Friday, March 27, 2026

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Mario De Vico

[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]

Mario De Vico was an Italian character actor. He was born in Italy 1914. He’s the brother of actor singers Antonio De Vico and Pietro De Vico and together they formed the singing trio known as the “Trio De Vico”.

The least known of the brothers he appeared in only eight films between 1958 to 1981. He also worked in fotonovelas.

Marios died in Rome in 1985 at the age of 71.

Mario De Vico’s only Spaghetti western appearance was in 1968’s “T’ammazzo…raccomandati a Dio” (Dead for a Dollar) as the Indian.

De VICO, Mario [1914, Italy – 1985 Rome, Lazio, Italy] – fotonovela, film actor, brother of actor Antonio De Vico [1903-1972], actor Pietro De Vico [1911-1999], member of the “Trio De Vico”.

Dead for a Dollar – 1968 (Indian)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Robert Ruiz Cespedes

Robert Ruiz Cespedes was born in Santander, Cantabria, Spain in June of 1987. Roberto is a novelist, screenwriter and director. He has a diploma in Film Direction from the KINEMA film school in Bilbao (first of his class and awarded with the final year project in 2008-2011). Master’s Degree in Screenwriting for Film and TV from the TAI school in Madrid (Remarkable High, 2011-2012). He has worked on 30 projects in the directing and producing department.

Roberto has written and directed 20 short films, two experimental feature films and one feature film (2021). His first commercial film is “Stoyan”, a psychological horror thriller. Roberto has published three novels. The latest Marma Rabbit Boy (2020), published by the Editorial Amarante. The first Los Jimenez como Quieren (2017) and the second Mero Firamento (2018), both published by Ediciones Camelot.

Roberto has written 20 feature films, miniseries and series on projects, in the development phase.

Cespedes directed three Spaghetti westerns: “Toma ParteR” in 2007, “Negativa” in 2008 and “La armónica y el cielo” 2010 [as Roberto Ruiz]

CESPEDES. Robert Ruiz (Roberto Ruiz Céspedes) [6/?/1987, -     ] – producer, director, assistant director, novelist, writer.

Toma ParteR – 2007

Negativa – 2008

La armónica y el cielo – 2010 [as Roberto Ruiz]


Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Adriano Bolzoni

Adriano Bolzoni was an Italian screenwriter and journalist known for his extensive contributions to 1960s and 1970s Italian genre cinema, particularly Spaghetti Westerns and poliziotteschi films. Born on April 14, 1919, in Cremona, Lombardy, he began his career as a war correspondent during World War II and later worked in various journalistic roles, including as director of the weekly magazine Reporter in the late 1950s.

He transitioned to screenwriting in the early 1960s and gained prominence for co-writing the screenplay of Sergio Leone's landmark Spaghetti Western “A Fistful of Dollars” (1964), which helped define the genre. Bolzoni went on to pen scripts for numerous popular films, including the political Western “The Mercenary” (1968), the giallo “Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key” (1972), and several entries in the long-running Flatfoot police comedy series starring Bud Spencer, such as “Flatfoot in Egypt” (1980). He occasionally directed films, among them “The Fourth Wall” (1969) and “The Incredible Challenge” (1970).

Adriano was an active contributor to the spaghetti western genre throughout the 1960s and into the late 1970s. Bolzoni frequently worked with director Sergio Corbucci, beginning with “Minnesota Clay” (1964), where he supplied the story and co-wrote the screenplay with Corbucci. He continued his contributions with the story and screenplay (credited as A. Bolzoni) for “Johnny Oro” (also known as Ringo and His Golden Pistol, 1966). In 1967, he handled the screenplay and dialogue for “Requiescant”. His collaboration with Corbucci extended to The “Mercenary” (1968), where he contributed to the screenplay and dialogue. Later in the genre's evolution, Bolzoni wrote both the story and screenplay for “Silver Saddle” (1978). His work often appeared under variations of his name or pseudonyms, reflecting common practices in Italian genre cinema of the era. These credits highlight his role in shaping narratives central to spaghetti westerns, though he was typically one of several writers on collaborative projects.

His work extended into later decades with credits on television miniseries and international co-productions, including “Christopher Columbus” (1985) and “Beyond Justice” (1991). Bolzoni died in 2005. He was 86.

“Io sono il capataz” (The Return of Pancho Villa) with Marcello Marchesi and Vittorio Metz in 1950, “Per un pugno di dollari” (A Fistful of Dollars) with Victor A. Catena, Fernando di Leo, Jaime Comas, Duccio Tessari, and Tonino Valerii and “Minnesota Clay” both I 1964, “Que viva Carrancho!” (The Man from Canyon City) in 1965, “Il mio nome è Pecos” (My Name is Pecos) with Maurizio Lucidi, “Johnny Oro” (Ringo and His Golden Pistol) with Franco Rossetti and “Ringo del Nebraska” (Savage Gringo) with Jesús Navarro Carrión, Antonio Román all in 1966,

“Con lui cavalca la morte” (Death Rides Along) Augusto Caminito and Fernando di Leo, “Requiescant” (Kill and Pray) with Lucio Battistrada, Armando Crispino, “Pecos è qui: prega e muori” (Pecos Cleans Up) with Augusto Caminito, Ferdnando di Leo all in 1967, “Un buco in fronte” (A Hole in the Forehead) and “Il mercenario” (The Mercenary) with Sergio Corbucci, Sergio Spina and Luciano Vincenzoni both in 1968, “Prega il morto e ammazza il vio” (Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead) in 1970, “Il 13 e’sempre Giuda” (The Last Traitor) in 1971, “Alleluia e Sartana, figli di… Dio!” (Alleluia and Sartana, Sons of God), J. and S. – storia criminale del far west (Sonny & Jed), “Così Sia” (They Called HimAmen) with Alfio Caltabiano, “Trinità e Sartana figli di...” (Trinity & Sartana Those Sons of Bitches) all in 1972 and “Sella d’argento” (Silver Saddle) in 1978.

BOLZONI, Adriano (aka Bolzoni A. Bolzoni, A. Bonzzoni, William McCahon, Robert McMahon, Marc Saltzer) [4/14/1919, Cremona, Lombardy, Italy – 2005, Cremona, Lombardy, Italy] – director, writer.

The Return of Pancho Villa – 1950 (co)

A Fistful of Dollars – 1964 (co) [as A. Bolzoni]

Minnesota Clay – 1964 (co)

The Man from Canyon City – 1965

My Name is Pecos – 1966 (co)

Ringo and His Golden Pistol – 1966 (co) [as A. Bolzoni]

Savage Gringo – 1966 (co)

Death Rides Along – 1967 (co)

Kill and Pray – 1967 (co)

Pecos Cleans Up – 1967 (co)

A Hole in the Forehead – 1968

The Mercenary – 1968 (co)

Shoot the Living and Pray for the Dead – 1970 [as Marc Saltzer]

The Last Traitor - 1971

Alleluia and Sartana, Sons of God – 1972

Sonny & Jed – 1972 (co)

They Call Me Amen – 1972 (co)

They Still Called Him Amen – 1972 (co)

Trinity & Sartana Those Sons of Bitches – 1972

Silver Saddle – 1978


Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Carlos De Miguel

Carlos De Miguel is a Spanish cinematographer. He’s worked as a cinematographer on thirty-three films and television series beginning in 2009.

De Miguel has been the cinematographer on two Euro-westerns: “Dust and Bullets” in 2012 and “Sauerdogs” in 2022.

De MIGUEL, Carlos (aka Carlos de Miguel Moreno, Carlos Jose de Miguel) [Spanish] – cinematographer, cameraman, film editor.

Dust and Bullets – 2012

Sauerdogs – 2022


Lucky Luke series review: Disney+ rides into the sunset – Unfortunately without a plan

Our verdict: Dusty, dirty, indecisive – Why the new live-action series lacks the charm of comics

Kino Fans

March 26, 2026


The Western series "Lucky Luke" started on Disney+ on March 23. Here's our review of the series. 

A tribute to Morris and Goscinny can be read at the beginning of the new live-action series LUCKY LUKE. This is probably meant to refute any criticism, because the series doesn't even bother to adapt a few of the original comic book stories, but does its own thing, although you can never say for sure whether the show is supposed to be serious or humorous – in the end, it's none of those things.

Lucky Luke: Plot – Snake Bites and Memory Loss

Lucky Luke is supposed to face a duel, but his problem is that a snake has bitten him in the hand. He can no longer pull so fast, but receives help from a girl who in turn needs his help. Because it is looking for its mother, whom Luke knew a long time ago.

However, the search is anything but easy. Joe Dalton's help is also needed, but he suffers from amnesia. And then there is Billy the Kid, who is now an adult and is no longer recognized by anyone ...

Lucky Luke: A Critique – A Multiverse Experiment That Fails

This vest is dirty, Luke is too. You might think you're in an Italo Western, which fits, it was also shot in Almeria, Spain, where many European Westerns were made. There is also blood and so the feeling arises that this probably wants to be a serious version of Lucky Luke. But then there is puns again, which sometimes work more, sometimes less, and interludes that go in the direction of slapstick. In the end, you never know exactly what this series actually wants to be, and it seems as if it doesn't know that either.

Yes, elements of the comics are there, but in view of the unoriginal story, you have to ask yourself why the creators didn't just adapt a few of the comic classics. That could have been appealing, but above all funny, and in a multi-layered way.

As it is, however, the series presents itself as a kind of multiverse version of LUCKY LUKE. What happens when people are at work who try to reinvent the formula by hook or by crook. Basically, the new series does wrong what the other live-action versions didn't get wrong either – to do justice to the comic original.


 Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8_ipfMNVO4

New German Blur-ray, DVD "Das Gesetz der Zwei"

 








"Das Gesetz der Zwei"

(Two Violent Men)

(1964)

 

Director: Primo Zeglio

Starring: Alan Scott, Susy Andersen, George Martin

 

Country: Germany

Label: HanseSound / Lighthouse

Region: B

Also as DVD/BluRay Mediabook and DVD only release

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Languages: German, English

Running time: 99 minutes

ASIN: ‎B0GFDTC7Q6

Available: March 27, 2026

Clint Eastwood's trip to Spain that changed his career: the filming in Madrid where a film legend was born

Clint Eastwood's trip to Spain that changed his career began as a risky bet for an actor still little known in Hollywood. At the beginning of the sixties, the film industry was undergoing a transformation and several European directors were looking for new faces capable of redefining the western genre.

That context led a young American actor to travel to Madrid to participate in a shoot that seemed modest, but that would end up becoming a cinematic milestone. Clint Eastwood's trip to Spain that changed his career would mark the birth of a visual and narrative style that forever transformed western cinema.

ECD (El Confidencial Digital)

By Andrea Ortega Rubio

March 14, 2026

The filming in Madrid where a myth was born

A large part of the film was shot in the Community of Madrid, especially in the municipality of Hoyo de Manzanares. One of the first permanent western settlements in Europe, known as Golden City, was built there. This set served to recreate the fictitious town of San Miguel, the central setting of the story.

The natural environment of the area was key to the visual realism of the film. The rock formations, the extensive pastures and the dry vegetation offered an aesthetic very close to the landscapes of the southern United States.

Key locations of the filming in the Community of Madrid

Various Madrid enclaves participated in the filming of the film and the subsequent productions of the trilogy.

Hoyo de Manzanares, where the Golden City town was built

The Casa de Campo in Madrid, used for several exterior scenes

The Toledo pavilion of the old Feria del Campo

The Alberche River in Aldea del Fresno, which represented the Rio Grande

La Pedriza in Manzanares el Real, with its granite landscapes

These scenarios made it possible to create a compelling cinematic universe without the need to shoot in the United States. The combination of natural landscapes and built sets transformed the region into a benchmark for Western European productions.

The trilogy that transformed the western

The success of the first film exceeded all expectations. The story of a mysterious nameless gunslinger played by Eastwood connected with international audiences thanks to its grittier tone, minimalist narrative and iconic music composed by Ennio Morricone.

After the initial impact, Leone decided to continue with two new films that consolidated the cinematic phenomenon.

The three films that marked the genre

Movie                                             Year                Director

For a Fistful of Dollars                  1964               Sergio Leone

For a Few Dollars More                 1965               Sergio Leone

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly   1966               Sergio Leone

The two sequels also took advantage of Spanish settings, both in Madrid and in other regions of the country. The Dehesa de Navalvillar, in Colmenar Viejo, was one of the most used locations, where new sets were built to recreate towns in the west.

La Pedriza, on the other hand, provided a unique aesthetic thanks to its enormous granite blocks and its abrupt landscape. These locations became a visual trademark of the so-called Eurowestern, also known as spaghetti western.

More than 200 westerns filmed in the Madrid region

The success of these films drove an unprecedented cinematographic phenomenon in Spain. According to data collected by the Far West Territory guide of the Community of Madrid, more than 500 westerns were shot in Europe during the second half of the twentieth century.

Of that total, more than 200 productions used Madrid sets, which made the region one of the main centers of the European western. The first film of the genre shot in the area dates back to 1941, but it was Leone’s trilogy that definitively consolidated the phenomenon.

The economic impact was also notable. Film productions generated local employment, promoted the construction of permanent sets and attracted international crews who found in Spain an ideal place to shoot.

How filming in Spain launched Clint Eastwood to stardom

Prior to participating in these films, Eastwood was primarily known for his role in the television series Rawhide. His leap into European cinema was a professional risk that ended up redefining his career.

The interpretation of the silent gunslinger, with poncho, cigar and penetrating gaze, became one of the most influential characters in modern cinema. The actor's minimalist style fit perfectly with Leone's direction and Morricone's music.

The international success of the trilogy opened the doors of Hollywood for Eastwood as the protagonist of major productions. Decades later, the actor would also consolidate his legacy as a director, winning four Oscars.

More than sixty years later, Clint Eastwood's career-changing trip to Spain remains one of the most influential episodes in film history. What began as a modest shoot in the landscapes of Madrid ended up becoming the starting point of a cinematographic legend that forever transformed the western.


Special Birthdays

Gustave Hamilton (actor) would have been 155 today but died in 1951.









Chip Corman (Andrea Giordana) (actor) is 80 today.



Thursday, March 26, 2026

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Antonio Devi

[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.] 

Antonio Devi is/was an Italian character actor. He appeared only ten films and television appearances between 1963 and 1965. After his last appearance he disappeared. I can find no biographical information on him.

Antonio Devi appeared in one Spaghetti western, “Lo sceriffo non spara” (The Sheriff Won’t Shoot) in 1965 as one of Allan’s henchmen.

DEVI, Antonio (aka Anthony Devy) [Italian] – film, TV actor.

The Sheriff Won’t Shoot – 1965 (an Allan henchman)