Spaghetti Western Director ~ José Luis Madrid
José Luis Madrid was a Spanish screenwriter, film
producer, and director known for his extensive work in low-budget genre cinema,
spanning thrillers, horror, exploitation films, and opportunistic productions
during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
He debuted as a director in 1960 with “Adieu, Ninon” and
went on to helm over twenty feature films, often drawing on contemporary events
or popular trends for projects such as “El vampiro de la autopista”, “El último
tango en Madrid”, and “Comando Txikia: Muerte de un president”. Madrid
frequently collaborated with actor Paul Naschy on horror and crime titles
including “Seven Murders for Scotland Yard” and “Los crímenes de Petiot”, while
also directing uncredited work in Germany and the United Kingdom.
Beyond directing and writing, Madrid played a significant
role in the Spanish film industry as a businessman, inheriting and managing the
Apolo Films studios in Villalba (Madrid) from his uncle, director Antonio del
Amo, and owning several production companies and cinemas in Madrid such as the
Picasso and Lumière. Born on April 11, 1933 in Madrid, and passing away on July
19, 1999 at the age off 66, his career reflected an opportunistic approach to
filmmaking within the constraints of modest resources and the evolving Spanish
cinema landscape after Franco.
José Luis Madrid directed four Spaghetti westerns: “Un
dollaro di fuoco” (Epitaph for a Fast Gun) with Nick Nostro, “La venganza de
Clark Harrison” (The Ruthless Colt of the Gringo) and “Tumba para un forajido”
(Tomb for an Outlaw) all in 1965 and “La balada de Johnny Ringo” (Who Killed
Johnny R.?) in 1966.
MADRID, José Luis (aka Jim Delavena,
Joseph L. Madrid) (José Luis Madrid
de la Viña) [4/11/1933, Madrid,
Madrid, Spain – 7/19/1999, Marbella, Málaga, Spain] – producer, director,
writer, nephew of director, writer, actor Antonio del Amo (Antonio del
Amo Algara) [1911-1991].
Epitaph for a Fast
Gun – 1965 (co)
The Ruthless Colt of
the Gringo – 1965 [as Joseph L. Madrid]
Tomb for an Outlaw –
1965 [José L. Madrid]
Who Killed Johnny
R.? – 1966
Spaghetti Western
Screenwriter ~ Paul Farjon
Paul Farjon is/was a
writer of unknown origin. The IMDb credits him with co-writing one screenplay
and that his only Spaghetti western, “Bill il taciturno” (Django Kills Silently)
with Lina Caterini, Marcello Malvestito and Leonide Preston in 1967.
I can find no
biographical information on him.
FARJON, Paul – writer.
Django Kills
Silently – 1967 (co)
Spaghetti Western
Cinematographer ~ Giuseppe Rotunno
Giuseppe Rotunno was
an Italian cinematographer whose six-decade career defined key visual styles in
post-war European and Hollywood cinema, particularly through his long-term
collaborations with directors Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti.
Born in Rome on
March 19, 1923, into a large family, Rotunno entered the film industry at age
17 following his father's death, starting as a laboratory assistant and still
photographer at Cinecittà Studios in 1940.
By 1942, he had
advanced to newsreel cameraman and camera operator on features like The Man
with the Cross, despite interruptions from his anti-fascist views during World
War II. His first credited work as director of photography came in 1955 with “Scandal
in Sorrento”, marking the start of a prolific output that included nearly 80
features.
Rotunno's
partnership with Visconti produced visually opulent black-and-white classics
such as “White Nights” (1957), “Rocco and His Brothers” (1960), and the epic “The
Leopard” (1963), where his use of deep-focus and natural lighting captured
Sicily's aristocratic decay with painterly precision.
With Fellini, he contributed to nine films
over two decades, including “Fellini Satyricon’ (1969), the autobiographical ‘Amarcord’
(1973), ‘Fellini's Casanova’ (1976), and ‘And the Ship Sails On ‘(1983),
employing innovative color palettes and surreal compositions to evoke dreamlike
nostalgia and excess.
His versatility extended to Hollywood
projects, such as Bob Fosse's “All That Jazz” (1979), for which he earned an
Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography, and period pieces like “The
Bible” (1966) and “Popeye” (1980).
Among his honors,
Rotunno became the first non-American member of the American Society of
Cinematographers in 1966, received eight Italian Silver Ribbon awards, a BAFTA
for “All That Jazz”, and the ASC International Award in 1999.
He continued
teaching at Rome's Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia until 2013 and retired
after shooting “Marcello Mastroianni: I Remember” (1997), leaving a legacy
praised by filmmakers like Martin Scorsese for his mastery of light and
emotional depth.
Rotunno died in Rome
on February 7, 2021 at the age of 97.
Giuseppe Rotunno was
a cinematographer on one Spaghetti western, “Amore, piombo e furore” (China 9,
Liberty 37) in 1978.
ROTUNNO, Giuseppe (aka Peppino
Rotunno) [3/19/1923, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 2/7/2021, Rome, Lazio, Italy] –
cinematographer, cameraman, actor, married to assistant director, writer,
actress Graziolina Campori (Grazia Campori) [1932- ] (19??- 2021) father of Tiziana Rotunno, actress
Paola Silvia Rotunno, Carmen Rotunno.
China 9, Liberty 37
– 1978
