Westerns…All’Italiana!
Conducted by Eric Mache & Carl Moreno
1992
Dario Argento is a name synonymous with the modern-day
Italian horror film. His titles like “Supiria”, “Deep Red”, “Opera” are
universally considered tops in the genre. Long before these horror films were
made, however, Argento was a scriptwriter for several Italian westerns. He
graciously consented to meet us after a book signing at a New York screening of
two of his films.
Q: I’d like to discuss your western credits. Aside from “Today We Kill… Tomorrow We Die!”, “5 Man Army”, “Cemetery Without Crosses” and “Once Upon a Time in the West”, are there any others?
DA: No, that’s all of them.
Q: You used Japanese actors in “Today We Kill… Tomorrow We Die” and “5 Man Army”. Was this your idea?
DA:”Yes. The origin of the Italian western is from the Japanese movie “Yojimbo”. When I wrote the westerns I pur in our origins, which were American, but mostly from the Japanese. Toshiro Mifune was inspired by American westerns. It’s cyclical, Many western films are now inspired by the Japanese.
Q: How did you get Toshiro Nakadai for “Today We Kill…Tomorrow We Die”. He was a pretty big “name” actor in Japan. Wouldn’t he have been expensive?
DA: Japanese actors were not very expensive for our movies, not like the Americans. Nakadai was a very good actor. He was wonderful with swords and knives.
Q: And “Today We Kill…Tomorrow We Die” director, Tonino Cervi?
DA: He never paid me! Once I went to his house for a
visit and saw this wonderful gold cigarette case. It was a masterpiece. So I
took it! I said, “Tonino, this is my payment.” He replied. “No, I’ve been
robbed!”
Q: Did you ever come into contact with “5 Man Army” director Don Taylor?
DA: I didn’t have much contact with him. He was not really a director. He was more interested in talking with friends and making plans for the evening. He’s say, “And tonight we’ll go to such and such a place, okay, okay?”
Q: Did you work on “Cemetery Without Crosses”?
DA: Not very much, no. Robert Hossein, who’s French, directed it. He’s a very strange person…very strange. We worked together but, I didn’t agree with the story. I’d say, “It’s no good!” and he’d say, “It’s a okay!”. Then the next day I’d still say it was no good and he’d still say it was okay!
Q: I thought you might have had a hand in directing since Hossein also starred in it.
DA: No, we had a French interpreter. Every night he’d
change things. He would go to sleep and change things. In the morning I would
say, “What’s this? You changed that after that!” He would say it was better. I
would disagree, Everyday we had a fight.
I remember arriving to work each morning at 9:30. The house was full of girls. There would be three, four or five in the same room just for him. Not for the others, but for him! All the time he’d think about women and drinking. It was an incredible atmosphere. But, he was a nice person. Crazy, but wonderful!
Q: The film had a lot of atmosphere like your own horror films.
DA: Yes, because I put it in there. There was much more but Hossein cut many things out.
Q: There's a very long scene with no dialogue.
DA: Yes, that was my idea.
Q: Did you ever see the finished film?
DA: I never saw it. Hossein was a nice person but I’m sure the movie was no good.
Q: Did you know Sergio Corbucci? His westerns were very good.
DA: Yes, Especially “The Great Silence” was a good picture.
Q: Bud Spencer was in two of your films.
DA: I like Bud Spencer. He’s a very nice person.
Q: Did you know William Berger? I understand he was in jail and had several problems.
DA: Yes, many problems. I don’t remember exactly but during his hippie days he had a wife who was in jail for drugs. She died there. It was terrible.
Q: Do they consider you an Italian western expert having worked on them?
DA: No, I would just writer the script and story.
Q: What’s your favorite western?
DA: “The Searchers” with John Wayne.
Q: Do you like any of the Italian westerns?
DA: I like some of the Django films. I think Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West” is a masterpiece.
Q: Was the opening sequence of “Once Upon a Time in the West” shot the way you wrote it? It reminded me of the “Cemetery Without Crosses” scene with little dialogue and just sound effects.
DA: Yes, it was. The flies and the water dripping…
Q: Did you work on that set?
DA: No. As a writer I didn’t work on the set.
Q: Did Leone have a habit of changing what you had written?
DA: No, he didn’t change anything. He was more interested in filming it the way we wrote it. You know, Bernardo Bertolucci and I worked on that picture for six months and were each paind $1,000.000.
Q: That’s terrible!
DA: Yes, it was terrible! But it was wonderful to have the experience with Sergio Leone. It was beautiful because he was the master of directing. He was intelligent and creative. He was one of the best Italian directors of all time.
Q: And I think we all agree with you. Thank you, Dario.
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