Ennio Guarnieri

Ennio Guarnieri is an Italian cinematographer. He has been regular contributor to the films of Mauro Bolognini and Franco Zeffirelli, and has worked on many occasions with Vittorio De Sica, Marco Ferreri and Lina Wertmüller. Born in Rome, Guarnieri abandoned his studies and worked as an assistant cinematographer of Anchise Brizzi from 1949 to 1956. He debuted as director of photography in 1962 with I giorni contati by Elio Petri. In the late sixties, for his ability to portray actresses, Guarnieri became trusted cinemtographer for stars such as Virna Lisi, Sylva Koscina and Tina Aumont, for which he made extensive use of soft focus, backlight and scrims. His work in Mauro Bolognini's L'assoluto naturale, starring Sylva Koscina, was referred as "one of the cornerstones of Italian photography in the sixties". For his work in Vittorio De Sica's The Garden of the Finzi-Continis he was nominated to BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography. The first collaboration with Franco Zeffirelli, Brother Sun, Sister Moon, earned him his first Silver Ribbon for best cinematography; he was awarded with a second Silver Ribbon ten years later again with a film directed by Zeffirelli, La traviata.