Tra il Monferrato il West rivive il mito Sergio Leone

 Among the Monferrato the West relives the legend Sergio Leone

 

La Stampa

By Franca Nebbia

March 22, 2022

Monferrato rediscovers Sergio Leone's Italian westerns. They do so with Mauro Galfre painter, illustrator, graphic designer who dedicated half of his life to the great director. Born in Spigno Monferrato and transplanted to Casale Monferatto, they know everything about Leone, 2009: a great exhibition in Casale for the twentieth anniversary of the director's death, 2010: another exhibition at the historic Villa Vidua in Conzano, even bigger than the previous year; 2014: exhibition at the castle of Casale for the 25th anniversary of his death: documents, books, photos of film scenes and a collection of records with the timeless music of Ennio Morricone in the indissoluble friendship that bound him to Leone. And a climax worthy of the director, a duel like on a film set of "A Fistful of Dollars" where Galfre painted Clint Eastwood with the inevitable poncho. On the shield under the poncho a message "Cinema is a dream and dreams never die ".

Now, on the thirtieth anniversary of his death, the preparation of a new exhibition "The Myth of Sergio Leone" with about fifty posters "even richer - says Galfre - for other research done on the" father "of the Italian western and a significant tribute to the historic scenographer Carlo Leva with his drawings made for the cemetery of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and the legendary Spanish locations for many films "A holster used in a film and ended up in a flea market appears in the classic display". “The myth Sergio Leone” is scheduled at the paleological castle of Casale from June 6 to July 5 “and we hope that he will not suffer a slip, says Mauro crossing his fingers. At the same time, on June 20 and 21, again at the castle, the fifth edition of Casale Comics will take place (last year 6000 people attended), one of the most successful fairs dedicated to comics, this year it will be mainly based on the Italian western.

Is so much effort rewarded? The "Cinema Brush Museum" at Marinozzi Castle in Montecosaro, in the Marche region, will host two works by Galfre, dedicated to Sergio Leone. Paolo Marinozzi's museum includes about 6,000 works by artists who were later transformed into successful film advertising posters. "They are original watercolors or drawings” - says Galfre - that the talented Marinozzi has put together in twenty years of research. And I will have the honor of exhibiting my "Fourth Estate" of "There was a face in the West" and a portrait of Claudia Cardinale, a magnificent interpreter ".

After visiting the studio of the pointillist painter Pelizza da Volpedo, Galfre paused to observe how the "Fourth Estate" had been reproduced in book covers, posters, advertising campaigns and I thought about the protagonist of the film "Giu la testa" (Duck You Sucker), a revolutionary in a triumphal march. The result was an ink drawing and then a large watercolor with the figure of Sergio Leone in the center with the figure of Sergio Leone with a jacket on the shoulder surrounded by the protagonists of the film "Once upon a time in the West".