Valerio Zurlini

'Valerio Zurlini' (qv) was born on March 19, 1926. During his law studies in Rome, he started working in the theatre. In 1943, he joined the Italian resistance. Zurlini became a member of the Italian Communist Party. He filmed short documentaries in the immediate post-war period and in 1954 directed his first feature film, _Die schönen Mädchen von Florenz (1955)_ (qv), his only comedy. In 1958, together with Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi and Alberto Lattuada, he won the Silver Ribbon for Best Script for Lattuada's _Guendalina (1957)_ (qv). Zurlini made his name as a director with his second feature film, _Violent Summer (1959)_ (qv), starring 'Eleonora Rossi Drago' (qv) and 'Jean-Louis Trintignant' (qv).In 1961 Zurlini filmed _Girl with a Suitcase (1961)_ (qv), a successful drama, starring 'Claudia Cardinale' (qv) and 'Jacques Perrin' (qv), who would become Zurlini's favorite actor. In 1962 Zurlini's film _Family Portrait (1962)_ (qv) earned him the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival (it tied with 'Andrei Tarkovsky' (qv)'s _Ivan's Childhood (1962)_ (qv)). Zurlini had a masterful skill for screen adaptations Both _Die schönen Mädchen von Florenz (1955)_ (qv) and _Family Portrait (1962)_ (qv) were based on 'Vasco Pratolini' (qv)'s work. Zurlini admired the work of Italian novelist Giorgio Bassani and hoped to adapt his novel "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis," which was subsequently directed by 'Vittorio De Sica' (qv) (see _The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970)_ (qv)). His 1965 film _The Camp Followers (1965)_ (qv) was entered into the 4th Moscow International Film Festival where it won the Special Silver Prize. Zurlini's last film, _The Desert of the Tartars (1976)_ (qv), produced by 'Jacques Perrin' (qv) and featuring an all-star ensemble, was based on 'Dino Buzzati' (qv)'s novel of the same name. The movie won both the David di Donatello for Best Director and the Silver Ribbon for Best Director.The visual style of Zurlini's adaptations was informed by artists 'Giorgio De Chirico' (qv), Giorgio Morandi and Ottone Rosai. During the last years of his life, Zurlini taught at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome and worked as a dubbing director for the Italian versions for such movies as _The Deer Hunter (1978)_ (qv) and _My American Uncle (1980)_ (qv). He died of stomach hemorrhage in Verona on October 27, 1982.::X