SCRIPTWRITER PIRRO DIES
Italian screenwriter UGO PIRRO has died. He was 87.
He passed away on Friday (18Jan08) in his apartment in Rome, Italy, according to city officials.
Pirro was best known for his work on Oscar-winning films Indagine Su Un Cittadino al Di Sopra Di Ogni Sospetto (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion) and Giardino dei Finzi-Contini (The Garden of the Finzi-Continis) both of which picked up the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1971 and 1972, respectively.
He was also nominated twice more for his scriptwriting.
Pirro enjoyed a career spanning over four decades and has worked with the likes of directors Lina Wertmuller and Elio Petri, and actor Gian Maria Volonte.
He is also recognised for his film adaptations of the Mafia novels of Sicilian writer Leonardo Sciascia.
Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni led the tributes to Pirro, saying the city had lost "one of the greatest screenwriters in the history of cinema". Veltroni, a former movie critic, also praised Pirro’s "extraordinary talent", "fantasy" and ability to translate modern society into works of art onscreen.
Pirro’s body will lie in state at the Casa del Cinema film institute on Saturday (19Jan08).
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
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