Franco Zeffirelli

His Desert Island Disc in 1978

His Desert Island Disc in 2003

TURANDOT and LA BOHEME are still going "strong" at the Met.

Handsome when he was young. Too bad he was a sexual predator

Agree- his Met productions are their best!

I wonder what the casting was like for "Endless Love"? Martin Hewitt wasn't chosen for his acting chops (and remember, Tom Cruise had a bit part).

Of course his Romeo and Juliet and Leonard Whiting’s spectacular twink ass have to be mentioned.

Otherwise, I also adore his Cavaleria Rusticana with Georges Prêtre conducting and Placido singing. It’s my imprint recording, but I shamelessly think it’s ethereal. The opera is also so beautifully cohesive. One of my favorites.

Fun fact. Bruce Robinson who played Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet went on to write and direct the cult classic Withnail and I. He based the character of rapey Uncle Monty on Franco Zeffirelli.

Let's not forget Brother Sun Sister Moon. A gay little religious movie.

"Jesus of Nazareth"

He was the driving force to keep opera and Shakespeare relevant in the last half of the 20th Century.

Not a fan.

I wonder if he was on Datalounge

My high school freshman class made us which his version of Romeo and Juliet, and without knowing anything about Zeffirelli, I knew the director just had to be a gay man.

Actor Johnathon Schaech: I Was Molested by Director Franco Zeffirelli

R15 fake

Almost every day, Franco would say, “I need to be with you.” We filmed all over Italy and at one point we were at a château, and he would come to my door, knock on my door late at night. But I kept it locked. I would literally put stuff, chairs and things, in front of it. I could hear him coming. During the day, he would say things like “I’m coming up to see you tonight” and I would say, “I’m not OK with that Franco, it’s not OK.” He didn’t listen. I didn’t have an agent, or anyone to talk to or protect me except for my acting coach, who was unbelievable, but at the time was on his deathbed.

At the same time, Franco was verbally abusive. It got to the point where he made me feel like I couldn’t act, I couldn’t do anything right, I couldn’t speak right, I couldn’t move right — everything I did was wrong. So I felt beaten down.

[Then], one night, I think it was when we were at a hotel in Sicily and my costar wasn’t there, he told me he was coming to my room. This time he had managed to get a key. I was in bed sleeping and he let himself into the bedroom and he got beside my bed and was over the top of me on the side of the bed as I awoke. He got in my face. There was a moment where I was telling him “No” and he told me, “We have to.” I remember his breath smelling of scotch. And this is the whole thing, and you hear it from the women who are opening up now about their own experiences with abuse: There’s a moment where, even though you are taught to be charming and have sex appeal as an actor, a line is crossed and everything changes. When someone crosses that line, when someone preys on you, there’s a panic that sets in. That’s what Franco did. He crossed that boundary and I felt as though I left my body.

He molested me in my bed.

He put his hands in places that I couldn’t even imagine and he did things that I am not proud of. But it’s not my fault. His pants never came off but I can [still] see him fumbling with his belt. He attempted to give me oral sex. I just remember being like, “God, please no. I’m OK, I’m OK.” I did nothing. I just lay there in bed. It felt like four hours but it was probably like 30 seconds.

In the moment, I don’t remember thinking, “Oh no, my career, I have to do this.” [Instead] I felt like it was a rite of passage, like I had to do it in a sense. I was vulnerable. I didn’t scream and yell. I didn’t physically stop him, and it took me 25 years to answer the question why not. There’s a moment when someone is being violated by a predator where it is a clear form of violence that creates trauma in the body. We have a fight or flight response. People say they “leave their bodies” and that’s what I did. When it was obvious Franco wasn’t getting what he wanted that night, he just left. He never tried to touch me again. I told him not to come near me again. He never said anything about it. For the predator who crosses the line they think that it’s OK.

Predatory gay men really creep me out.

R18 as opposed to predatory straight men?

Cunt.

We watched Romeo and Juliet in a high school English class and had to get permission slips from the parentals to watch it.

Because of the nudity, obvs.

Forgot to add that the only two films of his I’ve watched are Jesus Of Nazareth and Romeo and Juliet.

Gross. He probably got away with it when he was younger and cuter.

Didn't Visconti do the same thing to him?

R19 We aren't discussing predatory straight men.

You stupid cunt.

R23 I doubt anybody has ever preyed on your ugly ass.

R24

You don't even know me.

And, why are you defending sex predators?

You must be one.

You're disturbed.

R25 You talk like a bitchy tween girl. The opposite of anything sexy.

[quote]“Oh no, my career, I have to do this.”

Zefferelli's mistake for choosing a male princess. There's a zillion more handsome boys that would get down on their knees, arse up, faster than you could say 'snap' for a movie role.

Mean Queen

I liked Tea With Mussolini. Was surprised Maggie Smith's (nephew?) wasn't a hot twink.

[quote]He put his hands in places that I couldn’t even imagine

This is making me LOL

R17

Uncle Montys moves for sure

A talentless and vulgar showman, hack, and predator. He had about 1/100 of the gifts of his mentor and first sugar daddy Luchino Visconti. We'll give him props for giving us the nude backsides of Leonard Whiting and Martin Hewitt on screen, but otherwise most of his work is worthless and already forgotten. I believe Jonathon Schaech about 1000%. I've no doubt it happened exactly as he detailed.

response from Zeffirelli’s Son

In a statement to PEOPLE, Zeffirelli’s son, Pippo, responded: “It is alleged that 25 years ago an actor, who was then in his early twenties, was the victim of alleged verbal abuse and alleged attempted sexual abuse by my father during the filming of The Sparrow in Sicily, Italy. [He] would have been 70 at the time. It is also alleged that my father drank alcohol and may have been drunk on set. Mr. Zeffirelli and all our family were living in a villa, whilst actors, production and staff were staying in a hotel in Catania; all these allegations are not credible. At the time Johnathon suffered from a throat type of obstruction which made his speaking difficult. Directors have different styles and some time they could be much more demanding on inexperienced actors. My father is in poor health and not able to understand this attack and to respond to the allegations made by Jonathan Schaech. This would be an attack to a great director, an artist and to a man at the end of his life that he is not able, nor he will be in the future able to respond. This will be an incredible damage to his image and reputation on the basis of allegations which are not credible and cannot be proved.”

I don't believe it

[quote]At the time Johnathon suffered from a throat type of obstruction which made his speaking difficult.

So Zefferelli was just trying to clear Jonathon's throat obstruction?

The most shocking thing is that he had kids.

Was the throat obstruction a penis?

In 1996, Zeffirelli came out as gay, but thereafter preferred to be discreet about his personal life.

Zeffirelli said that he considered himself "homosexual" rather than gay, as he felt the term "gay" was less elegant.

Zeffirelli adopted two adult sons, men with whom he had lived and who worked for him for years, managing his affairs.

"There’s a moment when someone is being violated by a predator where it is a clear form of violence that creates trauma in the body. We have a fight or flight response."

And then there's us others who would knee him in the nuts and call the police.

[quote] He put his hands in places that I couldn’t even imagine

I mean the options are kind of limited (unless were talking Cronenbergian body horror here).

"Zeffirelli adopted two adult sons. "

Ahem.

Johnathon Schaech appeared in a Gregg Araki film and yet found Zeffirelli more disturbing. That tells you something.

Does it mean Zeffirelli was a true freak?

Johnathon Schaech appeared in a Gregg Araki film and yet found Zeffirelli more disturbing. That tells you something.

Well, maybe its because Sparrow came first, in 1993. Schaech was 23 at the time.

Araki's Splendor was in 1999. Schaech was 30 by that point.

Oh, sorry. I see Schaech was also in Gregg Araki's Doom Generation, which came out in 1995. Again, after Sparrow.

Jesus of Nazareth is the greatest Biblical film ever made.

[quote]IT'S TIME FOR STRANGE SPY FACTS! HOOK-UPS AND MARRIAGE!

[quote]Donald Downes, who spied for Yanks (OSS) & Brits (BSC) during WWII was gay...according to his friend Tennessee Williams. His boyfriend during the post-war years in Italy was Franco Zeffirelli, yeah, that Franco Zeffirelli.

That’s one friendship circle I’d love to have been part of! He knew everyone in the arts and fashion. He was fabulous.

Zeffirelli had sugar daddies when he was young, and was a sugar daddy when he was old.

I don't see the issue?

For those of you who are fans of Zeffirelli’s scenic style, the Complete Works book is a visual collection of his work in theater, opera, and film. It’s as big as a bible, and the hardcover book sells for under $25 on Amazon.

With the exception of his La Scala Aida, I am a fan of most of his opera work. I have seen Turandot and La Bohème at the Met and others on video,

If I had seen “Romeo & Juliet” in high school I would have ripped my underwear waistband and run home to tattle to my parents!

I believe all I've heard about him. It was a career long pattern of making unwanted advances and manipulation.