Silvio Narizzano


Silvio Narizzano was a Canadian film and television director who worked primarily in the United Kingdom. His directorial credits included the critically acclaimed films Georgy Girl and Loot, which brought Narizzano several accolades, and television dramas like ITV Play of the Week, Zero One, Court Martial, Come Back, Little Sheba, Staying On, and The Body in the Library. He was nominated for four BAFTA Awards, winning once for Best Drama Series.

Life and career

Born in Montreal to a family of Italian background, Narizzano was educated at Bishop's University, Quebec. His cinematic influences included Richard Lester, Tony Richardson, John Schlesinger, and the French New Wave. He initially worked for the Mountain Playhouse in Montreal and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He then emigrated to the United Kingdom, where he directed various TV series and his first film, Hammer Horror's Fanatic. Narizzano's most successful film was Georgy Girl, which received four Academy Award nominations as well as a BAFTA nomination for Best British Film, and was entered into the 16th Berlin International Film Festival.
His other work included "The Glass Menagerie" for Granada TV, Loot, the 1970 film of Joe Orton's play of the same name, the comedy-drama Why Shoot the Teacher?, Demi Moore's debut film Choices, and the made-for-television films Staying On, "Young Shoulders" 1984 Play for Today for BBC from John Wain's novel and The Body in the Library. His Come Back, Little Sheba, a TV version of the play by William Inge, was broadcast as part of the anthology series Laurence Olivier Presents.
From the 1960s, Narizzano divided his time between London and Mojácar, Spain. He suffered from recurring depression in adulthood, which worsened in the 1980s following the death of a long-term friend and collaborator, the scriptwriter Win Wells.

Filmography

Film

Television