Ciao, Maestro Zeffirelli

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15
Jun

Obituary: Franco Zeffirelli

Legendary Italian filmmaker, best known to many as the director of the 1968 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, has died aged 96.

“He had suffered for a while but he left in a peaceful way,” his son Luciano told the Italian media. Great Maestro has died at home on Saturday morning in Rome, Italy. His adopted sons Pippo (Giuseppe) and Luciano Zeffirelli, as well as his doctor and priest, were beside him till the last moment. Zeffirelli's favourite little white dog Dolly never left Maestro's side either.

 

Franco Zeffirelli with his adopted sons Pippo (top) and Luciano (right). Credit: The Daily Mail
Franco Zeffirelli with his sons Pippo (top) and Luciano (right), and his pet dog Dolly. Credit: The Daily Mail

 

Prime Minister of Italy, Giuseppe Conte said he was "profoundly moved by the death of Zeffirelli who was an Italian ambassador of cinema, art, and beauty. A great filmmaker, scriptwriter, stage designer. A great man of culture". Italian Minister of Culture, Alberto Bonisoli called the late Franco Zeffirelli "a genius of our time". The mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi expressed her condolences on Twitter: "His original point of view and solid manner of storytelling have forever entered the history of Italian and International cinema".

 

Franco Zeffirelli directing. Credit: Sky/iTV/Rex/Shutterstock
Franco Zeffirelli directing. Credit: Sky/ITV/Rex/Shutterstock

 

Franco Zeffirelli remained an Anglophile through his lifetime and thus, he proudly accepted an honorary knighthood in November 2004, becoming the first Italian citizen to be so recognized. In a lavish ceremony at the residence of the British ambassador to Italy in Rome, Ambassador Sir Ivor Roberts awarded Franco Zeffirelli on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II. "I feel so English tonight," the prolific director stated as he accepted the blue, gold and silver insignia.

 

Franco Zeffirelli with his KBE. Credit: BBC/AP
Franco Zeffirelli with his KBE. Credit: BBC/AP

 

The great Italian earned his KBE for "valuable services rendered to British performing arts", including multiple acclaimed Shakespeare adaptations to film and stage, and 1999's Tea with Mussolini, a film that starred three British dames: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Joan Plowright. "It's the greatest conquest, recognition, I have received in my life, practically", Zeffirelli told the Associated Press right after the ceremony. "I can't believe it".

 

Zeffirelli, Hussey and Whiting waiting for the Queen. Credit: Pinterest/Alamy
Zeffirelli, Hussey, and Whiting waiting for the Queen. Credit: Pinterest/Alamy

 

Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey with Queen Elizabeth II during the Royal Film Performance at the Odeon in Leicester Square in 1968. Credit: Daily Mail/Alamy Stock Photo
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey with Queen Elizabeth II during the Royal Film Performance at the Odeon in Leicester Square in 1968. Credit: Daily Mail/Alamy Stock Photo

 

Prince Charles, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. Credit: Pinterest
Prince Charles, Leonard Whiting, and Olivia Hussey. Credit: Pinterest/Alamy

 

Some people believe Zeffirelli fully expressed his brilliant talent in his stage works while others give more credit to his outstanding film adaptations of Shakespeare. Still, no one could explain his motivations better than one of the greatest directors of all times himself: “I am not a film director. I am a director who uses different instruments to express his dreams and his stories to make people dream”, Franco Zeffirelli told the Associated Press in a 2006 interview.

 

Franco Zeffirelli on stage at La Scala Opera. Credit: David Lees/Corbis
Franco Zeffirelli on stage at La Scala Opera. Credit: David Lees/Corbis

 

Zeffirelli worked with such opera legends as Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi (Maria Callas at Covent Garden, 1964);

 

Franco Zeffirelli and Maria Callas at La Scala "Il turco in Italia" (1955). Credit: Gramilano/Teatro alla Scala
Franco Zeffirelli and Maria Callas at La Scala "Il turco in Italia" (1955). Credit: Gramilano/Teatro alla Scala

 

Franco Zeffirelli and Irene Callas. Credit: Welt/Gamma Keystone/Getty Images
Franco Zeffirelli and Irene Callas. Credit: Welt/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images

 

Luciano Pavarotti (Don Carlo, 1992);

 

Franco Zeffirelli and Luciano Pavarotti. Credit: Pinterest
Franco Zeffirelli and Luciano Pavarotti. Credit: Pinterest

 

Plácido Domingo (La traviata, and Pagliacci, both in 1982);

 

Franco Zeffirelli and Spanish tenor Placido Domingo at the party following the premiere of Zeffirelli's production of Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci. Credit: AFP/Reuters
Franco Zeffirelli and Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo at the party following the premiere of Zeffirelli's production of Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo. Credit: AFP/Reuters

 

Renato Bruson and Yelena Obraztsova (Cavalleria rusticana, 1982), Katia Ricciarelli (Otello, 1986);

 

Zeffirelli choosing costumes at La Scala, Milan (circa 1964). Credit: David Lees/Corbis
Zeffirelli choosing costumes at La Scala, Milan (circa 1964). Credit: David Lees/Corbis

 

Zeffirelli's debut at the Verona arena with Bizet's Carmen in 1995. Credit: Avvenire
Zeffirelli's debut at the Verona arena with Bizet's Carmen in 1995. Credit: Avvenire

 

as well as with the movie stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (The Taming of the Shrew, 1967);

 

Franco Zeffirelli with Richard Burton on the set of "The Taming of the Shrew". Credit: The Independent/Alamy
Franco Zeffirelli with Richard Burton on the set of "The Taming of the Shrew". Credit: The Independent/Alamy

 

Franco Zeffirelli with Elizabeth Taylor on the set of "Taming of the Shrew". Credit: Pinterest
Franco Zeffirelli with Elizabeth Taylor on the set of "The Taming of the Shrew". Credit: Pinterest

 

Franco Zeffirelli and Elizabeth Taylor on the set of The Taming of the Shrew. Credit: Overstock
Franco Zeffirelli and Elizabeth Taylor on the set of "The Taming of the Shrew". Credit: Overstock

 

Franco Zeffirelli with the cast of "The Taming of the Shrew" (1967). Credit: Adre Sky Italia
Franco Zeffirelli with the cast of "The Taming of the Shrew" (1967). Credit: Adre Sky Italia

 

In and out of costume Taylor and Burton on the set of "The Taming of the Shrew". Credit: Medium/Blair Mahoney
In and out of costume Taylor and Burton on the set of "The Taming of the Shrew". Credit: Medium/Blair Mahoney

 

Franco Zeffirelli, Elizabeth Taylor, and Richard Burton. Credit: The Auteur's Tea Room
Franco Zeffirelli, Elizabeth Taylor, and Richard Burton. Credit: The Auteur's Tea Room

 

Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting (Romeo and Juliet, 1968);

 

Franco Zeffirelli (right) directs Olivia Hussey (left) in Romeo and Juliet. Credit: A Certain Cinema
Franco Zeffirelli (right) directs Olivia Hussey (left) in "Romeo and Juliet". Credit: A Certain Cinema

 

Franco Zeffirelli (right) and Leonard Whiting (left) on the set of “Romeo and Juliet” (1968). Credit: The Apricity
Franco Zeffirelli (right) and Leonard Whiting (left) on the set of “Romeo and Juliet” (1968). Credit: The Apricity

 

Whiting, Hussey and Zeffirelli on the set of Romeo and Juliet (1968). Credit: Fanpop
Whiting, Hussey, and Zeffirelli on the set of "Romeo and Juliet" (1968). Credit: Fanpop

 

A break during the filming Romeo and Juliet by Franco Zeffirelli. Credit: Genni/Tuscany Holiday rent
A break during the filming "Romeo and Juliet" by Franco Zeffirelli. Credit: Genni/Tuscany Holiday rent

 

Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting on the set of Romeo and Juliet. Credit: Genni/Tuscany Holiday rent
Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting on the set of "Romeo and Juliet". Credit: Genni/Tuscany Holiday rent

 

Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting. Credit: The Guardian/Rex/Shutterstock
Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey, and Leonard Whiting at work. Credit: The Guardian/Rex/Shutterstock

 

Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey, and Leonard Whiting off work. Credit: Pinterest
Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey, and Leonard Whiting off work. Credit: Pinterest

 

Olivia Hussey and Franco Zeffirelli. Credit: Pinterest
Olivia Hussey and Franco Zeffirelli having fun. Credit: Pinterest

 

Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey, and Leonard Whiting in 1968. Credit: Pinterest
Franco Zeffirelli, Olivia Hussey, and Leonard Whiting in 1968. Credit: Pinterest

 

Laurence Olivier, Michael York, Anthony Quinn, and Claudia Cardinale (Jesus of Nazareth, 1977);

 

Franco Zeffirelli and Laurence Olivier in the 1960s. Credit: Lewis Morley/National Portrait Gallery
Franco Zeffirelli and Laurence Olivier in the 1960s. Credit: Lewis Morley/National Portrait Gallery

 

Zeffirelli on the set of Jesus of Nazareth (1977). Credit: Pinterest
Zeffirelli on the set of "Jesus of Nazareth" (1977). Credit: Pinterest

 

Franco Zeffirelli and Claudia Cardinale on the set of Jesus of Nazareth. Credit: Picdove
Franco Zeffirelli and Claudia Cardinale on the set of "Jesus of Nazareth". Credit: Picdove

 

Franco Zeffirelli and Claudia Cardinale on the set of Jesus of Nazareth. Credit: Grognards
Franco Zeffirelli and Claudia Cardinale on the set of "Jesus of Nazareth". Credit: Grognards

 

Franco Zeffirelli directing "Jesus of Nazareth" (TV mini-series 1977), starring three Brits – Robert Powell, Olivia Hussey, and Laurence Olivier. Credit: Cinematheia
Franco Zeffirelli directing "Jesus of Nazareth" (TV mini-series 1977), starring three Brits – Robert Powell, Olivia Hussey, and Laurence Olivier. Credit: Cinematheia

 

Zeffirelli on the set of Jesus of Nazareth. Credit: Daily Mail/ITV/Rex/Shutterstock
Zeffirelli on the set of "Jesus of Nazareth". Credit: Daily Mail/ITV/Rex/Shutterstock

 

Maestro Franco Zeffirelli on the set of Jesus of Nazareth with British actor Robert Powell and Claudia Cardinale in Sousse, Tunisia (1976). Credit: Angelo Frontoni
Maestro Zeffirelli on the set of "Jesus of Nazareth" with British actor Robert Powell and Italian actress Claudia Cardinale in Sousse, Tunisia (1976). Credit: Angelo Frontoni

 

Brooke Shields (Endless Love, 1981);

 

Young American actress Brooke Shields directed by Franco Zeffirelli (1981). Credit: Cineplex/Universal
Young American actress Brooke Shields directed by Franco Zeffirelli (1981). Credit: Cineplex/Universal

 

Franco Zeffirelli and Brooke Shields. Credit: Vogue
Franco Zeffirelli and Brooke Shields. Credit: Vogue

 

Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, and Alan Bates (Hamlet, 1990);

 

Franco Zeffirelli (left), Glenn Close (middle), and Gerardo Sacco (right) on the set of "Hamlet" (1990). Credit: Gerardo Sacco/Glenn Close Archives
Franco Zeffirelli (left), Glenn Close (middle), and Gerardo Sacco (right) on the set of "Hamlet" (1990). Credit: Gerardo Sacco/Glenn Close Archives

 

Mel Gibson in Hamlet by Zeffirelli (1990). Credit: The Film Space
Mel Gibson in "Hamlet" by Zeffirelli (1990). Credit: The Film Space

 

Glenn Close and Mel Gibson on the set of Hamlet by director Franco Zeffirelli (1990). Credit: Derek Winnert
Glenn Close and Mel Gibson on the set of "Hamlet" by director Franco Zeffirelli (1990). Credit: Derek Winnert

 

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Geraldine Chaplin (Jane Eyre, 1996);

 

Franco Zeffirelli and Charlotte Gainsbourg on the set of Jane Eyre (1996). Credit: Cineplex/Miramax
Franco Zeffirelli and Charlotte Gainsbourg on the set of "Jane Eyre" (1996). Credit: Cineplex/Miramax

 

Franco Zeffirelli on the set of Jane Eyre. Credit: The Telegraph
Franco Zeffirelli on the set of "Jane Eyre". Credit: The Telegraph

 

Judi Dench (Tea with Mussolini, 1999);

 

Claudio Spadaro (as Mussolini) and Franco Zeffirelli  on the set of Tea with Mussolini. Credit: Franco Zeffirelli/Italy magazine
Claudio Spadaro (as Mussolini) and Franco Zeffirelli on the set of "Tea with Mussolini". Credit: Franco Zeffirelli/Italy magazine

 

Lily Tomlin (left, as Georgie) and Judi Dench (right, as Arabella) pose with the director Franco Zeffirelli (middle) at the Tea With Mussolini premiere. Credit: Richard Young/Rex Shutterstock
Lily Tomlin (left, as Georgie) and Judi Dench (right, as Arabella) pose with the director Franco Zeffirelli (middle) at the "Tea With Mussolini" premiere. Credit: Richard Young/Rex Shutterstock

 

Fanny Ardant and Jeremy Irons (Callas Forever, 2002).

 

Director Franco Zeffirelli on the set of Callas Forever (2002). Credit: Cineplex/Regent Releasing
Director Franco Zeffirelli on the set of "Callas Forever" (2002). Credit: Cineplex/Regent Releasing

 

The Callas Forever team. Credit: Sensacine
The Callas Forever team. Credit: Sensacine

 

Fanny Ardant, Franco Zeffirelli, and Jeremy Irons. Credit: Getty Images
Fanny Ardant, Franco Zeffirelli, and Jeremy Irons. Credit: Getty Images

 

Even in his very first film Camping (1958), Zeffirelli has got Nino Manfredi, one of the most prominent Italian comedy actors of all times, starring.

 

Franco Zeffirelli, Marisa Allasio, and Nino Manfredi on the set of "Camping" (Italy, 1957). Credit: Reporters Associati & Archivi/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
Franco Zeffirelli, Marisa Allasio, and Nino Manfredi on the set of "Camping" (Italy, 1957). Credit: Reporters Associati & Archivi/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

 

Franco Zeffirelli directed for stage La Bohème (1965), Much Ado About Nothing (1967), Otello (1976) with Plácido Domingo and Mirella Freni, Carmen (1978) with Plácido Domingo and Yelena Obraztsova, Turandot (1987), Pagliacci (1998), Don Giovanni (2000), Aida (2001), La Bohème (2003), Madama Butterfly (2003) and many other operas.

 

Anna Magnani and Franco Zeffirelli. Credit: il Museo del Louvre
Anna Magnani and Franco Zeffirelli. Credit: il Museo del Louvre

 

Apart from the impressive list of masterpieces that the great Italian director has left behind for the next generations to watch and enjoy, Zeffirelli revealed a fascinating story of his birth in his 2006 autobiography.

 

Young Franco in Florence. Credit: Avvenire
Young Franco in Florence. Credit: Avvenire

 

His mother, Alaide Garosi Cipriani, was pregnant with another man’s child when her lawyer husband died. After his funeral, on 12th February 1923, Alaide gave birth to a son whom she called Gianfranco. Since her lover, Ottorino Corsi, was already married, their child could have neither of his real parents' surnames. Alaide decided to name the boy 'Zeffiretti' ('little breezes'), after Aria for Soprano Zeffiretti lusinghieri ("Pleasant Zephyrus") from her favourite opera Idomeneo (1780) by Mozart. A clerk accidentally misspelled the name as 'Zeffirelli' and the baby boy was officially registered as the first Zeffirelli in the world.

 

Franco Zeffirelli's mother, Alaide Garosi Cipriani. Credit: Daniela Cavini
Franco Zeffirelli's mother, Alaide Garosi Cipriani. Credit: Daniela Cavini

 

The illegitimate child was sent to live with Ersilia, a kind peasant woman, in a village near Florence. In 1925 Alaide took back her son but Franco kept spending his school holidays with Ersilia. The Florentines refused to have their clothes made by a fallen woman who had a child out of wedlock. The loss of regular customers ruined Alaide's previously prosperous business of dressmaking. In addition to all other troubles, a great economic crisis struck Italy. Eventually, the widowed mother-of-four fell seriously ill.

Franco could never forget the horrific memory of the major quarrel between his parents. He believed that his mother decided to start over in another city when she realised she could never make Ottorino leave his official wife and legitimate daughter to marry her, the mother of his only son. Alaide and little Franco moved to live in Milan where her elder daughter resided.

 

Franco Zeffirelli (left) with his beloved aunt Lide (right). Credit: Daniela Cavini
Franco Zeffirelli (left) with his beloved aunt Lide (right). Credit: Daniela Cavini

 

In 1929, when the boy was 6, his mother died of tuberculosis. For a short while, the boy stayed with his sister and her husband who did not want to take care of the young brother-in-law. The child was sent to an orphanage in Florence where his father's cousins visited him on Sundays. Franco desperately wished the women to take him to live with them. After a few months, his dream came true when one of those ladies, childless aunt Lide, adopted the nephew. She also led a scandalous life, living with a married father-of-two, a naval officer. Aunt Lide and uncle Gustavo welcomed the little boy.

Ottorino visited his son on a weekly basis and this is how Zeffirelli recalled seeing him: "My father always scared me a little. He had more lovers than the hair on his head... When I had to meet him on Saturday afternoons, my aunt would dress me smart. For me, he was a gentleman who used to give me a coin at the end of the visit and leave. I couldn't call him 'dad', nor I knew what to tell him".

Only after his wife died, Ottorino, being forced by his cousins, officially gave the surname to his 19-year-old son. Instead of joy, Franco felt uncertain about such change as he wished to keep the surname created by his late mother. It took some time before he could officially keep both names.

Although Zeffirelli hardly received any parental love from Ottorino, it was Franco's father who arranged English lessons three times a week for the youngster and thus, played a vital role in his future. A young British lady, Mary O’Neill taught Franco to love Shakespeare while his grandfather taught him to love music. Therefore, Zeffirelli developed passions for opera and English culture and literature from a tender age.

 

Franco Zeffirelli's father, Ottorino Corsi. Credit: Daniela Cavini
Franco Zeffirelli's father, Ottorino Corsi. Credit: Daniela Cavini

 

During WWII Zeffirelli fought as a partisan until he met British soldiers and became their interpreter. After the war, he went back to the University of Florence with the intention of completing his education. However, he changed his plans after seeing Laurence Olivier's Henry V in 1945 and developing his third passion for theatre.

The architecture student quit university and joined an experimental troupe in his native city of Florence. Soon he was introduced to Luchino Visconti who hired the young man as assistant director for the film La Terra Trema (The Earth Trembles, 1948). Zeffirelli gained additional experience while working along with other film masters such as Vittorio De Sica, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Roberto Rossellini.

In the 1960s, Zeffirelli made his name designing and directing his own plays in London and New York City, pretty soon entering the fame of world cinema.

 

Pope Francis and Franco Zeffirelli on 15th March 2016. Credit: Avvenire
Pope Francis and Franco Zeffirelli on 15th March 2016. Credit: Avvenire

 

“I’m 83 and I’ve really been working like mad since I was a kid. I’ve done everything, but I never really feel that I have said everything I have to say,” Zeffirelli told the Associated Press at the dawn of the 21st century. After he turned 90 his health worsed and failed him but the great maestro stayed active anyway. He did not stop making plans and fulfilling his goals until his time actually finished. His son Luciano revealed the last words father told him: "I want to sleep". Rest in peace, Maestro.

 

The Museum of the International Centre for the Performing Arts Franco Zeffirelli opened to the public on 1st October 2017. Credit: Residence Hilda
The Museum of the International Centre for the Performing Arts Franco Zeffirelli opened to the public on 1st October 2017. Credit: Residence Hilda