100 years since the birth of Franco Zeffirelli, director of Shakespeare’s dramas and the life of St. Francis of Assisi
Franco Zeffirelli was born in Florence on 12 February exactly 100 years ago. His career embraced cinema, television, theatre and opera as director, writer, production designer and even actor. Renowned for his refined elegance, he contributed to the success of Italian cinema abroad with his directing. His work always had an international dimension, as in his big-screen adaptations of Shakespeare’s