The only great director of opera: Who is Franco Zeffirelli?

He directed productions of epic scale on the big screen, in theater, and in opera.

He once said to himself, "I am not the greatest director on the opera stage, I am the only great director."

Gianfranco Zeffirelli was born on February 12, 1923 in Florence.

He was the illegitimate child of a merchant who was having fun with his mother. His mother also gave young Franco his surname.

His mother actually wanted the surname "Zeffiretti", meaning "light breezes", inspired by a Mozart opera, but his surname was recorded incorrectly in the population register and he took the surname, Zeffirelli.

The references he made about what he thought he understood about the female soul were based on his mother, whom he lost when he was six years old.

Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019) was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post–World War II era, gaining both acclaim and notoriety for his lavish stagings of classical works, as well as his film adaptations of the same. A member of the Forza Italia party, he served as the Senator for Catania between 1994 and 2001.

"Women represent the warmth of life. They are fragile and delicate. They only become unpleasant and exaggerate when they think they need to create a defense shield. That's why they become divas."

He grew up in Florence, among the British who moved there, and his experience during this period showed itself in the movie "Tea with Mussolini".

His education, which he started to become an architect, was cut short due to the Second World War. Zeffirelli fought among Italian partisans and served as a translator for the British army during the Allied occupation of the country.

First movie

With the peace, he returned to his studies in the field of architecture, but the movie he watched, Laurence Olivier's "Henry the Fifth", directed him to the theater stage.

Luchino Visconti, with whom he was also a lover from time to time, gave him the role of assistant director in the 1948 production of La Terra Trema.

Over the next ten years, he worked with many directors and then forged his own path, starting with stage design and directing.

His first film as a director was 1967's The Taming of the Shrew, a Shakespeare play.

Although Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni were initially considered for the film, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, who offered to invest in the production in exchange for a share of the ticket revenues, took the lead roles.

Although the film received positive reviews from critics and moviegoers, Zeffirelli angered Shakespeare's purists with his approach that did not adhere to the original text.

Oscar awards

In his second film, he strengthened his fame with another Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet. The lead roles of the film were given to yet-unknown young actors, Leonard Whiting, and Olivia Hussey.

Due to the young leads, the film became very popular among young people and was described by some film schools as the "perfect film version of the theater play".

However, the film also created controversy due to the nude scene of 15-year-old lead actress Olivia Hussey. According to many, the actress was already too young for this role.

Although the story that Hussey was banned from attending the premiere to avoid seeing his own nudity on the big screen is still remembered, this was definitely an urban legend.

Choosing the famous actor Mel Gibson for the role of Hamlet was another signature of his creativity in this sense.

Jesus of Nazareth, starring Robert Powell, won seven Oscars. When the same film was shown in England during the Easter holidays in 1977, 20 million people were in front of the television screen.

In his artistic life, Zeffirelli continued to direct operas, which was his first love.

He staged works featuring the most famous voices of the period, such as Dame Joan Sutherland, Tito Gobbi, and Maria Callas.

His political career was also turbulent

He paid tribute to Maria Callas, whom he idolized, in his 2002 film "Callas Forever", which told about the last days of the famous artist.

She expressed her respect for him with the following words: "Because he would not compromise."

Afterwards, he continued to make controversial films.

Zeffirelli, who outspokenly expressed his controversial political views, served two terms as a member of parliament in Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing Forza Italia party.

He described communists as "crooks trying to take over his country" and advocated the death penalty for women who had abortions.

During this period, he also served as Minister of Culture.

Although he announced that he was gay in 1996, he was harshly criticized by the LGBT community for his views defending the Catholic Church's view of homosexuals.

Zeffirelli also became the first Italian citizen to receive an honorary knighthood from England.

He answered a question about what kept him creative until his old age:

"Expectation and hope for something... These are the things that keep you going. An upper hand has helped me in many aspects of my life."

Summary of Zeffirelli's life story

Zeffirelli graduated from the Florence Academy of Fine Arts in 1941 and, with his father's advice, entered the University of Florence to study art and architecture. During his career which lasted 70 years, he designed 26 plays and 91 operas. He directed 26 plays, 96 operas, two ballets, three documentaries, three filmed operas, and the television series Jesus of Nazareth.

Although we admire the artistic direction, creativity, and productivity of Franco Zeffirelli, who passed away at the age of 96 and achieved many successes, I should also point out that his political aspects are controversial. Zeffirelli was a member of parliament for two terms in Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing Forza Italia party and had a prohibitionist, far-right attitude on an issue related to communists and vital for women, such as the right to abortion.