Page 65 - CoESPU Magazine 2017-3

opera films (Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, La Traviata and Othello), religious films (Brother
Sun, Sister Moon and Jesus of Nazareth) and autobiographical films (Tea with Mussolini and Callas
Forever).
At the heart of the exhibition is a large room with Zeffirelli’s 55 original drawings for the
cinematographic transposition of Dante’s Inferno, an unrealized project of great international
coproduction that Zeffirelli worked on with enthusiasm in 1972. They are displayed with a
multimedia installation by Daniele Nannuzzi and FXLab, which digitally re-elaborates the
preparatory studies for the setting of the film’s various scenes.
Almost 300 scenes and costume sketches by Zeffirelli are on display, along with posters, flyers,

Franco Zeffirelli with Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, players of Romeo and Juliet, in 1968.

scene photography that capture the performances, accompanied by snapshots taken off stage or
during rehearsals, 14 costumes and six scene models, all designed to recreate the impact of the
individual shows in the most eloquent way and highlight the most significant elements time and
again. All the works exhibited are accompanied by captions in Italian and English and by labels
stating the place, date and cast of the shows and films.
The permanent exhibition is accompanied by a video, screened in a room located at the midway
point: The Art of Entertainment by Pippo Zeffirelli.
A temporary exhibition, honouring a prominent performing arts personality, will always accompany
the permanent exhibition. For the museum’s opening, this honour will be bestowed to Lila de

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