Franco Zeffirelli obituary
Celebrated director of stage and screen who created lavish opera productions and brought new audiences to Shakespeare with his 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet
John Francis Lane
Saturday 15 jun 2019
Franco Zeffirelli directing Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting in his film version of Romeo and Juliet. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock
Franco Zeffirelli, who has died aged 96, was not only one of Italy’s most talented directors and designers in the theatrical arts, but was also involved with cinema and television for more than half a century. In any medium, he generally preferred a grand canvas. His work was dominated by adaptations of the classics and lush biographies or histories, told with flamboyance and sentimentality. He had an unerring eye for attractive stars of both sexes such that, whatever their weaknesses, his productions invariably looked good.