(ANSAmed) - Santarcangelo di Romagna - Legendary
Italian screenwriter Tonino Guerra died in his Apennine home
town Wednesday a few days after turning 92, his family said.
Guerra started writing in a WWII prison camp and had a
cupboardful of awards for his work with greats like Federico
Fellini, a close friend, Michelangelo Antonioni and Theo
Angelopoulos.
Other friends and collaborators included directors Francesco
Rosi and the Taviani brothers.
Long after making his name with his classic screenplays, in
his 80s Guerra became a familiar face in Italian households with
a string of TV ads for a retail electronics chain ending with a
trademark appeal for "optimism", running from 2000 to 2002.
In 2003 Guerra received Italy's highest civilian honour,
becoming a Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell'Ordine al Merito della
Repubblica Italiana.
He was also honoured by Wim Wenders' European Film
Academy and Italy's prestigious Vittorio De Sica Foundation.
The screenwriter first broke through as a poet thanks to
famous writer Elio Vittorini before meeting fellow Romagna
native Antonioni.
Guerra ended his career with Antonioni's last film Eros;
Angelopoulos's last, The Weeping Meadow; The Chimp, a wry look
at sex, alcohol and conscription in Kirghizstan; and a Chilean
anti-colonial movie, Tierra del Fuego.
He is survived by wife Lora and son, movie and TV composer
Andrea Guerra.
Andrea Guerra wrote the soundtrack for the Oscar-nominated
Hotel Rwanda and a string of hits by Turkish-Italian director
Ferzan Ozpetek before the Will Smith film The Pursuit of
Happyness and Rob Marshall's musical Nine. (ANSAmed).
