Paolo and Vittorio Taviani facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Taviani brothers
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Vittorio (left) and Paolo Taviani, at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival
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| Occupation | Film directors, producers, screenwriters, film editors |
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Paolo Taviani
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| Born | 8 November 1931 |
| Died | 29 February 2024 (aged 92) Rome, Italy
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| Years active | 1962–2024 |
| Spouse(s) | Lina Nerli |
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Vittorio Taviani
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| Born | 20 September 1929 |
| Died | 15 April 2018 (aged 88) Rome, Italy
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| Years active | 1962–2018 |
Paolo Taviani (born 8 November 1931 – died 29 February 2024) and Vittorio Taviani (born 20 September 1929 – died 15 April 2018) were famous Italian film directors. They were known as the Taviani brothers because they worked together on many movies. They wrote the scripts and directed their films as a team.
The Taviani brothers won many important awards for their films. At the Cannes Film Festival, they won the top prize, the Palme d'Or, for their film Padre Padrone in 1977. They also won the Grand Prix du Jury for La notte di San Lorenzo (The Night of the Shooting Stars) in 1982. In 2012, they won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for Caesar Must Die.
Contents
The Taviani Brothers' Film Career
Starting in Film
Both brothers were born in San Miniato, a town in Tuscany, Italy. They first worked as journalists, writing for newspapers. In 1960, they started making films. Their first film was a documentary called L'Italia non è un paese povero (Italy is not a poor country). They made this film with another director, Joris Ivens.
After that, they directed two more films with a different director, Valentino Orsini. These were Un uomo da bruciare (A Man to Burn) in 1962 and I fuorilegge del matrimonio (Outlaws of Marriage) in 1963.
Early Independent Films
Their first film made only by them was I sovversivi (The Subversives) in 1967. This movie explored ideas that became popular a year later in 1968. They gained more attention with Sotto il segno dello scorpione (Under the Sign of Scorpio) in 1969, which starred actor Gian Maria Volonté.
In 1971, they made San Michele aveva un gallo, which was based on a novel by Leo Tolstoy. Critics really liked this film. Their 1974 film, Allonsanfan, featured Marcello Mastroianni as a former revolutionary. The story shows him looking back at his younger, more idealistic days.
Award-Winning Films
Their film Padre Padrone (1977) won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. This movie was based on a book by Gavino Ledda. It tells the story of a shepherd from Sardinia who fights against the strict rules of his family and society.
La notte di San Lorenzo (The Night of the Shooting Stars, 1982) tells a story about World War II. It shows a small event in Tuscany through the eyes of villagers, almost like a fairy tale. This film won a special award at Cannes.
In 1984, they made Kaos, which was a beautiful film with several short stories. It was based on the writings of Luigi Pirandello. Another film, Il sole anche di notte (1990), moved Leo Tolstoy's story Father Sergius to 18th-century Naples.
Later Works and Television
The Taviani brothers continued to make films like Le affinità elettive (1996), based on a book by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. They also tried to make films for a wider international audience, such as Good morning Babilonia (1987), which was about the early days of cinema.
In the 2000s, they successfully directed films and miniseries for television. These included Resurrection (2001), based on Leo Tolstoy's novel, and Luisa Sanfelice (2004), based on a book by Alexandre Dumas. They also made La masseria delle allodole (2007).
Their film Caesar Must Die won the Golden Bear at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in 2012. This film was also chosen to represent Italy at the Oscars.
Vittorio Taviani passed away in Rome on 15 April 2018, at the age of 88, after being ill for a long time. Paolo Taviani died in Rome on 29 February 2024, at the age of 92, after a short illness.
Filmography
As Directors
- San Miniato, luglio '44 (1954)
- L'Italia non è un paese povero (with Joris Ivens, 1960)
- A Man for Burning (with Valentino Orsini, 1962)
- Outlaws of Love (with Valentino Orsini, 1963)
- The Subversives (1967)
- Under the Sign of Scorpio (1969)
- St. Michael Had a Rooster (1972)
- Allonsanfàn (1974)
- Padre Padrone (1977)
- The Meadow (1979)
- The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982)
- Kaos (1984)
- Good Morning, Babylon (1987)
- The Sun Also Shines at Night (1990)
- Fiorile (1993)
- The Elective Affinities (1996)
- You Laugh (1998)
- Resurrection (TV film, 2001)
- La primavera del 2002 - L'Italia protesta, l'Italia si ferma (2002), made with many other directors
- Luisa Sanfelice (TV miniseries, 2004)
- The Lark Farm (2007)
- Caesar Must Die (2012)
- Wondrous Boccaccio (2015)
- Rainbow: A Private Affair (2017)
- Leonora addio (2022, directed only by Paolo Taviani)
As Screenwriters
- San Miniato, luglio '44 (with Valentino Orsini and Cesare Zavattini, 1954)
- A Man for Burning (with Valentino Orsini, 1962)
- Outlaws of Love (with Lucio Battistrada, Giuliani G. De Negri, Renato Niccolai and Valentino Orsini, 1963)
- The Subversives (1967)
- Under the Sign of Scorpio (1969)
- St. Michael Had a Rooster (based on a story by Leo Tolstoy, 1972)
- Allonsanfàn (1973)
- Padre padrone (based on a book by Gavino Ledda, 1977)
- The Meadow (with Gianni Sbarra, 1979)
- The Night of the Shooting Stars (with Giuliani G. De Negri and Tonino Guerra, 1982)
- Kaos (based on short stories by Luigi Pirandello, 1984)
- Good Morning, Babylon (with Tonino Guerra, 1987)
- The Sun Also Shines at Night (with Tonino Guerra, based on Father Sergius by Tolstoy, 1990)
- Fiorile (with Sandro Petraglia, 1993)
- The Elective Affinities (based on Elective Affinities by Goethe, 1996)
- You Laugh (based on short stories by Pirandello, 1998)
- Resurrection (based on Resurrection by Tolstoy, 2001)
- Luisa Sanfelice (based on La Sanfelice by Alexandre Dumas, père, 2004)
- Rainbow: A Private Affair (based on A Private Matter by Beppe Fenoglio, 2017)
Awards and Honors
- 1977: Palme d'or at Cannes Film Festival for Padre Padrone - Father and Master.
- 1977: Grand Prix for Padre Padrone - Father and Master, Berlin International Film Festival
- 1978: Special David di Donatello for Padre Padrone - Father and Master.
- 1982: Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival for The Night of the Shooting Stars.
- 1983: David di Donatello for Best Film and David di Donatello for Best Director for The Night of the Shooting Stars.
- 1984: Italian Golden Globes Golden Globe for Best Film for The Night of the Shooting Stars.
- 1985: Italian Golden Globes Golden Globe for Best Film for Kaos.
- 1985: David di Donatello for Best Script for Kaos.
- 1986: Leone d'Oro (Golden Lion) Life Career of the Venice International Film Festival.
- 2002: Golden St. George at the 24th Moscow International Film Festival for Resurrection
- 2005: Italian Golden Globes Career Prize
- 2007: Efebo d'oro for La Masseria delle Allodole.
- 2008: Laurea honoris causa in "Cinema, Theatre and Multimedia Production" by the Faculty of Literature and Philosophy of the University of Pisa.
- 2012: Golden Bear and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Berlin International Film Festival for Caesar Must Die.
- 2012: David di Donatello for Best Film and David di Donatello for Best Director for Caesar Must Die.
See also
In Spanish: Taviani (hermanos) para niños
