 1977 television mini-series Jesus of Nazareth also won acclaim and is still shown on Easter weekend in many countries.
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[edit] Early life
Zeffirelli was born and grew up in Florence, under the auspices of the British expatriate community and was particularly involved with the so-called Scorpioni, who inspired his semi-autobiographical 1999 film Tea With Mussolini.
During World War II he fought as a partisan, before he met up with the British soldiers of the 1st Scots Guards and became their interpreter. In the post-war years he studied art and architecture at the University of Florence and worked with directors such as Vittorio De Sica, Roberto Rossellini and Luchino Visconti.
In the 1960s he made his name designing and directing his own plays in London and New York, and soon transferred his ideas to cinema.
[edit] Film career
Zeffirelli's first film as director was a critically acclaimed version of The Taming of the Shrew with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. During the 1960s and 70s he made a series of films on Shakespearean or Biblical themes, before moving to contemporary themes with The Champ (1979). His 1977 film for Lew Grade, Jesus of Nazareth was also a major success.
Zeffirelli frequently cast unknown actors in major roles, however his leads have rarely gone on to stardom or even a sustained acting career. Leonard Whiting (Romeo in Romeo and Juliet), Graham Faulkner (St. Francis in Brother Sun, Sister Moon) and Martin Hewitt (in Endless Love) all left the film business after failing to secure similar high-profile roles. His female leads in those films (Olivia Hussey, Judi Bowker, Brooke Shields) have however had greater acting success.
[edit] Opera career
Zeffirelli has also been a major director of opera productions since the 1950s in Italy, Europe, and the U.S.. Of particular note is his 1964 Royal Opera House production of Tosca with Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi, and several productions for the Metropolitan Opera in New York, including La bohème and Turandot. Also of note is his set design for Madama Butterfly in the fall of 1985 for the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
In November 2004 he was awarded an honorary knighthood by the United Kingdom.[1] In 1999 he received the Crystal Globe award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Zeffirelli is openly gay.[2] He has received criticism from religious groups for what they call the blasphemous representation of biblical figures in his films and also criticism from members of the gay community for publicly backing the Roman Catholic Church with regard to homosexual issues.[2] Director Bruce Robinson claimed to have been the target of unwanted sexual advances by Zeffirelli during the filming of Romeo and Juliet in which Robinson played Benvolio. Robinson says that he based the lecherous character of Uncle Monty in the film Withnail and I on Zeffirelli.[3]
In 2007, disappointed with the manner in which Pope Benedict XVI had been presenting himself to the media, Zeffirelli openly offered his services to the Pontiff as an image consultant. In connection with this matter, he was quoted as saying "I am a Christian down to the depths of my spirit."[4]
[edit] Politics
Zeffirelli has also been a member of the Italian senate since 1996, representing the Forza Italia party.
[edit] Selected filmography
- La bohème (1965) (production designer only)
- The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
- Romeo and Juliet (1968) Academy Award nominee, director
- Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
- Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
- The Champ (1979)
- Endless Love (1981)
- Cavalleria Rusticana (1982) with Plácido Domingo and Elena Obraztsova
- Pagliacci (1982) with Plácido Domingo and Teresa Stratas
- La Traviata (1983) — Academy Award nominee, BAFTA winner, art direction; with Teresa Stratas and Plácido Domingo
- La bohème (1982) (live Metropolitan Opera- stage director)
- Tosca (1985), (live Metropolitan Opera- stage director)
- Otello (1986) — BAFTA winner, foreign language film; with Plácido Domingo and Katia Ricciarelli
- Hamlet (1990)
- Don Giovanni (live Metropolitan Opera - stage director)
- Storia di una capinera also known as Sparrow (1993) with Sheherazade Ventura
- Jane Eyre (1996)
- Tea With Mussolini (1999)
- Callas Forever (2002)
[edit] References
- ^ "UK honour for director Zeffirelli", BBC News. Accessed May 27, 2008
- ^ a b Smith, Patricia Juliana (2005-01-09). "Zeffirelli, Franco". glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture. http://www.glbtq.com/arts/zeffirelli_f.html. Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
- ^ Murphy, Peter. "Interview with Bruce Robinson". http://www.laurahird.com/newreview/brucerobinson.html. Retrieved on 2007-08-07.[ ]
- ^ Aliosi, Silvia (2007-12-15). "Film-maker Zeffirelli vows to help Pope with image". http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1538232220071215?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
[edit] External links
- Franco Zeffirelli at the Internet Movie Database
- Franco Zeffirelli at the Internet Broadway Database
- [1] Interview: Maria Callas and Callas Forever
- Interview with Zeffirelli from 1999 about Tea With Mussolini
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