Ennio Guarnieri (12 October 1930 – 1 July 2019)^[1] was an Italian cinematographer.

He was a frequent contributor to the films of Mauro Bolognini and Franco Zeffirelli, and worked on many occasions with Vittorio De Sica, Marco Ferreri and Lina Wertmüller.^[2]

Early life

Born in Rome, Guarnieri abandoned his studies and worked as an assistant cinematographer to Anchise Brizzi from 1949 to 1956.^[2] 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 a trusted cinematographer for stars such as Virna Lisi, Sylva Koscina and Tina Aumont, for which he made extensive use of soft focus, backlight and scrims.^[2] His work in Mauro Bolognini's L'assoluto naturale (1969), starring Sylva Koscina, has been referred to as "one of the cornerstones of Italian photography in the sixties".^[2]

For his work in Vittorio De Sica's The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970) he was nominated to BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography.

Guarnieri's first collaboration with Franco Zeffirelli, Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972), 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.^[3]

From the 1980s onward Guarnieri focused on television and advertising.^[2]

Partial filmography