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 Born in his ancestral palazzo, situated in the same Milanese square as both the opera house La Scala and the Milan Cathedral, Luchino Visconti (1906 - 1976) was raised under the auspices of aristocratic privilege, theater and Catholicism. This triangulation of monuments would create an equally titanic filmmaker whose work remained stylistically sui generis through arguably the most impressive decades of 20th century filmmaking. The quietude of La Terra Trema (1948) is managed with an operatic virtuosity, and the baroque period pieces-for which he is best known today-clearly point to a noble upbringing. However, there is also a Gothic character to Visconti-embodied in the spired cathedral that overshadowed his childhood-that has remained largely unsung. The relationship between the Visconti family and Gothic architecture stretches back to the Medieval Era. In 1386, Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti envisioned a cathedral in the heart of Milan, though it was fated to remain under construction for almost half a millennium until Napoleon ordered its completion in the 19th century. Just as his ancestor brought Northern Gothic architecture to Italy, so, in 1943, did Luchino introduce the groundbreaking cinematic genre of Italian neorealism to the peninsula. Doing away with sets, neorealist cinema was set in the raw environment of postwar Italy. In one sense anti-architectural in its desire to transcend the bonds of interior space, this same ambition is what makes the style a perfect cinematic analog to the Gothic. The Gothic is an architecture of exteriority: Throwing ceilings to the sky and opening walls onto the outside with large windows, the Gothic presents light as the manifestation of divinity within a place of worship. The mysticism of light, dating back to the pseudo-Dionysian theology of Abbot Suger of St. Denis Cathedral, translates well to the medium of light that is the cinema. In any Visconti work, lighting is intimately connected to set design: It is often seen in the gleam of curtains, the radiance of starlight or the glow of Milanese fog, where the director carries the religiosity of Gothic architecture into his realism. Visconti's religion (or should we say religions? For he was also a Marxist) adds an ethical weight, powerful and challenging, to his works. The term decadence, often associated with Visconti, only attains meaning through being in excess of contemporary mores. Neither the Catholic Church nor the Italian communists could accept Visconti's homosexuality, and a resultant displaced angst is plainly worn by his protagonists-monumental individuals who bear the full weight of their social milieus. While neorealism has come to be packaged with its own mythology-a new cinema for a liberated nation, the idea of a new "Italian" style-re-centering our historical gaze on the Gothic Visconti allows one's imagination to spread across a much larger plane of geography and time. From his cinematic apprenticeship with Jean Renoir in France-the very cradle of Gothic architecture-to his German trilogy, Visconti's style has always been one of cosmopolitan effort. This international flavor also matches the deeper etymological referent of the Gothic-the Goths, those barbarian invaders who toppled the Roman Empire. Among Visconti's formal signatures are many borrowings from foreign directors, including the particularly pronounced influence of Jean Renoir, Josef Von Sternberg and Elia Kazan. Global in scope, timeless in influence and architectural in spirit: This is the legacy of Luchino Visconti.
Bio:
Born in his ancestral palazzo, situated in the same Milanese square as both the opera house La Scala and the Milan Cathedral, Luchino Visconti (1906 - 1976) was raised under the auspices of aristocratic privilege, theater and Catholicism. This triangulation of monuments would create an equally titanic filmmaker whose work remained stylistically sui generis through arguably the most impressive decades of 20th century filmmaking. The quietude of La Terra Trema (1948) is managed with an operatic virtuosity, and the baroque period pieces-for which he is best known today-clearly point to a noble upbringing. However, there is also a Gothic character to Visconti-embodied in the spired cathedral that overshadowed his childhood-that has remained largely unsung. The relationship between the Visconti family and Gothic architecture stretches back to the Medieval Era. In 1386, Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti envisioned a cathedral in the heart of Milan, though it was fated to remain under construction for almost half a millennium until Napoleon ordered its completion in the 19th century. Just as his ancestor brought Northern Gothic architecture to Italy, so, in 1943, did Luchino introduce the groundbreaking cinematic genre of Italian neorealism to the peninsula. Doing away with sets, neorealist cinema was set in the raw environment of postwar Italy. In one sense anti-architectural in its desire to transcend the bonds of interior space, this same ambition is what makes the style a perfect cinematic analog to the Gothic. The Gothic is an architecture of exteriority: Throwing ceilings to the sky and opening walls onto the outside with large windows, the Gothic presents light as the manifestation of divinity within a place of worship. The mysticism of light, dating back to the pseudo-Dionysian theology of Abbot Suger of St. Denis Cathedral, translates well to the medium of light that is the cinema. In any Visconti work, lighting is intimately connected to set design: It is often seen in the gleam of curtains, the radiance of starlight or the glow of Milanese fog, where the director carries the religiosity of Gothic architecture into his realism. Visconti's religion (or should we say religions? For he was also a Marxist) adds an ethical weight, powerful and challenging, to his works. The term decadence, often associated with Visconti, only attains meaning through being in excess of contemporary mores. Neither the Catholic Church nor the Italian communists could accept Visconti's homosexuality, and a resultant displaced angst is plainly worn by his protagonists-monumental individuals who bear the full weight of their social milieus. While neorealism has come to be packaged with its own mythology-a new cinema for a liberated nation, the idea of a new "Italian" style-re-centering our historical gaze on the Gothic Visconti allows one's imagination to spread across a much larger plane of geography and time. From his cinematic apprenticeship with Jean Renoir in France-the very cradle of Gothic architecture-to his German trilogy, Visconti's style has always been one of cosmopolitan effort. This international flavor also matches the deeper etymological referent of the Gothic-the Goths, those barbarian invaders who toppled the Roman Empire. Among Visconti's formal signatures are many borrowings from foreign directors, including the particularly pronounced influence of Jean Renoir, Josef Von Sternberg and Elia Kazan. Global in scope, timeless in influence and architectural in spirit: This is the legacy of Luchino Visconti.
Tivia:
Born into one of Northern Italy's richest families as one of the Duke of Modrone's seven children.His film Obsession (1943) was based on James M. Cain's 'The Postman Always Rings Twice'. Because of copyright issues, it was not shown in the United States. The picture also engendered the ire of Benito Mussolini's censors who had Visconti thrown in jail. He was to be executed and only survived because of the timely arrival of American troops. 'Ossessione' was later hailed as an early example of Italian neo-realism.Developed the movement of "Italian neo-realism" together with other directors such as Vittorio De Sica or Roberto Rossellini in the 1940s and 1950s.Longtime companion of actor Helmut Berger from 1964 until his death.A descendant of the 13th Century ruling dynasty of Milan, he received an aristocratic education, notably horsebreeding and the classics (which included painting, music and theatre). He played the cello and visited La Scala from an early age.Supporter of the Italian Communist Party.Ran away from home four times, so his father placed him in a military school to teach him discipline.Suffered a stroke during the filming of Ludwig (1973).Friend of Coco Chanel, who introduced him to the director Jean Renoir, for whom he then worked as an assistant during the late 1930's. After the war, Visconti established himself as an innovative director for the stage, on one occasion having Salvador Dali design his sets for 'As You Like It'. His sense of visual style was equally impressive in his film work, never better demonstrated than through his masterpiece Senso (1954).He smoked 120 cigarettes a day.Staged many lavishly produced grand operas and was involved in discovering Maria Callas.According to his friend Dirk Bogarde, he was a great devotee of the Eurovision Song Contest.President of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1969Member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival in 1956Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890-1945". Pages 1142-1148. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1987.From 1946 to 1960, he directed many plays of the Rina Morelli-Paolo Stoppa Company and became also a respected theater director.A museum on the island of Ischia is dedicated to him.Interviewed in "World Directors in Dialogue" by Bert Cardullo (Scarecrow Press, 2011).Supported the campaign to abolish the Italian monarchy in 1946.His family crest, a crown-bedecked zigzag of a viper swallowing a man usually described as a Moor, can be found everywhere in the city of Milan, and is also used as a design element of the logo for Alfa Romeo.Died of leukemia.His family is a branch of the Visconti of Milan where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as lords, then as dukes.Was one of the fathers of cinematic neorealism ("Neorealismo").Began his film-making career as a set dresser on Jean Renoir's Partie de campagne (1936).Was also an accomplished stage director of plays and opera, both in Italy and abroad.Together with Roberto Rossellini, he joined the salotto of Vittorio Mussolini (the son of Benito, who was then the national arbitrator for cinema and other arts).Was formally known as "Count don Luchino Visconti di Modrone".His father was the chamberlain of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.During the 2nd World War, after the king's flight in autumn 1943 and the intervention of the Germans, he went into hiding in the mountains, at Settefrati, under the nom de guerre Alfredo Guidi. He helped English and American prisoners of war hide after they had escaped, and also gave shelter to partisans in his house in Rome, with the help of actress Mar��a Denis.Concluded an engagement in 1935 with Princess Irma of Windisch-Graetz which raised concerns with her father, Prince Hugo, whereupon Visconti broke it off.Directed Maria Callas five times at La Scala between 1954 and 1957.Directed for the Italian stage, productions of, among many other plays, Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" and "A Streetcar Named Desire", and Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman".The first opera he directed was Gaspare Spontini's "La Vestale", which was at La Scala, and undertaken primarily so he could work with Maria Callas.On many of his films, he supplemented the sets with art and objects from his home.Worked on a film adaptation of Marcel Proust's "�� la recherche du temps perdu" for many years but that proved impossibly expensive and was unfortunately aborted.His first ambition was to train and breed racehorses. |
| Name: |
Luchino Visconti |
Type: |
Writer,Director,Second Unit Director or Assistant Director (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
|
Business scope: |
Writer,Director,Second Unit Director or Assistant Director |
| Products for sale: |
Writer,Director,Second Unit Director or Assistant Director |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 03:02:14 |
| Height: |
5' 10' (1.78 m) |
| Biography: |
Born in his ancestral palazzo, situated in the same Milanese square as both the opera house La Scala and the Milan Cathedral, Luchino Visconti (1906 - 1976) was raised under the auspices of aristocratic privilege, theater and Catholicism. This triang |
| Trivia: |
Born into one of Northern Italy's richest families as one of the Duke of Modrone's seven children.His film Obsession (1943) was based on James M. Cain's 'The Postman Always Rings Twice'. Because of copyright issues, it was not shown in the United States. The picture also engendered the ire of Benito Mussolini's censors who had Visconti thrown in jail. He was to be executed and only survived because of the timely arrival of American troops. 'Ossessione' was later hailed as an early example of Italian neo-realism.Developed the movement of "Italian neo-realism" together with other directors such as Vittorio De Sica or Roberto Rossellini in the 1940s and 1950s.Longtime companion of actor Helmut Berger from 1964 until his death.A descendant of the 13th Century ruling dynasty of Milan, he received an aristocratic education, notably horsebreeding and the classics (which included painting, music and theatre). He played the cello and visited La Scala from an early age.Supporter of the Italian Communist Party.Ran away from home four times, so his father placed him in a military school to teach him discipline.Suffered a stroke during the filming of Ludwig (1973).Friend of Coco Chanel, who introduced him to the director Jean Renoir, for whom he then worked as an assistant during the late 1930's. After the war, Visconti established himself as an innovative director for the stage, on one occasion having Salvador Dali design his sets for 'As You Like It'. His sense of visual style was equally impressive in his film work, never better demonstrated than through his masterpiece Senso (1954).He smoked 120 cigarettes a day.Staged many lavishly produced grand operas and was involved in discovering Maria Callas.According to his friend Dirk Bogarde, he was a great devotee of the Eurovision Song Contest.President of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1969Member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival in 1956Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume One, 1890-1945". Pages 1142-1148. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1987.From 1946 to 1960, he directed many plays of the Rina Morelli-Paolo Stoppa Company and became also a respected theater director.A museum on the island of Ischia is dedicated to him.Interviewed in "World Directors in Dialogue" by Bert Cardullo (Scarecrow Press, 2011).Supported the campaign to abolish the Italian monarchy in 1946.His family crest, a crown-bedecked zigzag of a viper swallowing a man usually described as a Moor, can be found everywhere in the city of Milan, and is also used as a design element of the logo for Alfa Romeo.Died of leukemia.His family is a branch of the Visconti of Milan where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as lords, then as dukes.Was one of the fathers of cinematic neorealism ("Neorealismo").Began his film-making career as a set dresser on Jean Renoir's Partie de campagne (1936).Was also an accomplished stage director of plays and opera, both in Italy and abroad.Together with Roberto Rossellini, he joined the salotto of Vittorio Mussolini (the son of Benito, who was then the national arbitrator for cinema and other arts).Was formally known as "Count don Luchino Visconti di Modrone".His father was the chamberlain of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy.During the 2nd World War, after the king's flight in autumn 1943 and the intervention of the Germans, he went into hiding in the mountains, at Settefrati, under the nom de guerre Alfredo Guidi. He helped English and American prisoners of war hide after they had escaped, and also gave shelter to partisans in his house in Rome, with the help of actress Mar��a Denis.Concluded an engagement in 1935 with Princess Irma of Windisch-Graetz which raised concerns with her father, Prince Hugo, whereupon Visconti broke it off.Directed Maria Callas five times at La Scala between 1954 and 1957.Directed for the Italian stage, productions of, among many other plays, Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" and "A Streetcar Named Desire", and Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman".The first opera he directed was Gaspare Spontini's "La Vestale", which was at La Scala, and undertaken primarily so he could work with Maria Callas.On many of his films, he supplemented the sets with art and objects from his home.Worked on a film adaptation of Marcel Proust's "�� la recherche du temps perdu" for many years but that proved impossibly expensive and was unfortunately aborted.His first ambition was to train and breed racehorses. |
| Trademarks: |
Frequently collaborated with Burt Lancaster
The collision between old and new
The decay of the nobility and the bourgeoisie
The sociopolitical gap between generations
The decline of an old social order and the rise of modern times |
| Quotes: |
[1976 comment on Luis Bunuel] I think today there are too many directors taking themselves seriously; the only one capable of saying anything really new and interesting is Luis Bunuel. He's a very great director.
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[on Marcello Mastroianni] He's very human and easily identifies with the man in the street. He's never a hero. Rather, he's an anti-hero, and that's why in turn the public adores him. That's his great merit and his appeal.
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<hr>
[on Burt Lancaster] The Prince in "The Leopard" was a very complex character -- at times autocratic, rude, strong -- at times romantic, good, understanding -- and sometimes even stupid, and above all, mysterious. Burt is all these things too. Sometimes I think Burt is the most perfectly mysterious man I have ever met in my life.
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[on Giancarlo Giannini] An extraordinary actor.
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[on Vittorio Gassmann] He's a monster. Nature has made him prodigiously gifted and that's not always a blessing. His monstrous technical ability make him neglect to go deeper into the roles he plays. All the same, what an actor! |
| Job title: |
Writer,Director,Second Unit Director or Assistant Director |
| Others works: |
(June 1941) Article: 'Cadaveri, in "Cinema", n. 119.
(1961) He directed John Ford's play, "Tis Pity, She's A Whore," at the Theatre De Paris in Paris, France. |
| Relatives: |
Sibling (Sibling)
Eriprando Visconti (Niece or Nephew) |
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