Written by | Beijing News reporter He An'an
Earlier noon on June 15, local time in Rome, legendary Italian director Franco Zefirelli
(franco zeffirelli)
After dying at his home on Via Appia in Rome at the age of 96, Franco Zeferelli posted his obituary on his website. His son Luciano
(luciano)
Told The Sun, the father died at home at noon on Saturday. Luciano said: "He suffered a little and finally left calmly. ”
Franco zeffirelli in February 2019.
The Zeferelli Foundation released the official message: "... Franco Zefirelli, who was born in Florence 96 years ago, walked calmly. Zefreri had been plagued by illness for a long time before his death. We will inform you of the location and date of the funeral. The necropolis of the master will be located in the porte sante cemetery in Florence. Yesterday, the city of Florence, Dario Naldera, also tweeted in his condolences, saying: "How I wish today had not yet come ... He is one of the greatest men in the world of culture. Together, we bear the tragic news of his death. Dear Master, goodbye, Florence will never forget you. ”
Franco Zefirelli is an Italian director, screenwriter and actor whose works are mostly in the flamboyant romantic style and innovative in the 1960s.
Franco Zefirelli
(hereinafter referred to as Zeferelli)
Director of italian film and opera, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for Romeo and Juliet, and produced Falstaffe for some of the world's most acclaimed opera houses in Milan, New York and London.
(falstaff)
, Tosca
(tosca)
and La Traviata
(the traviata)
and other classic operas. His 1982 opera version of La Traviata was nominated for Best Art Direction at the 55th Academy Awards and starred world-famous tenor Domingo. In the 1990s, he also briefly entered politics as an Italian senator known for his toughness.
Zeferelli is best known for his debut work, adapted from Shakespeare's Taming of the Taming
(the taming of the shrew)
, 1967 by Elizabeth Taylor
(elizabeth taylor)
and Richard Burton
(richard burton)
Starred, won the 40th Academy Awards. 1968 by Leonard Wyting
(leonard whiting)
and Olivia Hussey
(olivia hussey)
Starred in the wildly popular Romeo and Juliet
(romeo and juliet)
It was nominated for Best Director and Best Picture. The success of these two films has led Zeferrie to rank among the top directors, and he has directed more than two dozen films, often with big stars Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Lawrence Olivier, Alec Guinness, Fay Donnevey and Jon Voyt. Zeferelli is good at drawing inspiration from classical novels, and his adaptations of "Othello" and "Hamlet" have won various awards.
Of course, Zeffreri's life is as legendary as his career.
Zefferelli was born on February 12, 1923 in Florence, Italy, as Gianfranco Corsi, his father Ottorino Corsi was a silk merchant, his mother Adelaide Garosi was Corsi's mistress, and Zefferelli was the son of the two out of wedlock. Italian society at the time was so harsh on this rash behavior that his mother had to change his surname to zeffiretti, in accordance with the tradition of the time
(The surname comes from an aria from Mozart's opera Cosi fan tutti, meaning breeze, which was later mistaken for zeffirelli, a story reported in The New York Times.)
。 At the age of six, his mother tragically died, and he lived in an orphanage for a time before being adopted by relatives. Growing up under the care of a British governess, Zefier has a fluent English, and he adapts these experiences into the movie "A Deep Kiss"
（tea with mussolini）
。
Franco Zefirelli in his youth.
Zeferelli's directing career began with opera. "First of all, the visuals of the opera appealed to me," he says. "Later when I matured, I discovered that emotions are not only visual, but so complex and complete, unlike other mediums, you have everything – the magic of everything, the best of everything."
In 1941, after graduating from the Accademia Gallery in Florence, Zephyrelli entered the University of Florence on the advice of his father
（university of florence）
Study Architecture. During the outbreak of World War II, Zefreri took a break from school to join the war and later became a translator for the British Army. After the war, Zeffererelli continued his studies, but he became interested in stage plays and sets.
In the late 1940s, Zefirelli became acquainted with director Lucchino Visconti because he was behind an opera
(luchino visconti)
。 With Visconti's admiration, Zefirelli became an assistant director and began his career as a director, becoming a popular set designer and opera director. Zeffreri personally designed a large number of backgrounds for the stage play, including "Three Sisters" and "Desire StreetCar". After that, Zeferelli moved to Milan's famous Teatro alla Scala to design the stage backdrop for the opera, and later personally directed stage plays and opera performances in this legendary theater.
Stills from "Desire Train".
Zeferelli once said that music does not mean scene. But his opera productions are always extremely extravagant and luxurious, and classic operas such as "Forstaff", "Tosca", "La Traviata" and "Bohemian" produced by him have been praised, and the audience believes that these grand and beautiful, gorgeous and exquisite stage sets and realistic props make the effect of the whole opera shocking and impactful. However, this also means extremely high costs. In the 1980s, even the Metropolitan Opera felt unaffordable, and in the contract for the Play "Bohemians" at the Metropolitan Opera, Zeferelli directly stated: "There is no limit to the production budget." In fact, even critics would praise Zeferelli's operas, arguing that they tended to be well visualized, as vivid as Renaissance paintings.
Franco Zeferelli's work has always been known for its gorgeous and exquisite stage sets and magnificently produced scene effects.
He once said: "Despite all the evidence, I am reluctant to accept the fact that one day I will die – like most people, I hope I will leave an immortal reputation." "Yes, in any case, he spent his life and left an immortal reputation for himself.
Author: Beijing News reporter He An'an
Editor: An Ye Proofreader: Xue Jingning