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79-403: Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo ( Italian: [luˈkiːno viˈskonti di moˈdroːne] ; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, theatre and opera director, and screenwriter. He was one of the fathers of cinematic neorealism , but later moved towards luxurious, sweeping epics dealing with themes of beauty, decadence, death, and European history, especially

158-613: A Macbeth in Spoleto in 1958 and a famous black-and-white Il trovatore with scenery and costumes by Filippo Sanjust at the Royal Opera House in 1964. In 1966 Visconti's luscious Falstaff for the Vienna State Opera conducted by Leonard Bernstein was critically acclaimed. On the other hand, his austere 1969 Simon Boccanegra with the singers clothed in geometrical costumes provoked controversy. In

237-729: A Protestant . My ideas may be unorthodox, but I am still a Catholic." While his first 3-year-relationship from 1936, with the photographer Horst P. Horst , remained discreet because of the prejudices of the time, he later showed up openly in the company of his lovers, among them the director and producer Franco Zeffirelli and the actor Udo Kier . His last lover was the Austrian actor Helmut Berger , who played Martin in Visconti's film The Damned . Berger also appeared in Visconti's Ludwig in 1973 and Conversation Piece in 1974, along with Burt Lancaster . Zeffirelli also worked as part of

316-486: A background populated by local people rather than extras brought in for the film. They were shot almost exclusively on location, mostly in rundown cities as well as rural areas. Neorealist films typically explore the conditions of the poor and the lower working class. Characters often exist within a simple social order where survival is the primary objective. Performances are mostly constructed from scenes of people performing fairly mundane and quotidian activities, devoid of

395-537: A costume. Alagna did not return to the production. A fire destroyed the previous theatre, the Teatro Regio Ducale , on 25 February 1776, after a carnival gala. A group of ninety wealthy Milanese, who owned private boxes in the theatre, wrote to Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este asking for a new theatre and a provisional one to be used while completing the new one. The neoclassical architect Giuseppe Piermarini produced an initial design. However, it

474-501: A more realistic approach to making films. Italian cinema went from utilizing elaborate studio sets to shooting on location in the countryside and city streets in a realist style. Although the true beginning of neorealism has been widely contested by theorists and filmmakers, the first neorealist film is generally thought to be Visconti's Ossessione , released in 1943, during the occupation. Neorealism became famous globally in 1946 with Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City , when it won

553-481: A new subject of knowledge, which itself builds and develops. It produces a new world in which the main elements have not so many narrative functions as they have their own aesthetic value, related with the eye that is watching them and not with the action they are coming from. Although Umberto D. is considered the end of the neorealist period, later films such as Federico Fellini 's La Strada (1954) and De Sica's 1960 film Two Women (for which Sophia Loren won

632-513: A no-confidence motion against Muti. They demanded the resignation of Fontana's replacement, Mauro Meli. Muti had already been forced to cancel a concert a few days earlier because of the disagreements. Italy's culture minister, Giuliano Urbani , supported the conductor but called for urgent action by management to safeguard the smooth operation and prestige of La Scala. On 2 April 2005, Muti resigned from La Scala, citing "hostility" from staff members. In May 2005, Stéphane Lissner , formerly head of

711-486: A nomination for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay . The film, one of Visconti's better-known works, concerns a German industrialist's family which begins to disintegrate during the Nazi consolidation of power in the 1930s. The film opened to widespread critical acclaim, but also faced controversy from rating boards for its sexual content, including depictions of homosexuality , pedophilia , rape , and incest . In

790-596: A short tour of the United States, where he visited Hollywood, he returned to Italy to be Renoir's assistant again, this time for Tosca (1941), a production that was interrupted and later completed by German director Karl Koch . Together with fellow members of the Milanese film journal Cinema - Gianni Puccini, Antonio Pietrangeli and Giuseppe De Santis - Visconti wrote the screenplay for his first film as director: Ossessione ( Obsession , 1943), one of

869-453: A total of "3,000 or so" seats organized into 678 pit-stalls, arranged in six tiers of boxes above which is the 'loggione' or two galleries. Its stage is one of the largest in Italy (16.15m d x 20.4m w x 26m h). Building expenses were covered by the sale of boxes, which were lavishly decorated by their owners, impressing observers such as Stendhal . La Scala (as it came to be known) soon became

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948-592: Is a historic opera house in Milan , Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as il Nuovo Regio Ducale Teatro alla Scala ( lit.   ' the New Royal Ducal Theatre at the Scala ' , which was the former location of a church ). The premiere performance was Antonio Salieri 's Europa riconosciuta . Most of Italy's greatest operatic artists, and many of

1027-532: Is like Lang without expressionism and Eisenstein without formalism ". He describes the film as the "most Viscontian" of all Visconti's films. Visconti returned to neorealism once more with Rocco e i suoi fratelli ( Rocco and His Brothers , 1960), the story of Southern Italians who migrate to Milan hoping to find financial stability. In 1961, he was a member of the jury at the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival . Turning away from neo-realism, Visconti created an unmistakable visual language in his films from

1106-585: Is today renowned as a pioneering work of Italian cinema, generally regarded as the first neorealist film. During World War II , he served in the anti-fascist resistance , and afterwards was active in left-wing politics. Visconti’s best-known films include Senso (1954) and The Leopard (1963), which are historical melodramas adapted from Italian literary classics, the gritty drama Rocco and His Brothers (1960), and his "German Trilogy" – The Damned (1969), Death in Venice (1971) and Ludwig (1973). He

1185-556: The Aix-en-Provence Festival , was appointed General Manager and artistic director of La Scala, becoming the first non-Italian in its history to hold the office. On 15 May 2006, Daniel Barenboim was named Maestro Scaligero , or de facto principal guest conductor of the company. In October 2011, Barenboim was appointed the next music director of La Scala, effective December 2011, with an initial contract of 5 years. In December 2013, management named Riccardo Chailly

1264-528: The De Gasperi cabinet, characterized the official view of the movement: Neorealism is "dirty laundry that shouldn't be washed and hung to dry in the open". Italy's move from individual concern with neorealism to the tragic frailty of the human condition can be seen through Federico Fellini 's films. His early works La Strada (1954) and Il bidone (1955) are transitional movies. The larger social concerns of humanity, treated by neorealists, gave way to

1343-688: The Nastro d'Argento for Best Director four times, and was both an Oscar and BAFTA Award nominee. Six of Visconti’s films are on the list of 100 Italian films to be saved . Many of his works are regarded as highly-influential to future generations of filmmakers, including Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese . Luchino Visconti was born into a prominent noble family in Milan , one of seven children of Giuseppe Visconti di Modrone , Duke of Grazzano Visconti and Count of Lonate Pozzolo , and his wife Carla ( née Erba, heiress to Erba Pharmaceuticals ). He

1422-593: The Teatro La Fenice in Venice. Beginning when he directed a production at Milan's Teatro alla Scala of La vestale in December 1954, his career included a famous revival of La traviata at La Scala in 1955 with Maria Callas and an equally famous Anna Bolena (also at La Scala) in 1957 with Callas. A significant 1958 Royal Opera House (London) production of Verdi's five-act Italian version of Don Carlos (with Jon Vickers ) followed, along with

1501-464: The aftermath of World War II he became one of the founding fathers of the Italian neorealistic film movement that focused on challenging economic and conditions, and how it affected the psyche of the underclass. Visconti himself came from nobility, was highly educated and was never in financial lack. His films reflected that tension. In fact, Visconti said he felt he came from a world long ago, that of

1580-471: The 1960s onwards. Thanks to his unique blend of aristocratic and upper-class origins, political communist convictions and brilliant social analysis, he created masterpieces of film history in The Leopard (1963), The Damned (1969), Death in Venice (1971) and Ludwig (1972). Throughout the 1960s, Visconti's films became more personal. Il Gattopardo ( The Leopard , 1963) is based on Lampedusa 's novel of

1659-579: The Accademia d'Arti e Mestieri dello Spettacolo (Academy for the Performing Arts). Its goal is to train a new generation of young musicians, technical staff, and dancers (at the Scuola di Ballo del Teatro alla Scala , one of the academy's divisions). Above the boxes, La Scala has a gallery—called the loggione —where the less wealthy can watch the performances. The gallery is typically crowded with

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1738-531: The Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival as the first major film produced in Italy after the war. Italian neorealism rapidly declined in the early 1950s. Liberal and socialist parties were having difficulties presenting their message. The vision of the existing poverty and despair, presented by neorealist cinema, was demoralizing a nation anxious for prosperity and change. Additionally,

1817-515: The Italian film industry to lose its centre. Neorealism was a sign of cultural and social change in Italy. New realism films are considered to be films with specific styles and philosophies that emerged during the turbulent period after World War II. Its films presented contemporary stories and ideas and were often shot on location as the Cinecittà film studios had been damaged significantly during

1896-501: The Oscar for Best Actress) are grouped with the genre. Director Pier Paolo Pasolini 's first film, Accattone (1961), shows a strong neorealist influence. The Neorealist period is often simply referred to as "The Golden Age" of Italian cinema by critics, filmmakers and scholars. The extent to which Italian neorealism was truly innovative continues to be debated among film historians. Despite its wide influence, some have argued that it

1975-501: The United States, the film was given an X rating . The avant-garde filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder praised it as his favourite movie. Its decadence and lavish beauty are characteristic of Visconti's aesthetic − very visible also in the movie Death in Venice (1971) that adapted the daring novella Death in Venice published in 1912 by Thomas Mann . Visconti's final film was The Innocent (1976), in which he returns to his recurring interest in infidelity and betrayal. Visconti

2054-544: The United States, where classicism was prevalent before World War II, to Europe, where realism was prevalent. Furthermore, as some critics have argued, the abandoning of the classical way of doing cinema and so the starting point of the French New Wave and the Modern Cinema can be found in the post-war Italian cinema and in the neorealism experiences. In particular, this cinema seems to be constituted as

2133-942: The age of sixty-nine on 17 March 1976. The church funeral service for Visconti took place on March 19, 1976 in Sant'Ignazio di Loyola in Campo Marzio in Rome. In addition to the Visconti family, the Italian President Giovanni Leone and the actors Burt Lancaster , Claudia Cardinale , Laura Antonelli , Vittorio Gassman and Helmut Berger were present. There is a museum dedicated to the director's work in Ischia where he had his summer residence La Colombaia . Notes Sources Italian neorealism Italian neorealism came about as World War II ended and Benito Mussolini 's government fell, causing

2212-535: The children participated in its performances. The family also had their own box in the La Scala opera house. Luchino studied cello with the Italian cellist and composer Lorenzo de Paolis (1890–1965) and met the composer Giacomo Puccini , the conductor Arturo Toscanini and the writer Gabriele D'Annunzio . Visconti found literature by reading Proust's In Search of Lost Time , later a lifelong film project that he never realized. Before he started his film career, he

2291-505: The crew in production design, as assistant director, and other roles in a number of Visconti's films, operas, and theatrical productions. According to Visconti's autobiography, he and Umberto II of Italy had a romantic relationship during their youth in the 1920s. Visconti was hostile to the Protests of 1968 and didn't even try to follow the movement and adopt the airs of youth, like Alberto Moravia or Pier Paolo Pasolini did (although

2370-564: The decay of the nobility and the bourgeoisie. Critic Jonathan Jones wrote that “no one did as much to shape Italian cinema as Luchino Visconti.” Born into a Milanese noble family with close ties to the artistic world, Visconti began his career in France as an assistant director to Jean Renoir . His 1943 directorial debut, Ossessione , was condemned by the Fascist regime for its unvarnished depictions of working-class characters, but

2449-444: The discrepancies between generations and their world views, as a task of realism in art. When he was accused of decadence, he recalled Thomas Mann and his way of creating art. In later years, Visconti made no secret of his homosexuality , though he remained a devout Catholic throughout his life. "I am a Catholic," he commented in 1971. "I was born a Catholic, I was baptized a Catholic. I cannot change what I am, I cannot easily become

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2528-420: The documentary-style films of Francesco De Robertis . Two of the most significant precursors of neorealism are Jean Renoir 's Toni (1935) and Blasetti's 1860 (1934). Both Visconti and Michelangelo Antonioni worked closely with Renoir. In the spring of 1945, Mussolini was executed and Italy was liberated from German occupation. This period, known as the "Italian Spring", broke from old ways and fostered

2607-601: The early 1920s, his mother moved with her younger children, including him, to her own house in Milan, as well as to her summer residence, Villa Erba in Cernobbio on Lake Como. The father, as chamberlain of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy , also owned a villa in Rome that Luchino later inherited and lived in for decades. In his early years, he was exposed to art, music and theatre: The Palazzo Visconti di Modrone in Milan, where he grew up, had its own small private theatre and

2686-400: The early 1950s the neorealist torch was picked up by artists like Sicily's Bruno Caruso , whose work focused on the warehouses, shipyards and psychiatric wards of his native Palermo . Neorealist films were generally filmed with nonprofessional actors, although in a number of cases, well-known actors were cast in leading roles, playing strongly against their normal character types in front of

2765-417: The exploration of individuals. Their needs, their alienation from society and their tragic failure to communicate became the main focal point in the Italian films to follow in the 1960s. Similarly, Antonioni's Red Desert (1964) and Blow-up (1966) take the neorealist trappings and internalise them in the suffering and search for knowledge brought out by Italy's post-war economic and political climate. In

2844-428: The feast day of Milan's patron saint . All performances must end before midnight, and long operas start earlier in the evening when necessary. The Museo Teatrale alla Scala (La Scala Theatre Museum), accessible from the theatre's foyer and a part of the house, contains a collection of paintings, drafts, statues, costumes, and other documents regarding the history of La Scala and of opera in general. La Scala also hosts

2923-778: The finest singers from around the world, have appeared at La Scala. The theatre is regarded as one of the leading opera and ballet theatres globally. It is home to the La Scala Theatre Chorus, La Scala Theatre Ballet , La Scala Theatre Orchestra, and the Filarmonica della Scala orchestra. The theatre also has an associate school, known as the La Scala Theatre Academy (Italian: Accademia Teatro alla Scala ), which offers professional training in music, dance, stagecraft, and stage management. La Scala's season opens on 7 December, Saint Ambrose 's Day,

3002-417: The first examples of neorealist (involving real locations and regular people) movies and an unofficial adaptation of the novel The Postman Always Rings Twice . The premiere of Ossessione took place at a film festival hosted by Vittorio Mussolini (son of Benito ), who was the national arbiter for cinema and other arts, and the editor of Cinema . Though prior to the premiere their working relationship

3081-415: The first positive effects of the Italian economic miracle period—such as gradual rises in income levels—caused the themes of neorealism to lose their relevance. As a consequence, most Italians favored the optimism shown in many American movies of the time. The views of the post-war Italian government of the time were also far from positive, and the remark of Giulio Andreotti , who was then a vice-minister in

3160-461: The first productions of many famous operas and had a special relationship with Verdi. However, for several years, Verdi did not allow his work to be played here, as some of his music had been modified (he said "corrupted") by the orchestra. This dispute originated in a disagreement over the production of his Giovanna d'Arco in 1845; however, the composer later conducted his Requiem there on 25 May 1874. He announced in 1886 that La Scala would host

3239-519: The general manager of La Scala since 1990, was dismissed in February 2005 by the board of governors over differences with the music director, Riccardo Muti . The resulting staff backlash caused serious disruptions and staff strikes. In a statement, the theatre's board said it was "urgent to unify the theatre's management". On 16 March 2005, the La Scala orchestra and other staff overwhelmingly approved

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3318-576: The king's flight in the autumn of 1943 and the intervention of the Germans, he went into hiding in the mountains, at Settefrati , under the nom de guerre Alfredo Guidi . Visconti 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 María Denis . After the German occupation of Rome in April 1944, Visconti

3397-461: The lack of consistent film styles of neorealist film. Peter Brunette and Marcia Landy both deconstruct the use of reworked cinematic forms in Rossellini's Open City . Using psychoanalysis , Vincent Rocchio characterizes neorealist film as consistently engendering the structure of anxiety into the structure of the plot itself. The period between 1943 and 1950 in the history of Italian cinema

3476-399: The latter was certainly not sympathetic towards the protestors). In his view, the protesters sought change for the sake of destruction without building something new. Disgusted, he looked at the young people in their enthusiasm, outbursts of anger, parties and tumults, their abstract speeches, their juggling with Mao , Marx , and Che Guevara . They saw him as a symbol of reaction, a member of

3555-449: The mandarin caste. The emerging radical-left terrorism in Italy frightened him and made him fear the rise of a new fascism . Visconti has a grandnephew , Uberto Pasolini , who is also a filmmaker. (Uberto, however, has no known relation to the aforementioned director, Pier Paolo Pasolini.) Visconti smoked 120 cigarettes a day. He suffered a serious stroke in 1972, but continued to smoke heavily. He died in Rome of another stroke at

3634-481: The most critical opera aficionados, known as the loggionisti, who can be ecstatic or merciless towards singers' perceived successes or failures. For their failures, artists receive a " baptism of fire " from these aficionados, and fiascos are long remembered. For example, in 2006, tenor Roberto Alagna left the stage after being booed during a performance of Aida , forcing his understudy , Antonello Palombi , to quickly replace him mid-scene without time to change into

3713-456: The new realism film adopts a documentary format, striving to showcase historicity, and striving to use the least cutting and video editing techniques, as well as tolerance for filming equipment. Open City established several of the principles of neorealism, depicting clearly the struggle of normal Italian people to live from day to day under the extraordinary difficulties of the German occupation of Rome, consciously doing what they can to resist

3792-534: The next music director of La Scala, effective 1 January 2015. Stéphane Lissner left La Scala for the Paris Opera . His successor Alexander Pereira  [ de ] , formerly director of the Salzburg Festival , began his tenure on 1 October 2014. In June 2019 it was announced that Pereira will leave in 2020 and will be replaced by Dominique Meyer . La Scala was originally selected to host

3871-515: The novel I Malavoglia by Giovanni Verga . Visconti continued working throughout the 1950s, but he veered away from the neorealist path with his 1954 film, Senso , shot in colour. Based on the novella by Camillo Boito , it is set in Austrian-occupied Venice in 1866. In this film, Visconti combines realism and romanticism as a way to break away from neorealism. However, as one biographer notes, "Visconti without neorealism

3950-408: The occupation. The children play a key role in this, and their presence at the end of the film is indicative of their role in neorealism as a whole: as observers of the difficulties of today who hold the key to the future. Vittorio De Sica 's 1948 film Bicycle Thieves is also representative of the genre, with non-professional actors, and a story that details the hardships of working-class life after

4029-535: The opera company was satisfied with the improvements to the structure and the sound quality, which was enhanced when the heavy red carpets in the hall were removed. The stage was entirely rebuilt, and an enlarged backstage allows more sets to be stored, permitting more productions. Seats now include monitors for the electronic libretto system provided by Radio Marconi , an Italian company, allowing audiences to follow opera libretti in English and Italian in addition to

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4108-508: The opera lover, as Mary Shelley discovered in September 1840: At the Opera they were giving Otto Nicolai 's Templario . Unfortunately, as is well known, the theatre of La Scala serves, not only as the universal drawing-room for all the society of Milan but every sort of trading transaction, from horse-dealing to stock-jobbing , is carried on in the pit; so that brief and far between are

4187-401: The original language. The opera house re-opened on 7 December 2004 with a production, conducted by Riccardo Muti , of Salieri's Europa riconosciuta , the opera performed at La Scala's inauguration in 1778. Tickets for the re-opening fetched up to €2,000. The renovations cost a reported €61 million and left a budget shortfall that the opera house overcame in 2006. Carlo Fontana,

4266-420: The plot or the tone. The resulting film, The Earth Trembles , starred only nonprofessional actors and was filmed in the same village (Aci Trezza) in which the novel was set. More contemporary theorists of Italian neorealism characterize it less as a consistent set of stylistic characteristics and more as the relationship between film practice and the social reality of post-war Italy. Millicent Marcus delineates

4345-418: The popular mainstream films, some critics felt that Italian cinema should turn to the realist writers from the turn of the 20th century. Many of the filmmakers involved in neorealism developed their skills working on Calligrafismo films in the early 1940s (although the short-lived movement was markedly different from neorealism). Elements of neorealism are also found in the films of Alessandro Blasetti and

4424-424: The preeminent meeting place for noble and wealthy Milanese people. In the tradition of the times, the main floor had no chairs, and spectators watched the shows standing up. The orchestra was in full sight, as the orchestra pit had not yet been built. As with most of the theatres at that time, La Scala was also a casino , with gamblers sitting in the foyer. Conditions in the auditorium, too, could be frustrating for

4503-469: The premiere of what was to become his penultimate opera, Otello . The premiere of his last opera, Falstaff was also given in the theatre. In 1982, the Filarmonica della Scala orchestra was established to develop a symphonic repertoire to add to La Scala's operatic tradition, the orchestra drawing its members from the larger pool of musicians that comprise the Orchestra della Scala. The Filarmonica

4582-424: The previous (19th) century. In the film The Leopard , he addressed the decline of an old social order and the rise of “modern times”. He did not see his opulent flashbacks as an escape into imaginary, lost worlds, but rather as the deciphering of signs. He wanted to put his finger on the signs of profound historical changes which would only become visible later. He searched world literature for relevant works to show

4661-520: The same name about the decline of the Sicilian aristocracy at the time of the Risorgimento , where the change of times becomes visible in two of the main characters: Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina ( Burt Lancaster ) appears patriarchal but humane, while Don Calogero Sedara ( Paolo Stoppa ), a shrewd entrepreneur and social climber from the village, appears submissive, but foxy and brutal at

4740-562: The same time, a mafia-like type of the future. The tension arises from the marriage of their relatives of the next generation, combined with the fall of the old Bourbon rule and the rise of a united Italy. This film was distributed in America and Britain by Twentieth-Century Fox , which deleted important scenes. Visconti repudiated the Twentieth-Century Fox version. It was not until The Damned (1969) that Visconti received

4819-468: The self-consciousness that amateur acting usually entails. Neorealist films often feature children in major roles, though their characters are frequently more observational than participatory. These characters are both sympathetic and cynical, constantly portraying the pain, misfortune, social struggles, and working-class struggles in social life, with the aim of criticizing the injustice of the real social system and resisting reality. In terms of production,

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4898-410: The snatches of melody one can catch. La Scala was originally illuminated with 84 oil lamps mounted on the stage and another thousand in the rest of the theatre. To reduce the risks of fire, several rooms were filled with hundreds of water buckets. In time, oil lamps were replaced by gas lamps; these, in turn, were replaced by electric lights in 1883. The original structure was renovated in 1907 when it

4977-624: The solemn parades of the National Fascist Party as marching in columns in boots and uniform, he had now come to hate the Mussolini regime. He accused the bourgeoisie of treason to tyranny, and following the Badoglio Proclamation , began working with the Italian resistance . He supported the communists' partisan fight at the risk of death; his villa in Rome became a meeting place for oppositional artists. After

5056-506: The traditional 7 December 2001 season-opening performances of Otello , which ran through December. From 19 January 2002 to November 2004, the opera company transferred to the new Teatro degli Arcimboldi , built in the Pirelli-Bicocca industrial area 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from the city center. The renovation by architect Mario Botta proved controversial, as preservationists feared that historic details would be lost. However,

5135-465: The war. The neorealist style was developed by a circle of film critics that revolved around the magazine Cinema , including: Largely prevented from writing about politics (the editor-in-chief of the magazine was Vittorio Mussolini , son of Benito Mussolini ), the critics attacked the Telefoni Bianchi ("white telephone") films that dominated the industry at the time. As a counter to

5214-569: The war. This movie focuses on exploring the concerns and behaviors of struggling working-class characters through the presentation of outstanding non professional actors. The light portrayal of events reveals the indifference, dirtiness, and violence of society, showcasing the conflict between public and private perspectives. In the period from 1944 to 1948, many neorealist filmmakers drifted away from pure neorealism. Some directors explored allegorical fantasy, such as de Sica's Miracle in Milan , and historical spectacle, like Senso by Visconti. It

5293-406: The world. It also influenced film directors of India's Parallel Cinema movement, including Satyajit Ray (who directed the award-winning Apu Trilogy ) and Bimal Roy (who made Do Bigha Zameen [1953]), both heavily influenced by Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves (1948). The birth and development of Italian neorealism films marked the transition of the world film center from Europe and

5372-463: Was also a celebrated theatre and opera director. During the years 1946 to 1960, he directed many performances of the Rina Morelli - Paolo Stoppa Company with actor Vittorio Gassman as well as many celebrated productions of operas. Visconti's love of opera is evident in the 1954 Senso , where the beginning of the film shows scenes from the fourth act of Il trovatore , which were filmed at

5451-568: Was also an accomplished director of operas and stage plays, both in Italy and abroad, and held a close association with La Scala in his hometown of Milan. Visconti received several notable accolades, including both the Palme d'Or (for The Leopard ) and the Golden Lion (for 1965’s Sandra ), the latter out of five total nominations. He won the David di Donatello for Best Director twice and

5530-447: Was also the time period when a more upbeat neorealism emerged, which produced films that melded working-class characters with 1930s-style populist comedy, as seen in de Sica's Umberto D . At the height of neorealism, in 1948, Visconti adapted I Malavoglia , a novel by Giovanni Verga, written during the 19th century realist verismo movement , bringing the story to a modern setting, which resulted in remarkably little change in either

5609-426: Was arrested and detained by the anti-partisan Pietro Koch and sentenced to execution by firing squad. He was only saved from death by Denis' last-minute intervention. After the war, Visconti testified against Koch, who was himself convicted and executed. He began his film-making career as a set dresser on Jean Renoir 's Partie de campagne (1936) through the intercession of their common friend Coco Chanel . After

5688-438: Was conducted first by Carlo Maria Giulini , then by Riccardo Muti , plus many collaborative relations with some of the greatest conductors of the time. As early as 1958 R. Vermeulen of Philips Electronics experimented with "loudspeakers for stereo reverberation" at La Scala, which were "concealed in the cove along the ceiling". The theatre underwent a major renovation from early 2002 to late 2004. The theatre closed following

5767-474: Was dominated by the impact of neorealism, which was properly defined as a moment or a trend in Italian film rather than an actual school or group of theoretically motivated and like-minded directors and scriptwriters. Its impact nevertheless has been enormous not only on Italian film but also on French New Wave cinema, the Polish Film School , Brazilian Cinema Novo and ultimately on films all over

5846-688: Was formally known as Count don Luchino Visconti di Modrone, and his family is a branch of the Visconti of Milan where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as lords, then as dukes. He grew up in the Milanese family seat, the Palazzo Visconti di Modrone in Via Cerva, as well as on the family estate, Grazzano Visconti Castle near Vigolzone . He was baptized and raised in the Roman Catholic church. After his parents separated in

5925-419: Was given its current layout with 1,987 seats. In 1943, during World War II , La Scala was severely damaged by bombing . It was rebuilt and reopened on 11 May 1946, with a memorable concert conducted by Arturo Toscanini —twice La Scala's principal conductor and an associate of the composers Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini —with a soprano solo by Renata Tebaldi , which created a sensation. La Scala hosted

6004-403: Was more a revival of earlier Italian creative works than a groundbreaking movement. Important forerunners of Italian neorealism include: La Scala La Scala ( UK : / l æ ˈ s k ɑː l ə / , US : / l ɑː -/ , Italian: [la ˈskaːla] ; officially Teatro alla Scala [teˈaːtro alla ˈskaːla] , lit.   ' Theatre at the Scala ' )

6083-516: Was passionate about training racehorses in his own stable. He was engaged to Princess Irma of Windisch-Graetz , but this raised concerns with her father, Prince Hugo, and Visconti broke the engagement off in 1935. During World War II , Visconti joined the Italian Communist Party , which he considered to be the only effective opponent of Italian Fascism . While he had, in his early years, been impressed by such aesthetic aspects of

6162-461: Was positive, upon viewing the film Vittorio stormed out of the theatre exclaiming: "This is not Italy!", according to the account of Cinema group contributor Aldo Scagnetti. The film was subsequently suppressed by the fascist regime, to the extent that the first public showing of the film in Rome only occurred in May 1945. In 1948, he wrote and directed La terra trema ( The Earth Trembles ), based on

6241-453: Was rejected by Count Firmian (the governor of the then Austrian Lombardy ). A second plan was accepted in 1776 by Empress Maria Theresa . The new theatre was built on the former location of the church of Santa Maria della Scala , from which the theatre gets its name. The church was deconsecrated and demolished. Over a period of two years, the theatre was completed by Pietro Marliani, Pietro Nosetti, and Antonio and Giuseppe Fe. The theatre had

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