Silvio Narizzano

Narizzano was born in Montreal, Quebec to Italian American parents^[1][2] and was educated at Bishop's University. After graduation, he worked at the Mountain Playhouse in Montreal, and before joining the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as an assistant to Norman Jewison, Arthur Hiller and Ted Kotcheff.^[1] During this time, he directed a documentary about Tyrone Guthrie.

Narizzano's cinematic influences included Richard Lester, Tony Richardson, John Schlesinger, and the French New Wave.^[1]

Narizzano was a director on the CBC programmes Tales of Adventure and General Motors Theatre. In the mid-1950s, he and many other Canadian creatives (including Jewison and Kotcheff) moved to the United Kingdom at the recommendation of Sydney Newman, the former CBC chief-turned-head of drama for ITV.^[1] Narizzano directed episodes of ITV Play of the Week and ITV Television Playhouse. He also directed the West End plays Breakfast for One (1961, Arts Theatre) and License to Murder (1963, Vaudeville Theatre).^[3]

He directed The Glass Menagerie for Granada TV (1963), and the made-for-television films Staying On (1980, adapted from Paul Scott's novel of the same name), Young Shoulders for BBC's Play for Today (1985) from John Wain's novel, and The Body in the Library (1984, adapted from the Agatha Christie murder mystery).^[1] His Come Back, Little Sheba (1977), a television version of the play by William Inge, was broadcast as part of the anthology series Laurence Olivier Presents.^[1] In 1966, he won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama Series.

In 1990, Narizzano directed a pilot for a British detective series: Inspector Alleyn Mysteries based on the novels by Dame Ngaio Marsh written in the 1930s. The pilot, titled "Artists in Crime", was first aired 23 December 1990 on BBC1.

His last directing credit was a 1995 episode of Space Precinct.

He made his film directorial debut in 1965, with Hammer Horror's Fanatic (1965),^[1] starring Tallulah Bankhead (in her final film), Stefanie Powers, and an early role for Donald Sutherland.

Narizzano's most successful film was the comedy-drama Georgy Girl (1966),^[1] 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.^[1]

In 1968, he directed his only Hollywood film Blue, a Western starring Terence Stamp and Karl Malden. He followed this with Loot, the 1970 film of Joe Orton's play of the same name, which was entered into the 1971 Cannes Film Festival. He then directed Redneck (1973); a British-Italian crime thriller starring Franco Nero and Telly Savalas, and The Sky Is Falling (1975); an off-beat Spanish folk horror film with Dennis Hopper and Carroll Baker.

His other work included the comedy-drama Why Shoot the Teacher? (1977), his only film made in his native Canada; and Demi Moore's debut film Choices (1981).

Narizzano was bisexual and was in a longtime relationship with screenwriter Win Wells.^[1]

From the 1960s, Narizzano divided his time between London and Mojácar, Spain.^[1] He suffered from recurring depression in adulthood, which worsened in the 1980s following the death of Wells in 1983.^[1]

Toward the end of his life, Narizzano was referred to a psychiatric unit which was part of a voluntary inpatient facility for complex depression and anxiety which provided practical and emotional support as part of St. Pancras Hospital.^[1]

Narizzano died in London on July 26, 2011, aged 84.^[1]