orig. Gianfranco Corsi
born Feb. 12, 1923, Florence, Italy
Italian director, producer, and stage designer.
In 1946 he joined Luchino Visconti 's Morelli-Stoppa Co. as an actor and stage director. After serving as Visconti's assistant on films such as La terra trema (1948), he turned to stage design. His major operatic productions, noted for their visual richness, began with L'Italiana in Algeri (195253) and include Lucia di Lammermoor (1959) and La Bohème (1963, 1981), among many others; he directed films of La traviata (1983) and Otello (1986). His other films include The Taming of the Shrew (1967), Romeo and Juliet (1968), Endless Love (1981), Jane Eyre (1996), and Tea with Mussolini (1999).