Tonino Guerra is a famous Italian poet, prose writer and screenwriter. Wrote film scripts for over 50 years, from 1956 until his death. He died on March 21, 2012 in the town of Santarcangelo di Romagna. He wrote literary works in the Emiliano-Romagnol dialect, as well as in Italian.
Early years
The screenwriter's full name is Antonio Guerra. He was born on March 16, 1920 in the city of Santarcangelo di Romagna in Italy, not far from Rimini. Here Tonino lived all his life. Tonino's parents raised eleven children.
After graduation, the guy entered the Pedagogical University in Urbino. During World War II, Guerra ended up in a Nazi concentration camp. Here the guy began to write his first works.
Writing Career
In 1953, Tonino began writing film scripts. Later, many of his scripts will be included in the gold fund of films not only in Italy, but throughout the world. He has written scripts for directors such as Giuseppe de Santis, the Taviani brothers, Mauro Bolognini, Damiano Damiani.
Director MichelangeloAntonioni shot famous paintings "Blowup", "Zabriskie Point", "Adventure", "Night", "Red Desert", "Eclipse" and others based on the scripts of Tonino Guerra. Quotes from these scripts, and later films, were printed in newspapers, instantly became popular and were used by viewers and film critics in everyday life.
The brilliant film director Federico Felini was Tonino's fellow countryman and close friend. Together they worked on the play "Amarcord", which after some time became a film. The next joint projects of Guerra and Fellini are "Ginger and Fred" and "And the ship is sailing …".
More Tonino Guerra film scripts brought to life by directors Francesco Rosi and Theo Angelopoulos.
Guerra wrote 109 screenplays over the years of his career.
Work in the USSR
According to Tonino's script, Andrei Tarkovsky also had a chance to make a film. The film "Nostalgia", which they worked on together, later served as the basis for the documentary film "Travel Time".
Tonino had many acquaintances in the USSR. He maintained friendly relations with famous filmmakers Georgy Danelia, Alexander Brunkovsky, Paola Volkova, Yuri Lyubimov and Bella Akhmadulina.
Director Vladimir Naumov filmed two prose works of the master - "Clock without hands" and "White holiday".
Soviet magazines often published interviews, excerpts from works and photos of Tonino Guerra.
In the second half of the 70s, the USSR Goskino invited Tonino anddirected by Michelangelo Antonioni for the joint filming of the children's science fiction film "Kite". They were going to shoot the film in Uzbekistan. Tonino and Michelangelo came to appreciate the landscapes, but as a result, for many reasons, the project remained unrealized.
The famous Russian animator Andrey Khrzhanovsky made an animated film "The Lion with a Gray Beard" based on the script of an Italian. The cartoon was shown at many famous festivals. "The Lion with a Gray Beard" was a resounding success with Western film critics and viewers, and received many prestigious awards.
In the wake of success, Guerra and Khrzhanovsky shot two more cartoons - "The Long Journey" based on drawings by Federico Fellini and "Lullaby for Cricket" - a cartoon dedicated to the 200th anniversary of A. S. Pushkin.
The poetic works of Tonino Guerra were translated into Russian by Bella Akhmadulina. Famous poetess.
The book "Seven notebooks of life"
Tonino Guerra published the book "Seven Notebooks of Life" in 2007. It included both poetry and prose. "Seven notebooks of life" - it's like seven parts of the world, seven directions for the natives of Australia. These directions are north, south, east, west, down, up, and inward.
The book includes the writer's diaries, his stories, poems, as well as the memories of Guerra's friends about him and his life.
Guerra is the author of the famous quote:
When the first leaf falls in autumn, it makes a deafening noise, becausethat a whole year falls with him…
The writer's style is not similar to European. His way of thinking is closer to Eastern culture. Tonino is often compared to Japanese writers and poets.
Awards
Tonino is the winner of many prestigious film awards. Among them are:
- In 1966 - Oscar nomination for the screenplay for the film "Casanova 70";
- In 1967 - Oscar nomination for the screenplay "Blow Up";
- In 1976 - Oscar nomination for "Amarcord";
- In 1984 - the award of the Cannes Film Festival for "Journey to Kythera";
- In 1989 - nominated for the European Academy Award for "Landscape in the Fog";
- In 1994 - Pietro Bianci Award at the Venice Film Festival;
- In 1995 - the MIFF Silver St. George award for his contribution to cinema.
Private life
In the 70s, Tonino married a girl from the Soviet Union named Eleonora Yablochkina. The marriage was registered in Moscow. The screenwriter gave his wife a birdcage, and Eleanor began to put notes in it with phrases in Italian. One of these phrases translated into Russian meant “If you have a mountain of snow, then keep it in the shade.”
Guerra tried never to be banal, and this helped him maintain a warm relationship with his wife for many years.
He gave Laura two cars, but the woman never learned to drive well, so she wrecked both. Another chic gift that Tonino made to his wife is a house in the city of Pennabilli. Guerra often dedicated poems to Eleanor.
Having succeededin life and a little tired of cinema, in his hometown of Santarcangelo di Romagna, Tonino opened a restaurant, on the walls of which he hung his own drawings. Guerra also attached ceramic plates with quotes and aphorisms to the walls of houses, which he had been collecting for many years.
Death
The screenwriter died on March 21, 2012 in Santarcangelo di Romagna at the age of 92. His ashes were immured in an urn in the wall of the fortress of the Duke of Malates in the city of Pennabilli.
