Franco Zeffirelli: biography of the director and his work
Franco Zeffirelli is a cult director,producer and artist, whose works cover many profound topics. The secrets of the biography and puzzles of the director's creativity help to understand which events and beliefs have become the basis for creating brilliant works. The article presents portraits of Franco Zeffirelli (photos of different ages). A diligent student of Lukino Visconti highlights phenomena that exist outside of time - beauty, love and art.
Franco Zeffirelli: Biography
At birth, the future director was given a nameGianfranco Corsi. He was born on February 12, 1923. His father was a modest merchant of clothes. Mother died when Franco was 6 years old. Being passionate about art, he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Florence.
The aunt was engaged in the education of the boy, and later the servant of the father. This is explained by the fact that Franco Zeffirelli was born from a woman on the side.
When the war began, he went to the mountains, refusingfrom the entry into the army of Mussolini. Franco fought along with the partisans. After the war, he moved to Rome, becoming an artist and an actor. Since 1950, the director has put a lot of operas and plays, visiting with them London, Milan, New York and many other big cities. The main feature of the style of Franco is the staging luxury.
Artist Gianfranco Corsi
Academic artistic education led Franco Zeffirelli to the Florence Theater, where he worked as an artist-designer. Immediately I met my future teacher - Lukino Visconti.
Already well-known director and screenwritersuggested Zeffirelli's role in the film based on Dostoyevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. Actor's debut was successful, and Luchino Visconti took Franco Zeffirelli as assistant to the film "The Earth Shakes", which later won the Venice Film Festival prize.
Later he works with other filmmakers, butstill remains an artist. Franco is still working with Luchino Visconti, and not only as an assistant, but also as a designer. After a series of extraordinary and bold scenery, Zeffirelli offers work on the decorations of Cinderella in La Scala. He agrees to this proposal, with the proviso that he himself will act as a director. "Cinderella" was a resounding success, which allowed Zeffirelli to put many successful performances.
Franco Zeffirelli: Filmography
After a successful work in the theater, the director decidestry yourself in the cinema. His first paintings were: "Camping" and "Taming the Shrew," but the director himself called the work "theatrical" and even conservative. Critics have dubbed Zeffirelli unnecessarily pretentious and extravagant. In fact, such reviews were caused by an abundance of canonical dialogues and scenes.
However, the following cinematic experienceZeffirelli will not only bring him world fame, but make him one of the exemplary filmmakers as such. This picture was the interpretation of "Romeo and Juliet." Franco Zeffirelli not only revived the classics, he showed it in a new light.
In addition, he became the director of such works:
- "Tea with Mussolini".
- "Jane Eyre."
- "Sparrow".
- "Don Carlo."
- "Hamlet".
- "Endless love".
- "Traviata".
And even in the films he is not only a director, but beforetotal artist. He, like no other, managed to select actors who became legends. Not all the artists who worked with him, gained fame. Many did not go further than the debut in the paintings of Zeffirelli. Franco himself treated his actors in a peculiar way. He perceived them as shades: with one thing the whole picture will fail, and the other will be able to make masterpiece notes in it.
Eternal themes
An artist who wants to perpetuate himself inhistory, sooner or later turns to immortal topics. Dzeffirelli, as a very ambitious person, also does not lag behind this tradition and decides to implement two religious films: "Brother Sun, Sister Luna" and "Jesus of Nazareth."
The first one tells about the youth of Francis Assisi, who does not agree with the dogmas of the Catholic Church. After a long struggle with the Pope himself, he decides to establish his own school - Franciscanism.
"Jesus of Nazareth" - a description of the life of Jesus. In the film, he is presented as a historical hero.
Prizes and awards
Franco was nominated for a guild awarddirectors of America in 1996. He also won the title of best director for the film "Romeo and Juliet." This same award he was awarded after the rental of the film "Brother Sun, Sister Moon." Subsequently, he received the "David di Donatello" award.
In 1969, the director becomes the ownerOscar. And in 1982 he received the "Golden Raspberry" for artistic direction in the work "Infinite Love". After 2 years, Franco receives a prize in two categories of the British Academy for his work on "Triviat". In 1986, the director was awarded the "Golden Palm Branch" for the work of "Othello".
Personal life
For a long time Franco Zeffirelli did not talk aboutdetails of his personal life to journalists. This is because he is a representative of homosexuals. In Europe, the silence of the details of personal life is considered a good form.
However, in an interview he stated that histhe first experience of communicating with girls happened at the age of 16. Subsequently, homosexual nature became dominant. Unisex love in Florence was common.
Directed by Franco Zeffirelli differs in thatshows in each of his work the power of youth and youth of convictions. Any of his paintings becomes a masterpiece, bribing the audience with the perfect combination of actors and the discussion of eternal themes.
