Franco Zeffirelli

Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli Template:Post-nominal styles ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}; 12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II era, gaining both acclaim and notoriety for his lavish stagings of classical works, as well as his film adaptations of the same.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Films he directed included the Shakespearean adaptations The Taming of the Shrew (1967), starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton; Romeo and Juliet (1968), for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director; and Hamlet (1990), starring Mel Gibson and Glenn Close. His Biblical television miniseries Jesus of Nazareth (1977) won both national and international acclaim and is still frequently shown at Christmas and Easter in many countries.

A member of the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} party, he served as the Senator for Catania between 1994 and 2001.

A Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic since 1977, Zeffirelli also received an honorary British knighthood in 2004.<ref>UK honour for director Zeffirelli, BBC News, 24 November 2004</ref> Zeffirelli was awarded the Premio Colosseo in 2009 by the city of Rome.

Early life

Zeffirelli was born Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli in the outskirts of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, after an affair between Florentine Alaide Garosi, a fashion designer, and Ottorino Corsi, a wool and silk dealer from Vinci. Since both were married, Alaide was unable to use her surname or Corsi's for her child. She came up with "Zeffiretti", which are the "little breezes" mentioned in Mozart's opera Idomeneo, of which she was quite fond. However, it was misspelt in the register and became Zeffirelli.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> When he was six years old, his mother died and he subsequently grew up under the auspices of the English expatriate community and was particularly involved with the so-called Scorpioni, who inspired his semi-autobiographical film Tea with Mussolini (1999).

Italian researchers found that Zeffirelli was one of a handful of living people traceably consanguineous with Leonardo da Vinci. He was a descendant of one of da Vinci's siblings.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Zeffirelli graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze in 1941 and, following his father's advice, entered the University of Florence to study art and architecture.<ref name="NYT2009">Template:Cite news</ref> After World War II broke out, he fought as a partisan with the Italian Resistance, before he met up with British soldiers of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards and became their interpreter. After the war, he re-entered the University of Florence to continue his studies, but when he saw Laurence Olivier's Henry V in 1945, he directed his attention toward theatre instead.

While working for a scene painter in Florence, he was introduced to Luchino Visconti, who hired him as an assistant director for the film La Terra trema, which was released in 1948. Visconti's methods had a deep impact on Zeffirelli's later work.<ref name="Y!Movies-biog">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also worked with directors such as Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini. In the 1960s, he made his name designing and directing his own plays in London and New York City and soon transferred his ideas to the cinema.

Career

Film

File:Director-Franco-Zeffirelli-and-Olivia-Hussey-in-the-movie-Romeo-and-Juliet-391759001112.jpg

Zeffirelli with Olivia Hussey while filming Romeo and Juliet in 1967

Zeffirelli's first film as director was a version of The Taming of the Shrew (1967), originally intended for Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni but featuring the Hollywood stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in their stead. Taylor and Burton helped fund production and took a percentage of the profits rather than their normal salaries.

While editing The Taming of the Shrew, Zeffirelli's native Florence was devastated by floods. A month later, he released a short documentary, entitled Florence: Days of Destruction, to raise funds for the disaster appeal.<ref name=Get66>Template:Cite news</ref>

Zeffirelli's major breakthrough came the year after, when he presented two teenagers as Romeo and Juliet (1968). It made Zeffirelli a household name – no other subsequent work by him had the immediate impact of Romeo and Juliet. The film earned $14.5 million in domestic rentals at the North American box office in 1969.<ref>"Big Rental Films of 1969", Variety, 7 January 1970, p. 15</ref> It was re-released in 1973 and earned $1.7 million in rentals.<ref>"Big Rental Films of 1973", Variety, 9 January 1974, p. 60</ref>

Film critic Roger Ebert, for the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote: "I believe Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet is the most exciting film of Shakespeare ever made".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After two successful film adaptations of Shakespeare, Zeffirelli went on to religious themes, first with a film about the life of St. Francis of Assisi titled Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972), then his extended mini-series Jesus of Nazareth (1977) with an all-star cast. The latter was a major success in the ratings.

He moved on to contemporary themes with a remake of the boxing picture The Champ (1979) and the critically panned Endless Love (1981). In the 1980s, he made a series of successful films adapting opera to the screen, with such stars as Plácido Domingo, Teresa Stratas, Juan Pons and Katia Ricciarelli. He returned to Shakespeare with Hamlet (1990), casting Mel Gibson in the lead role. His adaptation of the Charlotte Brontë novel Jane Eyre (1996) was a critical success.

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

Opera

Zeffirelli was a major director of opera productions from the 1950s in Italy and elsewhere in Europe as well as the United States. He began his career in the theatre as assistant to Luchino Visconti. Then he tried his hand at scenography. His first work as a director was buffo operas by Gioachino Rossini. He became a friend of Maria Callas and they worked together on a La traviata in Dallas, Texas, in 1958. Of particular note is his 1964 Royal Opera House production of Tosca with Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi. In the same year, he created Callas' last Norma at the Paris Opera. He also staged at the Vienna State Opera: Don Giovanni (1972), La Bohème (1963), and Carmen with Elena Obraztsova and Plácido Domingo in 1978.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Zeffirelli also collaborated with Joan Sutherland, designing and directing her performances of Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor in 1959. Over the years he created several productions for the Metropolitan Opera in New York, including La bohème, Tosca, Turandot and Don Giovanni. When the new Metropolitan Opera opened at Lincoln Center, he directed its first production, Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra, starring Leontyne Price.

Honours

In 1996, he was awarded an honorary degree for services to the arts by the University of Kent at a graduation ceremony held in Canterbury Cathedral. In 1999, he received the Crystal Globe award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In November 2004, he was awarded an honorary knighthood by the United Kingdom.<ref>"UK honour for director Zeffirelli", BBC News. Accessed 27 May 2008</ref>

Awards and nominations

Association	Year	Category	Work	Result	Template:Abbr
Academy Awards	1969	Best Director	Romeo and Juliet	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	1983	Best Art Direction	La Traviata	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
British Academy Film Awards	1969	Best Direction	Romeo and Juliet	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	1984	Best Film Not in the English Language	La Traviata	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
		Best Production Design		Template:Won
	1987	Best Film Not in the English Language	Otello	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
British Academy Television Awards	1978	Best Single Play	Jesus of Nazareth	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Cannes Film Festival	1986	Palme d'Or	Otello	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
David di Donatello Awards	1969	Best Director	Romeo and Juliet	Template:Won	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	1972		Brother Sun, Sister Moon	Template:Won
	1979	European David	Template:Sdash	Template:Won
	1991	Best Foreign Film	Hamlet	Template:Won
	2002	Special David	Template:Sdash	Template:Won
Directors Guild of America Awards	1969	Outstanding Directing – Feature Film	Romeo and Juliet	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Flaiano Prizes	1996	Career Award	rowspan="2" Template:Sdash	Template:Won	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Globo d'oro	2013		Template:Won	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Golden Globe Awards	1969	Best Director	Romeo and Juliet	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
		Best English-Language Foreign Film		Template:Won
	1983	Best Foreign Language Film	La Traviata	Template:Nom
	1987		Otello	Template:Nom
Nastro d'Argento Awards	1969	Best Director	Romeo and Juliet	Template:Won	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	2013	Special Silver Ribbon	rowspan="2" Template:Sdash	Template:Won	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival	1999	Crystal Globe	Template:Won	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
National Board of Review	1969	Best Director	Romeo and Juliet	Template:Won	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Palm Springs International Film Festival	2003	Director's Achievement Award	Template:Sdash	Template:Won	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Primetime Emmy Awards	1985	Outstanding Individual Achievement – Classical Music/Dance Programming – Directing	Pagliacci	Template:Won	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	1986	Outstanding Individual Achievements – Classical Music/Dance Programming	Great Performances: "Cavalleria Rusticana"	Template:Won
Razzie Awards	1982	Worst Director	Endless Love	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Tony Awards	1962	Special Tony Award	Romeo and Juliet	Template:Won	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	1963	Best Scenic Design	The Lady of the Camellias	Template:Nom	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Criticism

Zeffirelli received criticism from religious groups for what they call the blasphemous representation of biblical figures in his films.<ref name="glbtq">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also roused accusations of antisemitism for describing Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ as a product of "that Jewish cultural scum of Los Angeles which is always spoiling for a chance to attack the Christian world."<ref name="Ulaby2019">Template:Cite news</ref>

Zeffirelli was a highly conservative Catholic,<ref name="Ulaby2019"/> and served two terms in the Italian senate as a member of Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} party.<ref name="BBCobit">Template:Cite news</ref> He was criticized by members of the gay community for upholding the Catholic Church's position on homosexuality<ref name="glbtq"/><ref name="Ulaby2019"/><ref name="BBCobit"/> and by others for support of the Church's position on abortion,<ref name="Ulaby2019"/><ref name="BBCobit"/> which extended to calling for capital punishment for women who had terminated a pregnancy.<ref name="BBCobit"/>

He roused controversy again when he told a newspaper in 2006 that he had not suffered any harm from sexual abuse by a priest as a child.<ref name="Ulaby2019"/>

Personal life

File:Zeffirelli.jpg

Zeffirelli in 2008

In 1996, Zeffirelli came out as gay, but thereafter preferred to be discreet about his personal life.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Zeffirelli said that he considered himself "homosexual" rather than gay, as he felt the term "gay" was less elegant.<ref name='NYTProfile'>Template:Cite news</ref> Zeffirelli adopted two adult sons, men with whom he had lived and who worked for him for years, managing his affairs.<ref name='NYTProfile'/>

Allegations of sexual assault

Writer and film director Bruce Robinson claimed to have been the target of unwanted amorous attention from 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2018, the American actor Johnathon Schaech alleged that Zeffirelli sexually assaulted him during the filming of Sparrow (Storia di una capinera, 1993).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Zeffirelli's son Giuseppe "Pippo", adopted by the filmmaker as an adult, issued a statement at the time denying the allegation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}]</ref>

Death

Zeffirelli died at his home in Rome on 15 June 2019, aged 96.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Franco Zeffirelli, Oscar-Nominated Director for 'Romeo and Juliet,' Dies at 96, Duane Byrge, The Hollywood REPORTER, 15 June 2019</ref>

Selected filmography

• La Bohème (1965; production designer only)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Florence: Days of Destruction (1966) (documentary short)
• The Taming of the Shrew (1967)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" />
• Romeo and Juliet (1968)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" /> – Academy Award nominee, director
• Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" />
• Jesus of Nazareth (1977)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" />
• Cavalleria rusticana (1978) with Tatiana Troyanos and Plácido Domingo<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" /> (live Metropolitan Opera House – stage director)
• Pagliacci (1978) with Teresa Stratas, Sherrill Milnes and Plácido Domingo<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" /> (live Metropolitan Opera House – stage director)
• Carmen (1978)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" />
• The Champ (1979)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" />
• Endless Love (1981)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" /> – Razzie Award nominee
• Pagliacci (1982) with Plácido Domingo and Teresa Stratas<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" />
• Cavalleria rusticana (1982) with Plácido Domingo and Elena Obraztsova<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" />
• La Bohème (1982)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" /> (live Metropolitan Opera – stage director)
• La Traviata (1983)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" /> – Academy Award nominee, BAFTA winner, art direction; with Teresa Stratas and Plácido Domingo
• Tosca (1985)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" /> (live Metropolitan Opera – stage director)
• Otello (1986)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" /> – BAFTA winner, foreign language film; with Plácido Domingo and Katia Ricciarelli
• Young Toscanini (1988)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" />
• Hamlet (1990)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" />
• Don Giovanni<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" /> (live Metropolitan Opera – stage director)
• Don Carlo with Luciano Pavarotti and Daniela Dessì<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" /> (live La Scala – stage director)
• Storia di una capinera (also known as Sparrow; 1993)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" /> with Sheherazade Ventura
• Jane Eyre (1996)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" />
• Tea with Mussolini (1999)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" />
• Callas Forever (2002)<ref name="Allmovie_filmography" />

Bibliography

• Zeffirelli, Franco; John Tooley (interviews by Anna Tims), "How we made: Franco Zeffirelli and John Tooley on Tosca (1964)", The Guardian (London), 23 July 2012 on theguardian.com. Retrieved 11 August 2014.

External links

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• Template:Charlie Rose view
• Template:NPG name
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• Italian Senate profile
• Interview: Maria Callas and Callas Forever
• Interview with Zeffirelli from 1999 about Tea With Mussolini
• BBC Obituary: Franco Zeffirelli