Spaghetti Western Trivia – “Yojimbo”, “Fistful of Dollars “ Leading Ladies

 Both 'Marisol' actresses Japanese and German are still alive and are 'Leos'

Yôko Tsukasa (August 20, 1934) 92 this year.

Marianne Koch (august 19, 1931) 95 this year.

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Rita di Lernia

[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.]

Italian stage, film, TV and voice actress Rita di Lernia was born Maria Rita Bresadola de Lernia on April 28, 1943, in Riccione, Rimini, Italy she graduated from the National Academy of Dramatic Art in Rome in 1962 and immediately started her acting career in the theatrical field, working over the years with the Stabili theaters of Genoa, Turin and Milan and for television. As a film actress she began her career in 1966 and retired in 2002. She had been part of the cast of a dozen films with important roles, including “The Monster” alongside Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi and in “Ciao nì!”, in the part of Renato Zero's mother. As a voice actress she lent her voice to Marie Laforêt in “The Miser” and to Fanny Ardant in Claude Lelouch's film “Bolero”. She was director of the Teatro 23 School together with Lorenza Biella and Riccardo Cavallo; in the same school she was a teacher of vocal and speech education, and had among her students Monica Bellucci, Claudia Koll and Neri Marcorè. She retired in 2015, after being stricken with Alzheimer's disease. Rita was married to voice actor Pietro Biondi. Rita died in Spoleto, Umbria, Italy on November 5, 2025 at the age of 82.

Rita di Lernia appeared in only one Spaghetti western as Isabel McDonald in 1974’s “La pazienza ha un limite… noi no!” (Patience has a Limit, We Don’t).

di LERNIA, Rita (Maria Rita Bresadola de Lernia) [4/28/1943, Riccione, Rimini, Italy –

11/5/2025, Spoleto, Umbria, Italy (Alzheimer's)] – theater, film, TV voice actress, married to actor and voice actor Pietro Biondi [1939-    ] (19??-2025).

Patience has a Limit, We Don’t – 1974 (Isabel McDonald)

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ José Antonio de la Loma

José Antonio de la Loma Hernández was born on March 4, 1924, in Barcelona, Spain. He was the son of a military father and while attending college became interested in writing for the cinema. In the meantime, to earn a living he dedicated his life to teaching and was a schoolteacher in Barcelona during the 1940s. His cinema debut was in 1953 with his screen adaptation of “La hija del mar” directed by Àngel Guimerà.

José later became one of the most recognized screenwriters of the Spaghetti Western genre in the 1960s with over a dozen screenplays. José then entered into writing screenplays with social criticism in the 1970s for movies called quinquies films. These films concerned themselves with the life and death of juveniles living in the slums of the larger cities in Spain brought about by emigration in the 1960s and 1970s. He was also an author and wrote several novels during his lifetime. De la Loma died in Barcelona, Spain on April 7, 2004.

José Antonio de la Loma directed two Spaghetti western: “Perché uccidi ancora” (Why Kill Again?) with Eduardo Mulargia in 1965 and “El más fabuloso golpe del Far West” (The Boldest Job in the West) in 1971.

de la LOMA, José Antonio (aka José Antonio, José Antonio De La Loma, Antonio Della Loma, D.J. Anthony Loma, J. Anthony Loma, José Antonio de Loma, Jose A. de la Loma, Jose Anto. de la Loma, Jose Antonio de la Loma, Jose Antº. de la Loma) (José Antonio de la Loma Hernández) [3/4/1924, Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain – 4/6/2004, Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain] – producer, production manager, director, writer, songwriter,

Why Kill Again? – 1965 (co)

The Boldest Job in the West – 1971[as José Antonio]

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ G. L. Buzzi

G.L. Buzzi’s full name was Gian Luigi Buzzi. He is/was an Italian writer. Basically that is all that I can find on the man as no biographical information is available.

G.L. Buzzi co-wrote the screenplay for one Spaghetti western, “I giorni della violenza” (Days of Vengeance) with Mario Amendola, Antonio Boccacci, Paol Lombardo in 1967.

BUZZI, G.L. (Gian Luigi Buzzi) [Italian] – writer.

Days of Vengeance – 1967 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Amerigo Gengarelli

Amerigo Gengarelli was born on October 30, 1920. He is an Italian cinematographer known for his work on mid-20th-century Italian films, particularly in the sword-and-sandal peplum genre and Spaghetti westerns during the 1960s. Active primarily from the 1950s through the early 1970s, Gengarelli served as director of photography on a variety of productions, including large-scale historical action films and lower-budget genre pictures. His credits include “I Tartari” (1961), “Orazi e Curiazi” (1961), “Taras Bulba il cosacco” (1962), “L’affondamento della Valiant” (1962), “Con lui cavalca la morte” (1967), “Un buco in fronte” (1968), and “Mademoiselle de Sade e i suoi vizi” (1972), reflecting collaborations with directors such as Ferdinando Baldi and Giuseppe Vari across peplum epics, westerns, crime stories, and later exploitation films. According to IMDb, he is credited with 14 titles as cinematographer and 17 as cameraman and electrical department. His contributions helped shape the visual style of popular Italian commercial cinema during a prolific era for genre filmmaking, though detailed biographical information about his early life or personal background remains limited in available sources.

Gengarelli would be over 100 years old if still living. No obituaries, tributes, awards, or posthumous recognitions appear in connection with his name, reflecting his relative obscurity in broader film history despite contributions to Italian genre cinema.

Amerigo Gengarelli was a cinematographer on three Spaghetti westerns: “Jim il primo” (The Last Gun) with Romolo Garrone in 1964, “Con lui cavalca la morte” (Death Rides Along) in 1967 and “Un buco in fronte” (A Hole in the Forehead) in 1968

GENGARELLI, Amerigo (aka Amerigo 'Ghigo' Gengarelli, Ghigo Gengarelli) [10/30/1920, Rome, Lazio, Italy - ?] – cinematographer, cameraman.

The Last Gun - 1964 (co)

Death Rides Along - 1967

A Hole in the Forehead – 1968

Spanish western film sets: “Rancho Gringo”

 

The construction of “Rancho Gringo” was made entirely of wood with a stone fireplace at the base and then mud., with an old and disheveled appearance, it was almost always accompanied by a stable and corral.

The set was first erected for the film “Welcome, Padre Murray” in 1963 where it only had one building, as can be seen in “Tres hombre buenos” (Implacable Three) with Geoffrey Horne.

For the film “El Gringo” (Gunfight at Red Sands) with Richard Harrison in 1963 one more building wit a stone fireplace was added.

In the film “El hombre del valle maldito” (The Man of the Cursed Valley) with Ty Hardin from 1964, the house was set on fire and only the porch was scorched.

You can also see it in “La tumba del pistolero” (Grave of a Gunman) from 1964 that the porch is still singed. 

The entire building was burned in 1964’s “Brandy” with Alex Nicol.

The ranch was rebuilt with a much simpler design in 1964 for (Bullets Don’t Argue) with Rod Cameron. It was also the sets last appearance as it was burned to the ground in the film the stable was also burned. 

Little Known Spaghetti Western actors ~ Serafina Di Leo

[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.]

Serafina Di Leo was a very successful opera singer during the 1930s and 1940s, both in her native America and in Europe. She had a strong, vibrant soprano voice, ideal for many of Verdi's heroines and also for those of other 19th- and 20th-century Italian and French composers. In addition, she was an excellent actress, and after she stopped singing in the 1950s, she appeared in several films, including “The Singer Not the Song” (1961), starring John Mills and Dirk Bogarde.

Born On May 7,1912 in New York City, Serafina was the daughter of first-generation Sicilian immigrants. At the age of 16 she knocked on the door of the Manhattan apartment of Giovanni Martinelli to ask for a ticket to the Metropolitan Opera for “La Juive”, in which the tenor was appearing. The door was answered by the singer's wife, who asked her why she was so keen to hear the opera; Serafina answered that one day she would be singing in it herself. Intrigued, Signora Martinelli asked the girl to sing and was very impressed by her voice. She arranged for various rich, opera-loving patrons of her acquaintance to pay for Serafina to study in Italy.

Di Leo stayed in Italy for nearly three years, and in 1930 made her début as Leonora in Verdi's “Il trovatore at La Scala”, in Milan. There she was heard by the director of the Chicago Civic Opera, who engaged her to sing Leonora the following year. Her American début took place in November 1931 and according to Time magazine, the 19-year-old soprano woke up the next morning famous and with a five-year contract with the Civic Opera.

This contract did not materialize, however, for in 1932 Di Leo, after singing Leonora in Boston, returned to Italy, which remained her base until the end of the Second World War.

In 1960, the year that Di Leo appeared as Jasefa in “The Singer Not the Song”, she also took the part of Senora Zumara in the Hammer horror film “The Curse of the Werewolf” (which is set in Spain), directed by Terence Fisher and starring Oliver Reed.

Serafina Di Leo died in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England on October 23, 2007.

As mentioned above Serafina’s only Euro-western was a Jasefa in 1961’s “The Singer Not the Song”.

Di LEO, Serafina (Rafi Serafio di Leo) [5/7/1912, New York City, New York, U.S.A. – 10/23/2007, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England, U.K.] – film, TV actress, opera singer, married to Major Adrian Fitzpatrick Cooke [1915-1957] (1945-1957) mother of Rosalind Margreth di Leo Fitzpatrick Cooke [1946-     ].

The Singer Not the Song – 1961 (Jasefa)

 

Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Directors ~ Marco de Gastyne

Marco de Gastyne was born Marc Henri Benoist on July 15, 1888, in Paris, France. He was a French film director, screenwriter, and production designer known for his contributions to French cinema across more than five decades, particularly during the silent film era. His father was Jules Benoist, a writer who published under the pseudonym Jules de Gastyne. He had a brother, Guy de Gastyne, who later worked as a film art director and set decorator. From an early age, he demonstrated an interest in the visual arts. He created notable works including the feature films ''La châtelaine du Liban'' (1926) and ''Madonna of the Sleeping Cars'' (1928), while also serving as writer and production designer on various projects.

His extensive career encompassed directing and writing for both feature films and numerous short documentaries, with later works in the 1950s through 1970s focusing on cultural and documentary subjects such as ''Le masque de Toutankhamon'' (1955) and ''Chartres ville d'art'' (1970). [1] [2] De Gastyne's multifaceted roles in film production highlight his versatility in the industry, from early silent cinema to postwar documentary filmmaking.

Marco transitioned to directing in the early 1920s, following his work as an art director and set designer for French filmmakers. He began directing silent features during this period, often contributing as screenwriter and bringing his artistic background to elaborate visual storytelling. These included “À l'horizon du sud” in 1923, “La Blessure” in 1925, “La Châtelaine du Liban” in 1926 (also as screenwriter), “La Madone des sleepings” from 1927 to 1928 (co-directed with Maurice Gleize and with his screenplay contribution), “Mon cœur au ralenti” in 1928, and “La Merveilleuse Vie de Jeanne d'Arc” in 1929.

“La Merveilleuse Vie de Jeanne d'Arc” stands as his best-known work from the silent era, a feature-length biographical drama that chronicles Joan of Arc's life from her departure from Domremy to her death in Rouen. The film, silent and starring Simone Genevois in the lead role, runs 125 minutes and represents the culmination of his silent directing efforts

Marco de Gastyne directed only Euro-western was “La bête errante” (The Wandering Beast) in 1931.

de GASTYNE, Marco (aka Marc de Gastyne, Marc de gastyne) (Marc Henri Benoist) [7/15/1888, Paris, Île-de-France, France – 11/8/1982, Paris, Île-de-France, France] – painter, production designer, director, actor, son of the writer Jules de Gastyne (Jules Benoist) [1847-1920], brother of production designer, art director Guy de Gastyne (Guy Benoist) [1888–1972], married to opera singer Mary Christian (Marie ÉLisabeth Jane Gabrielle Vien) [1886-1980] (1914-1924) father of Christian Charles Francis Georges Benoist [1909-1969], married to actress Choura Milena (Alexandra Barache) [1902-1976] (1924-1976).

The Wandering Beast – 1931

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Fernando Butragueño

Fernando Butragueño Benavente was a Spanish producer, production manager, director and screenwriter. He produced two films in 1948, was a production manager on two films in 1948 and 1954 and he directed one film in 1950. His biggest contribution to the Spanish film industry was as a writer on three films between 1945 and 1965.

Fernando Butragueño was born in Spain in 1921 and died in Madrid on February 18, 1988. He was married to married to Maruja Pinilla Fernández and was the father of Yeves Benavente, Angelines Benavente, Maria del Mar Benavente, Cristina Benavente, Mario Benavente, Fernando Benavente, José Manuel Benavente, Manuel Benavente.

Butragueño cowrote the screenplay for one Spaghetti western, “Los cuatreros” (Shoot to Kill) with Antonio Escribano, Gregorio Almendros Perez and Ramón Torrado in 1963.

BUTRAGUENO, Fernando (aka F. Butragueño, Fernando Butragueño) (Fernando Butragueño Benavente) [1921, Spain - 2/18/1988, Madrid, Madrid, Spain] – producer, production manager, director, writer, married to Maruja Pinilla Fernández (19??-1988) father of Yeves Benavente, Angelines Benavente, Maria del Mar Benavente, Cristina Benavente, Mario Benavente, Fernando Benavente, José Manuel Benavente, Manuel Benavente.

Shoot to Kill – 1963 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ M. Gauntier

Michel Gantier is/was a French cameraman and cinematographer. He also worked in production management, was a screenwriter on one film between 1976 to 2000 all were animated TV and feature films.

His only Euro-western was as a cameraman on “Lucky Luke la ballade des Dalton” (Lucky Luke: The Ballad of the Daltons) with Jaques Capo and Claude Pointis in 1976.

GAUNTIER, M. (Michel Gantier) [French] – cameraman, cinematographer.

Lucky Luke: The Ballad of the Daltons – 1976 (co)

Digital Content Pioneer Mario Niccolò Messina on Distributing a $10,000 Spaghetti Western to Millions of Viewers via Streaming: ‘I’d Like to Be the Roger Corman of the Third Millennium’

His L.A.-based Insurgence Studios, that selects projects using a data-driven approach, has now bankrolled the bows of more than 100 filmmakers.

Variety

By Nick Vivarelli

February 18, 2026

Digital distribution and production pioneer Mario Niccolò Messina set up shop in Los Angeles four years ago, after launching an innovative micro budget movies business model in his native Italy. He now has a bigger ambition: “I’d like to be the Roger Corman of the third millennium,” he says.

Since establishing his L.A. operation called Insurgence (formerly V Channels Media) in 2021 Messina has been on a roll. Building on the YouTube distribution network he set up to monetize low-budget indie movies globally, his company has financed more than 200 titles with budgets under $200,000 that it first licenses to streamers and then drops on its genre-specific YouTube channels.

A couple of examples: Insurgence’s Spaghetti Western “The Dutchman,” directed by Italy’s Emiliano Ferrara [not to be confused with the thriller by the same title directed by Andre Gaines] and shot for $10,000, scored more than 5 million views in under a month in 2024. Its horror/thriller “Stranger,” directed by Emanuele Pica, has notched up 20 million streams on YouTube as of late 2025.

Messina entered the entertainment industry from the tech sector. He was working for telcos, including Vodafone, for which he analysed data which gave him an understanding of “how people search and consume videos,” he says.

That’s how Messina realized that on Google there were multiple-million searches for keywords like “action movie,” or “thriller movie.” “What I understood ten years ago is that people didn’t really know what to watch,” he says. He also noticed that every time someone searched for “action movie” on Google, “Google tends to suggest a YouTube video.” So Messina started distributing ready-made low-budget movies on YouTube at a time when almost nobody else was. And, in the process, started getting “free, organic marketing from Google itself,” he notes.

His L.A.-based Insurgence Studios, that selects projects using a data-driven approach, has now bankrolled the bows of more than 100 filmmakers.

Messina speaks to Variety about why, at a time of mega studio mergers, combining micro budget movies and digital distribution can be the way forward in the indie sphere.

What does Insurgence offer young directors?

To sign up, filmmakers send us an original pitch telling us how much money we should finance the project for, and what the best platform for their movies would be. Their project gets looked at rapidly and given a score based on the plot, on the script, etc. Or they send me a movie for distribution and we sign the deal directly online. We negotiate directly. No middleman, no sales agent. Once we get the movie, we keep the filmmakers informed about the journey of their movie, which means: where it has been pitched and if it’s been accepted or rejected by the platforms. Also, how much money they are making, paid online. Up to now, we have financed more than 250 young filmmakers.

What is your current business model? 

In this phase, we are focusing on developing movies for the digital ecosystem. Movies respect a certain kind of new digital window, which is: TVOD for 90 to 150 days, depending on how the feature does. Then we go SVOD and we offer our movies exclusively for three to six months on an SVOD platform. Then we go a AVOD, and by AVOD I exclude YouTube. I mean premium AVOD, which could be Pluto, Tubi, Roku, Xumo, Canela.TV etc. Then we go on our network of YouTube channels, and then we go to other YouTube networks. So this is the process.

What are your financials and growth prospects?

We just broke $5 million in revenues last year. We are now in discussions with some investors about the possibility of growing. Our goal is to build a digital indie studio. We are launching our online horror magazine called “Fearce.” We are preparing to launch our app for TiVo and then AVOD. And we are preparing for a more solid theatrical side.

Some of your films have launched at festivals and been released theatrically. Are you also active in that space?

We’ve had movies at Fantastic Fest and more recently at London’s Fright Fest. Do I believe in the power of festivals today? Less than I used to, to be honest. I think festivals are for much bigger movies, except in some very rare cases. But we are developing a way to reinvent theatrical releases. We’ve had some movies going theatrical, with releases that went from 50 to 250 theaters. However, in general, our main path forward is pure digital distribution supported by our YouTube Network, which reaches 250 million views every month. Basically, every time you see a movie on one of my YouTube channels, it starts with a trailer of one of our other movies. So we’re self-serving ads for our movies.

What are the Insurgence titles that you are particularly proud of?

I made a deal with XYZ Films to produce 10 horror movies. And there are two or three that are literally works of art. One is called “House of Ashes,” directed by Izzy Lee. Another is “It Needs Eyes,” directed by Zack Ogle e Aaron Pagniano. It’s won prizes at festival after festival [including at the Portland Horror Festival] and we are launching it in March. Then there is an action movie made by a group of Italians that is called “Day Off.” It’s a pure old fashioned action movie, directed by Marco Ristori and Luca Boni.

Ristori and Boni are genre movie veterans. How did you intersect with them?

I met them them two years ago by chance. They had been working with Germany’s Uwe Boll, and they told me they were out of work. I said to them: “O.K. guys, don’t worry. Build your team.” And I financed 10 of their movies. They made 10 movies in 18 months, one right after the other. And now these titles are doing spectacularly. “Day Off” was one of the most watched action movies on Tubi for three weeks. The Spanish version is actually featured on the Canela.TV homepage. On YouTube it’s garnered 35 million streams across English, Spanish and Portuguese.