Posted on 06/18/2019 5:59:48 AM PDT by csvset
AP excerpt.
He rose to be one of Italy’s most prolific directors, working with such opera greats as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Maria Callas, as well as Hollywood stars including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Mel Gibson, Cher and Judi Dench.
ROME — Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, who delighted audiences around the world with his romantic vision and extravagant productions, most famously captured in his cinematic “Romeo and Juliet” and the miniseries “Jesus of Nazareth,” died Saturday at 96.
While Zeffirelli was most popularly known for his films, his name was also inextricably linked to the theater and opera. He produced classics for the world’s most famous opera houses, from Milan’s venerable La Scala to the Metropolitan Opera in New York, and plays for London and Italian stages.
Zeffirelli’s son Luciano said his father died at home in Rome.
”He had suffered for a while, but he left in a peaceful way,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicago.suntimes.com ...
Wow. Huge loss. RIP.
Love his opera productions. So much better than the eurotrash “regietheater” productions that one finds all over the place these days.
In the late 70s saw Romeo and Juliet at the movie theater .. Freshman English class related.
She has a 25 year old daughter India Eisley
His direction of Robert Powell in the role of Jesus, part of which involved the actor not blinking in any of his scenes / footage, was profoundly effective. Mesmerizing, really. Along with Ford and Kubrick, one of the few real genius film directors.
My favorite scene in the movie because, like the Centurion, I as simply not worthy.
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