Director best known for Georgy Girl, a romantic comedy set in 60s London
The film and TV director Silvio Narizzano, who has died aged 84, handled several genres throughout his career, including black comedies, period pieces, social dramas, action thrillers and horror movies. But one picture, his swinging London romantic comedy Georgy Girl (1966), stands out from the rest of his eclectic filmography.
Georgy Girl was part of the trend in which British cinema shifted the focus from provincial life and back to the metropolis, celebrating new freedoms and social possibilities. Narizzano, influenced by the French New Wave and his chic contemporaries Richard Lester, John Schlesinger and Tony Richardson, explored such "shocking" subjects as abortion, illegitimacy, adultery and sexual promiscuity with a light touch. The film, which took its cue from the jaunty title song by the Seekers, had superb performances from Lynn Redgrave as the virginal and plain Georgina; Charlotte Rampling...
The film and TV director Silvio Narizzano, who has died aged 84, handled several genres throughout his career, including black comedies, period pieces, social dramas, action thrillers and horror movies. But one picture, his swinging London romantic comedy Georgy Girl (1966), stands out from the rest of his eclectic filmography.
Georgy Girl was part of the trend in which British cinema shifted the focus from provincial life and back to the metropolis, celebrating new freedoms and social possibilities. Narizzano, influenced by the French New Wave and his chic contemporaries Richard Lester, John Schlesinger and Tony Richardson, explored such "shocking" subjects as abortion, illegitimacy, adultery and sexual promiscuity with a light touch. The film, which took its cue from the jaunty title song by the Seekers, had superb performances from Lynn Redgrave as the virginal and plain Georgina; Charlotte Rampling...
- 7/29/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Silvio Narizzano, best known for the 1966 swinging London comedy-drama Georgy Girl, died July 26. Narizzano was 84. Based on Margaret Forster's novel, and starring Lynn Redgrave, Alan Bates, James Mason, and Charlotte Rampling, Georgy Girl was considered daring at the time because its plot included sex (of the non-marital kind), abortion, and adultery. For her performance as the homely, ungainly Georgy, Lynn Redgrave was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award and for a BAFTA in the Best British Actress category. Additionally, she shared the New York Film Critics Circle's Best Actress Award with (eventual Oscar winner) Elizabeth Taylor (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?). Narizzano, for his part, was nominated by the Directors Guild of America. Born in Montreal (Feb. 8, 1927) to an Italian-American family, Narizzano began his show business career on the Canadian stage and television. He later moved to the United Kingdom, where he worked on British TV. Narizzano's first...
- 7/28/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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