Franco Zeffirelli
Also Known As: Gianfranco Corsi
Biography: Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli KBE, Grande Ufficiale OMRI (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), commonly known as Franco Zeffirelli (Italian pronunciation: [ˈfraŋko dzeffiˈrɛlli]), was an Italian director and producer of operas, films and television. He was also a senator from 1994 until 2001 for the Italian centre-right Forza Italia party. Some of his operatic designs and productions have become worldwide classics. He was also known for several of the movies he directed, especially the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. His 1967 version of The Taming of the Shrew with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton remains the best-known film adaptation of that play as well. His miniseries Jesus of Nazareth (1977) won both national and international acclaim and is still frequently shown on Christmas and Easter in many countries. A Grande Ufficiale OMRI of the Italian Republic since 1977, Zeffirelli also received an honorary British knighthood in 2004 when he was created a KBE. He was awarded the Premio Colosseo in 2009 by the city of Rome.
Department: Directing
Place of Birth: Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Adult: No
Deathday: June 15, 2019
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A Magic Friend: The Maestro Nino Rota
Overview: The artistic evolution of the great composer, whose work left an indelible mark in the history of Italian cinema. In this documentary Nino Rota's extraordinary musical production relives in the words of his friends and colleagues. His collaboration with Visconti and Fellini are truly memorable. His movie score and sequences of his performances in theaters all over the world hand us down a full and evocative outline of this outstanding artist.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: it
Release Date: 1994-06-28
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Luchino Visconti
Overview: A chronological look at the creative life of Luchino Visconti (1906-1976). It examines his theatricality, role in the neorealist movement, use of melodrama, and relation to decadence. It touches on the impact of a fabulously wealthy childhood, his writing for "Cinema," his politics, his work with Renoir, his appreciation of Thomas Mann, and his deep knowledge of literature and the arts. Visconti moves constantly between film and the theater, staging plays provocatively, working with Maria Callas at La Scala, and shooting films in theaters. Clips from his films and interviews with actors, crew members, and critics provide details for this portrait of creativity.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: it
Release Date: 2002-06-23
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Angelina
Overview: A rowdy woman is so forceful that she outdoes her husband in a loud cry against speculators who refuse poor people entrance to a block of new apartments, built after WW2. Without noticing it, she starts a people's movement, and leads a march to the capital. She returns to her village a winner, an honourable MP. Yet, she is still the same simple, fiery woman, able to get in a hair-pulling brawl with the local barmaid for the affection of her man.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: it
Release Date: 1947-11-12
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Our World
Overview: Various international presentions are featured through satellite uplink.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1967-06-25
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Discovering Hamlet
Overview: Journey into "Hamlet"-the play and the man-through the experiences of some of the major actors and directors who have brought Shakespeare's great tragedy to life. Christopher Plummer, David Tennant, John Nettles, John Simm, Sir Trevor Nunn, Franco Zeffirelli, Philip Saville, and others explore the enduring appeal of the Prince of Denmark more than 400 years after his stage debut.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2011-11-01
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The Mystery of Dante
Overview: A journey in the footsteps of the most famous initiate of Italian Trecento, the author of the celebrated "Divine Comedy". A poet who has inspired some of the most outstanding minds in History.
Genres: Mystery History Documentary
Original Language: it
Release Date: 2014-02-14
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Franco Zeffirelli: Rebel Conformist
Overview: The documentary relates the decisive moments, the turning points and the rollercoaster ride of a brilliant, eventful international career and the extraordinary life of a great Italian artist. From his origins as an illegitimate child with no name to the attainment of great international fame as a film director, art director, painter and stager of theatrical and operatic productions. Through original and archive interviews with some of the most acclaimed stars who have known, admired and loved him and with his closest relatives, friends and collaborators, this gripping account paints a picture of the person and the artist—and not just “the master”—Franco Zeffirelli in all his many and even conflicting facets.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: it
Release Date: 2022-08-31
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Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
Overview: A documentary about the rise and fall of the Cannon Film Group, the legendary independent film company helmed by Israeli cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2014-10-06
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Callas Assoluta
Overview: This revealing documentary from director Philippe Kohly examines the storied life of renowned soprano Maria Callas, from her troubled childhood in New York City to her scandal-laden but triumphant international career in opera. Featuring archival interviews with Callas herself and footage of contemporaries such as her lover Aristotle Onassis, this celebration of "La Divina" pays tribute to her enduring legacy some three decades after her death.
Genres: Documentary History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2007-12-20
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Dino De Laurentiis: The Last Movie Mogul
Overview: Documentary about legendary Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis who's credits range from Fellini's La Strada to today's Hannibal franchise. This profile follows octogenarian De Laurentiis in Hollywood and returning to Rome to set up a new film.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2001-04-01
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The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films
Overview: Cousins Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus relive the creation, rise and fall of their independent film company, Cannon Films. This documentary recounts their many successes and discusses their eventual downfall.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 2014-10-22
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The New Met: Countdown to Curtain
Overview: Backstage with Franco Zeffirelli and Rudolph Bing as multiple mechanical difficulties snag rehearsals. Marc Chagall stops by only to see that his giant murals were not hung the way he intended in the lobby. Leontyne Price is engaging as she prepares for her commanding starring role in Barber’s “Antony and Cleopatra.”
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1966-11-20
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My Name Is Anna Magnani
Overview: Traces the life of Anna Magnani, her creations, her successes, her triumphs, her boycotted career, her nonconformism, her anxieties, her generosity ... Punctuated with photos that tell her career in theater and cinema, Extracts of films, this documentary portrait also gives the floor to his friends and relatives, from Roberto Rossellini to Marcello Mastroianni, through Federico Fellini.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: it
Release Date: 1980-09-30
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Callas: A Documentary
Overview: Narrated by cinema legend Franco Zeffirelli, this intimate made-for-television documentary traces the life and times of the mercurial Maria Callas, one of the most renowned and respected operatic divas of the mid-20th century. Rare authentic footage, candid interviews and breathtaking performances help paint a portrait of an artist remembered as much for her quick and explosive temper as she is for her immeasurable talent.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1978-09-16
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Luchino Visconti: Life as in a Novel
Overview: A documentary about film director Luchino Visconti
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: it
Release Date: 2008-12-31
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The Opera House
Overview: In this documentary, award-winning filmmaker Susan Froemke explores the creation of the Metropolitan Opera’s storied home of the last five decades. Drawing on rarely seen archival footage, stills, and recent interviews, The Opera House looks at an important period of the Met’s history and delves into some of the untold stories of the artists, architects, and politicians who shaped the cultural life of New York City in the ’50s and ’60s. Among the notable figures in the film are famed soprano Leontyne Price, who opened the new Met in 1966 in Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra; Rudolf Bing, the Met’s imperious General Manager who engineered the move from the old house to the new one; Robert Moses, the unstoppable city planner who bulldozed an entire neighborhood to make room for Lincoln Center; and Wallace Harrison, whose quest for architectural glory was never fully realized.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2017-10-01
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Sartoria Tirelli - Vestire il cinema
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Genres: Documentary
Original Language: it
Release Date: 2006-10-15
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