Movies by Franco Zeffirelli
As part of the cast:
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Dame Joan Sutherland: The Reluctant Prima Donna (2007)
Cast: Joan Sutherland, Franco Zeffirelli, Luciano Pavarotti …
One of the greatest opera singers of the late 20th century, Dame Joan Sutherland began her career in obscurity, going unnoticed at Covent Garden for seven years. Then came two roles of a…
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Tony Palmer's Film About Callas (2007)
Cast: Franco Zeffirelli, Aristotle Onassis
Directed by: Tony Palmer
Opera diva Maria Callas is the subject of filmmaker Tony Palmer's in-depth documentary that explores the heights and depths of her storied career and her legendary romance with shipping…
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Maria Callas: Living and Dying for Art and Love (2003)
Cast: Franco Zeffirelli, Maria Callas, Plácido Domingo …
Explore the life and work of Maria Callas, arguably one of the world's most celebrated opera singers. Through rare performance footage and interviews with admirers and contemporaries,…
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Power of the Past with Bill Moyers: Florence (1990)
Cast: Bill Moyers, Franco Zeffirelli, Umberto Eco …
Join journalist Bill Moyers for a guided tour of Florence, Italy, that focuses on the art and creativity of the Renaissance, and how key philosophical ideas from the period -- such as the…
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Callas: A Documentary Plus Bonus (1978)
Cast: Renata Scotto, Maria Callas, Franco Zeffirelli …
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…
As a director:
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Puccini: La Boheme (Metropolitan Opera, 2008) (2008)
Cast: Angela Gheorghiu, Giacomo Puccini, Ainhoa Arteta …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Mexican tenor Ramon Vargas and Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu co-star as ill-fated lovers Rodolfo and Mimi in this passionate staging at the Met in New York of Giacomo Puccini's…
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Maria Callas: The Eternal (2007)
Cast: Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Vincenzo Bellini …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Original diva and renowned opera singer Maria Callas, who experienced many scandals and struggles throughout her career, is the focus of this program that recalls her considerable talent and…
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Mozart: Don Giovanni (Metropolitan Opera) (2005)
Cast: Bryn Terfel, Renée Fleming, James Levine …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Opera greats Bryn Terfel and Renée Fleming star in Franco Zeffirelli's lavish production of Mozart's "Don Giovanni," filmed at New York's Metropolitan Opera House in…
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Callas Forever (2002)
Cast: Fanny Ardant, Jeremy Irons, Joan Plowright …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
In this reimagining of the last days of opera diva Maria Callas, her ex-manager reenters her life and persuades the reclusive soprano to star in a movie version of "Carmen," in which she…
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Tea with Mussolini (1999)
Cast: Charlie Lucas, Lily Tomlin, Baird Wallace …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Based on director Franco Zeffirelli's childhood in 1930s Italy, this film follows a group of Englishwomen living in Italy who believe that fascist leader Benito Mussolini will protect…
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Jane Eyre (1996)
Cast: William Hurt, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Joan Plowright …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Director Franco Zeffirelli cemented his reputation as a faithful custodian of the classics with this adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece Jane Eyre, the story of an orphan…
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Verdi: Falstaff (1992)
Cast: James Levine, Paul Plishka, Mirella Freni …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli, Brian Large
Famed film director Franco Zeffirelli provides the sets for this sterling 1992 Metropolitan Opera production of Verdi's "Falstaff," starring Ukranian-American bass Paul Plishka in the…
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Hamlet (1990)
Cast: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Shakespeare's brooding, medieval Dane, Hamlet (Mel Gibson), senses something rotten in the state of Denmark; specifically, he smells a rat behind his royal father's death.…
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Otello (1986)
Cast: Plácido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli, Justino Díaz …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Lending his stunning voice to Verdi's opera and Shakespeare's tragedy, Placido Domingo plays the Moor Otello, whose conniving ensign, Iago (Justino Diaz), plants the seed that…
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The Metropolitan Opera: Puccini: Tosca (1985)
Cast: Giuseppe Sinopoli, Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Virtuoso tenor Plácido Domingo sings and Giuseppe Sinopoli conducts the orchestra in this stylish 1985 production of Giacomo Puccini's dramatic opus recorded at New York City's…
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Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana / Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (1983)
Cast: Plácido Domingo, Renato Bruson, Fedora Barbieri …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Superb casts -- which include soprano Teresa Stratas and the incomparable Plácido Domingo at the peak of his vocal powers -- bring Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana" and…
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La Traviata (1982)
Cast: Plácido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil, Teresa Stratas …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Director Franco Zeffirelli delivers one of the best-ever film versions of a classic opera, with the benefit of two of the genre's greatest voices -- Placido Domingo and Teresa Stratas --…
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Puccini: La Bohème (Metropolitan Opera) (1982)
Cast: José Carreras, Teresa Stratas, Richard Stilwell …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
"La Bohème" is one of Giacomo Puccini's most popular and timeless works and the second-most performed opera at New York's Metropolitan Opera. This production, directed by the…
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The Champ (1979)
Cast: Jon Voight, Faye Dunaway, Jack Warden …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
In this powerful remake of the 1931 King Vidor film starring Wallace Beery, Jon Voight stars as an ex-pugilist turned horse trainer who's locked in a battle with his rich, remarried…
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Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
Cast: Graham Faulkner, Judi Bowker, Leigh Lawson …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli's biopic of St. Francis of Assisi follows the story of Francesco, a boy who renounces his wealthy upbringing to serve God. He is joined by Clare, a beautiful woman who…
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Romeo & Juliet (1968)
Cast: Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Falling in love against the wishes of their feuding families, star-crossed lovers Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet defy their destiny and elope in secret, only to suffer the ultimate tragedy.
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The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
Cast: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Cyril Cusack …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton seem to be channeling the legendary dramas of their marriage in this boisterous and bawdy adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic comedy, directed…
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Puccini: La Boheme (Teatro Alla Scalla) (1965)
Cast: Ivo Vinco, Mirella Freni, Rolando Panerai …
Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli
Filmed in Milan, Italy, at the famed Teatro alla Scala, this acclaimed 1965 production of Giacomo Puccini's beloved opera showcases the combined talents of director Franco Zeffirelli and…