Thursday, November 30, 2023

RIP Shane MacGowan


Shane MacGowan, lead singer of the British band the Pogues died after years of health problems on November 30th in Dublin, Ireland. He was one month shy of his 66th birthday. Born Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan in Penbury, Kent, England on December 25, 1957, MacGowan was best known for his tongue-in-cheek, cranky delivery as the frontman of the Pogues, chronicling the misadventures of Ireland’s residents and diaspora in raspy, whiskey-ravaged tones. Coming up in the early 1980s, he and the Pogues welded Irish pride with the volatile, rebellious energy of punk, often incorporating the nation’s classics and pop tunes into their repertoire. Their legendary Bacchanalian antics, on and off stage, were as much a part of the band’s philosophy as the music. MacGowan appeared as Bruno McMahon along with the Pogues and they composed the soundtrack for Alex Cox’s 1987’s “Straight to Hell”.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Aleksandar Belarić

[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.]

Aleksandar Belarić was a child actor who appeared in only one film and that was as Hernando in the 1966 German western “Winnetou und sein Freund Old Firehand” (Thunder at the Border). Most likely he was a Croatian born in the 1950s. Whatever happened to him, or any biographical information is unknown.

BELARIC, Aleksandar (Aleksandar Belarić) [Yugoslavian] – child film actor.

Thunder at the Border - 1966 (Hernando)

Winnetou, The Immortal: Germany's Complicated Love Affair With Native American Lore

 The latest season of Germany's largest festival celebrating the adventure writer Karl May ended with a record audience. Over 430,000 visitors watched the adventures of the Native American character Winnetou, despite criticism of the story's problematic legacy from some sections.

World Crunch

November 24, 2023

[Over 430,000 people attended the Karl May Festival this year — a record.]

BAD SEGEBERG — "It's simply amazing! You're dropped off in the middle of the Wild West," gushes Markus after his visit to the Karl May Festival in Bad Segeberg. He is one of over 430,000 people who have seen a stage adaptation of German adventure writer Karl May's Winnetou I on the open-air stage in Schleswig-Holstein this year. That number has broken all records for attendance in a single season of the festival.

Much was written a year ago about how the Karl May classic had fallen out of time. The trigger was a series of books and fan articles about the movie The Little Chief Winnetou, forcing the publisher Ravensburger to withdraw the titles shortly before delivery.

The reason offered by the company was that it did not want to "repeat and spread any trivializing clichés." A debate ensued as to whether and how a story from the 19th century, whose depiction of Native Americans is primarily based on the author's imagination, could be too racist, sexist and dismissive for our time.

A year later came the most wildly successful Karl May Festival in history. This summer, 430,321 people watched Alexander Klaws ride through the ring in moccasins. How can it be that a publisher withdraws a "problematic" book ostensibly in the face of public outrage, and yet more people than ever want to see the adventurers of the German greenhorn Old Shatterhand and his Apache friend Winnetou?

Dissecting the rush

Karl May expert Nicolas Finke credits the success of the show on its combination of theatrical grandeur, well-choreographed action, and the unique open-air experience. "A mixture that has been continuously developed and perfected over the years," says the historian. This concept is fascinating for all generations; you are practically in the middle of the action, immersed in the world of Winnetou and Old Shatterhand. Added to this are the involvement of well-known actors and the allure of Schleswig-Holstein as a summer vacation destination.

The massive audience numbers aren't an accident: Since 2013, each season of the festival has drawn greater attendance than the previous. "In my opinion, the current great success is the result of a continuous development and is not solely due to the Winnetou debate'" says Finke, co-author of the book series Karl May on Stage. However, the debate would naturally have increased awareness of and interest in the topic.

Kathleen Loock, American Studies expert at the University of Hanover, sees two reasons for the recent rush of visitors. On the one hand, there is a catch-up effect after the pandemic. But it could also be a reaction "to last year's debates, according to which Winnetou is supposedly to be banned." Winnetou is one of the Germans' favorite characters, says Loock, who published a research paper on Winnetou and the German 'Indian' image in 2019.

[The original cover of Winnetou's 1893 edition.Friedrich Ernst Fehsenfeld/Wikipedia]

Winnetou – a piece of childhood

"A great experience. Hopefully this event won't be banned and suppressed by green-left political over-correctness," says festival goer Norbert. He and Marcus are among the 12,700-odd people who have shared their impressions of visiting the festival online. Many of them praise the spectacle and the fireworks and reminisce about childhood memories.

The shared experience of the Winnetou films, festivals, and books connects generations in Germany. Even a decades-long break in print in the GDR era did nothing to change this; the so-called “Indian studies clubs” were particularly popular in East Germany at the time. "The dream world that Karl May created in his novels, with the heroes Winnetou and Old Shatterhand and the principle of good versus evil, is timeless," says Finke. Researchers also repeatedly refer to the "projection surface" of Winnetou.

While the novels comforted German society at the end of the 19th century wounded by the fact that Germany was not one of the great colonial powers, they served fantasies of reparation after the Second World War, theater scholar Katrin Sieg argued in 2006. After all, Old Shatterhand was a German engineer fighting side by side with Native Americans.

Then there are wholesome memories of family rituals, such as watching the Winnetou films at Christmas or the trip to Bad Segeberg. "I believe that this is still part of the fascination," says Loock. "Especially in a world with so many new things that you can't always share, it ensures continuity."

[Karl May's "Indian" (literal translation) peoples have little in common with real Indian cultures.]

Four-euro currywurst and parking lot marchFour-euro currywurst and parking lot march

The comments from this summer's spectators echo a similar sentiment. "Pure childhood memories, with a grandchild to pass on the memories," writes Thomas. "It brought back positive memories of childhood, when you were still allowed to say 'Indian'," says a visitor called Achim. "I went there often as a child and I still like it today," says Sandy. Very few people seem concerned with the question of political correctness.

The average visitor who comments is weatherproof ("bring a rain poncho!"), willingly pays 4 euros for a currywurst ("fair price"), and at most complains about the two-kilometer walk from the parking lot to the festival grounds. One of them is sore about the lack of bicycle stands.

The stereotype of the "noble savage", which May's Apache chief represents, is taboo today. Karl May's "Indian" (literal translation) peoples have little in common with real Indian cultures. Such misrepresentations had terrible consequences for the indigenous peoples in the past and still do, says Loock.

In Germany, many people can't understand the criticism. "People want to be like the good ‘Indians’," she explains. And if Winnetou has to be questioned, then one's own self-image also has to be critically examined. Does it make me a bad person if I like something that creates or reinforces false prejudices? "My own positive self-image must not be destroyed by changing my mind overnight," Loock adds. That's why many people have clung to Karl May so tenaciously.

The political right has also recognized this moral dilemma. "Winnetou would vote AfD", the AfD Bautzen campaigned in September 2022. The Young Nationalists, the youth organization of the neonazi party NPD, distributed flyers in Bad Segeberg last year, according to the domestic intelligence services. Suddenly, the debate was no longer just about the Native Americans' struggle for self-representation but about "white identity, which sees itself threatened by accusations of cultural appropriation or racism", says Loock.

Karl May fans, who have been part of the mainstream for over a century, are suddenly being portrayed as a kind of oppressed minority. This way, the alt right tries to instrumentalize the debate for its own ends. The suggestion is that everyday life is threatened — not by cultural and social change but "by very concrete things such as an alleged ban on Winnetou", says Loock. This does not mean that the festival visitors in Bad Segeberg are celebrating cultural appropriation. However, the popularity of the story plays into the hands of those with a political interest in such discourses.

Karl May expert Finke calls the attempts to leverage the debate politically "as absurd as they are transparent." Karl May's works convey tolerance, international understanding, and friendship — values that stand in contrast to the aims of political parties who want to exploit his creation for their own partisan goals.

The festival itself responded to the battle of narratives by having the character of Karl May himself tell the audience at the beginning of the play how Winnetou came from his imagination. After that, the spectacle took its usual course, with much riding, kidnapping, and shooting.

"The killing and shooting is too cruel for small children," says an older man. "There were lots of tears among the youngest." One father takes a more pragmatic approach: "Don't forget the ear protection for the youngest children".


Voices of the Spaghetti Western ~ “Sunscorched”

As we know most of the Euro-westerns were co-productions from Italy, Spain, Germany and France which incorporated British and American actors to gain a worldwide audience. The films were shot silent and then dubbed into the various languages where they were sold for distribution. That means Italian, Spanish, German, French and English voice actors were hired to dub the films. Even actors from the countries where the film was to be shown were often dubbed by voice actors for various reasons such as the actors were already busy making another film, they wanted to be paid additional salaries for dubbing their voices, the actor’s voice didn’t fit the character they were playing, accidents to the actors and in some cases even death before the film could be dubbed.

I’ll list a Euro-western and the (I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German and (F) French, (E) English voices that I can find and once in a while a bio on a specific voice actor as in Europe these actors are as well-known as the actors they voiced.









Today we’ll cover “Sunscorched”

[(I) Italian, (S) Spanish, (G) German, (F) French, (E) English]

Sheriff Jess Kinley – Mark Stevens (S) Manuel Cano

Abel Dragna – Mario Adorf (S) Joaquín Díaz

Anna-Lisa – Marianna Koch (S) Roser Cavallé

Nelle Kinley – Vivien Dodds (S) Consuelo Vives

Twich - Óscar Pellicer (S) Miguel Ángel Valdivieso

Luk – Frank Oliveras (S) Dionisio Macías

Charlie – Antonio Iranzo (S) Pepe Martín









Consuelo Vives  (1936 -    )

Consuelo Vivares Miñana was born in Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain on March 27, 1936. She appeared as a film actress in handful of films and TV appearances from 1957 to 1970. She was much better known as a dubbing actress for European actresses, mainly Spanish and Italian. Consuelo made her radio debut in about 1954. And at the time she was already specializing in children's voices and doing dubbing and filmmaking. At the time, she was popular for her role as the hooligan boy "Jaimito" in "La familia Lanco", a program on Radio España in Barcelona. She prefers dubbing because it is what pays the best. Today she is well and living in retirement.


Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Liliane Bel

[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.]

Liliane Bel appears to be an Algerian actress or French with Algerian heritage. According to the IMDb she appeared in only one film which was the 1958 Euro-western “Sérénade au Texas” (Texas Serenade) and in the 1973 TV mini-series ‘Pour Vermeer’ and in the role of Suzanne Mercier in the 1975 French TV film ‘Les renards’. What she did in the 15 years between appearances is unknown because I can find no other information on her.

BEL, Liliane – film, TV actress.

Texas Serenade - 1958

New Japanese DVD/Blu-ray combo of “ 血斗のジャンゴ”

 








血斗のジャンゴ

(Face to Face)

(1967)

 

Director: Sergio Sollima

Starrng: Tomas Milian, Gian Maria Volonte, William Berger

 

Country: Japan

Available as combo or individual DVD or Blu-ray.

 

Available November 29, 2023

Who Are Those Guys? ~ Emilio Delle Piane

 

Emilio Dellepiane was born in Lavagna, Liguria, Italy on July 6, 1938. Wmilio was an Italian character actor active between the mid-1960s and the 1980s, before appearing on the stage he graduated in law in 1963, doing a few years of apprenticeship. In 1966 he met the director Carlo Lizzani who made him embark on a film career; Among the films he starred in 1971’s ...continuavano a chiamarlo Trinità (Trinity is STILL My Name) with Terence Hill and Bud Spencer. “I due superpiedi quasi piatti” (The Two Almost Flat Superfoots) again with Hill and Spencer and both directed by E.B. Clucher  (Enzo Barboni). He continued his career until the early nineties when he retired from the scene and returned to devoting himself to his law firm in the center of Chiavari. He died on March 17, 2014, at the age of 75.

Besides his role as James Parker in “Trinity is STILL My Name”, Delle Piane also appeared in “Arizona Returns” in 1971 with Anthony Steffen where he played the marshal and had a small role in 1971’s “Judge Roy Bean” with Robert Hossein.

DELLE PIANE, Emilio (Emilio Dellepiane) [7/6/1938, Lavagna, Liguria, Italy - 3/17/2014, Lavagna, Liguria, Italy] – film, TV actor.

Arizona Returns - 1970 (marshal)

Judge Roy Bean - 1971

Trinity is STILL My Name - 1971 (James Parker)

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Rafael Bejarano

[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.]

Rafael Bejarano, not to be confused with the jockey of the same name who was born in 1982, is/was a Spanish actor who appeared in only one film. He played a cowboy in 1963’s “Uccidi o muori” (Ride and Kill) directed by Tanio Boccia and starring Robert Mark (Rodd Dana) and Fabrizio Moroni.

I can find no other information on him.

BEJARANO, Rafael [Spanish] film actor.

Ride and Kill - 1963 (cowboy)

Ennio Morricone Film Festival at the New York City Museum of Modern Art

 

In collaboration with Cinecittà, Rome, MoMA celebrates Ennio Morricone (1928–2020), one of the greatest movie composers of all time, with a retrospective of more than 35 films spanning his nearly 60-year career. With more than 17 new digital restorations as well as 35mm archival prints, the exhibition presents a rich selection of films featuring Morricone’s most renowned scores (including Sergio Leone’s Man with No Name trilogy and Once Upon a Time in the West, John Carpenter’s The Thing, Roland Joffe’s The Mission, Bernard Bertolucci’s 1900 and Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso) alongside more unsung titles (Sergio Corbucci’s Navajo Joe and The Great Silence, Sergio Solima’s The Big Countdown and Revolver, Mario Bava’s Danger:Diabolik, and Mikhail Kalatozov’s The Red Tent among them).

A rare German television program from 1967 features Morricone himself performing as part of Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza (“The Group”), the radically experimental collective of composer-musicians who banded together in Rome in 1964 in a utopian spirit of nonhierarchical improvisation. Morricone’s ingenious forging of classical instrumentation with new electronic technologies, musique concrète and jazz, and seriality and noise carried over into his film scoring. His self-conscious use of mouth harps, pan pipes, bells, twanging guitars, cantering drums and—ever and always—the human voice and whistle revolutionized the music of popular genre moviemaking, from Westerns and horror to operatic comedy and melodrama, and continues to influence contemporary composers and musicians as far ranging as Hans Zimmer, Angelo Badalamenti, Radiohead, John Zorn, Mica Levi, Jay-Z, and Metallica.

Organized by Joshua Siegel, Curator, and Francisco Valente, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art; and Camilla Cormanni and Paola Ruggiero, Cinecittà. Thanks to Cineteca Nazionale (Maria Bonsanti), Giovanni Morricone, and Marco Cicala.

Museum of Modern Art

11 W 53rd St,

New York City, New York 10019

(212) 708-9400

Events

Fri, Dec 1, 7:00 p.m.

Cinema Paradiso. 1988. Written anddirected by Giuseppe Tornatore

Fri, Dec 2, 1:30 p.m.

Film – “I basilischi” (The Lizards). 1963. Written and directed by Lina Wertmüller

Sat, Dec 2, 3:30 p.m.

Film – “Ennio: The Maestro”. 2021. Written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore

Sat, Dec 2, 7:00 p.m.

“Per un pugno di dollari” (A Fistful of Dollars). 1964. Directed by Sergio Leone

Sun, Dec 3, 1:00 p.m.

“Per qualche dollaro in più” (For a Few Dollars More). 1965. Directed by Sergio Leone

Sun, Dec 3, 4:00 p.m.

Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly). 1966. Directed by Sergio Leone

Tue, Dec 5, 4:0 p.m.

La battaglia di Algeri (The Battle of Algiers). 1965. Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo

Tue, Dec 5, 6:30 p.m.

“I pugni in tasca” (Fists in the Pocket). 1965. Written and directed by Marco Bellocchio

Thu, Dec 7, 4:00 p.m.

“Navajo Joe”. 1966. Directed by Sergio Corbucci

Thu, Dec 7, 6:30 p.m.

“La resa dei conti” (The Big Gundown).

1967. Directed by Sergio Solima

Fri, Dec 8, 4:00 p.m.

“Revolver”. 1973. Directed by Sergio Sollima

Sun, Dec 10, 4:00 p.m.

“Il grande silenzio” (The Great Silence). 1968. Directed by Sergio Corbucci

Tue, Dec 12, 4:00 p.m.

“Krasnaya palatka” (The Red Tent). 1969. Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov

Tue, Dec 12, 7:30 p.m.

“Nuova Consonanza – Komponisten improvisieren im Kollektiv” (Nuova Consonanza: Composers Improvise Collectively). 1967. Directed by Theo Gallehr

Thu, Dec 14, 4:30 p.m.

“Le clan des Siciliens” (The Sicilian Clan). 1969. Directed by Henri Verneuil

Thu, Dec 14, 7:30 p.m.

“Teorema”. 1968. Written and directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini

Fri, Dec 15, 4:30 p.m.

“Two Mules for Sister Sara”. 1970. Directed by Don Siegel

Fri, Dec 15, 7:30 p.m.

C’era una volta il West (Once Upon a Time in the West). 1968. Directed by Sergio Leone

Sat, Dec 16, 3:30 p.m.

Il deserto dei Tartari (The Desert of the Tartars). 1976. Directed by Valerio Zurlini

Sat, Dec 16, 6:30 p.m.

“Once Upon a Time in America” [European theatrical version]. 1984. Directed by Sergio Leone

Mon, Dec 18, 6:30 p.m.

“Diabolik” (Danger: Diabolik). 1968. Directed by Mario Bava

Tue, Dec 19, 4:00 p.m.

“Sacco e Vanzetti” (Sacco and Vanzetti). 1971. Directed by Giuliano Montaldo

Wed, Dec 20, 4:00 p.m.

“Un bellissimo novembre” (That Splendid November). 1969. Directed by Mauro Bolognini

Wed, Dec 20, 6:30 p.m.

“Metello”. 1970. Directed by Mauro Bolognini

Thu, Dec 21, 4:00 p.m.

“Un tranquillo posto di campagna” (A Quiet Place in the Country). 1968. Directed by Elio Petri

Thu, Dec 21, 6:30 p.m.

“Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni Sospetto” (Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion). 1970. Directed by Elio Petri

TSun, Dec 24, 1:30 p.m.

“Le foto proibite di una signora per bene” (The Forbidden Photos of a Lady above Suspicion). 1970. Directed by Luciano Ercoli

Thu, Dec 28, 4:00 p.m.

“Il gatto a nove code” (The Cat o'Nine Tails). 1971. Written and directed by Dario Argento

Thu, Dec 28, 6:30 p.m.

“Una lucertola con la pelle di donna” (A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin). 1971. Directed by Lucio Fulci

Fri, Dec 29, 4:00 p.m.

“Cosa avete fatto a Solange?” (What Have You Done to Solange?). 1972. Directed by Massimo Dallamano

Fri, Dec 29, 6:30 p.m.

“Gente di rispetto” (The Flower in His Mouth). 1975. Directed by Luigi Zampa

Sun, Dec 31, 1:30 p.m.

“Gli occhiali d’oro” (The Gold-Rimmed Glasses). 1987. Directed by Giuliano Montaldo

Mon, Jan. 1, 2024, 1:30 p.m.

“Novocento” (1900). 1976. Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci

Wed, Jan 3, 2024, 4:00 p.m.

“Allonsanfàn” (Allonsanfan). 1974. Written and directed by Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani

Wed, Jan 3, 2024, 6:30 p.m.

“The Mission”. 1986. Directed by Roland Joffé

Thu, Jan 4, 2024, 4:00 p.m.

“The Hateful Eight”. 2015. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino

Thu, Jan 4, 2024, 7:30 p.m.

“The Thing”. 1982. Directed by John Carpenter

Fri, Jan 5, 2024, 6:30 p.m.

“The Untouchables”. 1987. Directed by Brian De Palma

A new Spanish Blu-ray, DVD release of “Amigos”

 








“Amigos”

(And For a Roof a Sky Full of Stars)

(1968)

 

Director: Giulio Petroni

Starring: Giuliano Gemma, Mario Adorf, Magda Konopka, Federico Boido

 

Country: Spain

Label: Mon Inter

Region: A,B,C

Blu-ray

Aspect ratio: 16:9, 1.85:1

Languages: Spanish, English

Subtitles: None

Running time: 97 minutes

ASIN: ‎B0CLLX7QK4

Available:  November 28, 2023

New French DVD release “Le Dernier Pistolet”

 








“Le Dernier Pistolet”

(The Last Gun)

(1964)

 

Director: Sergio Bergonzelli

Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Carl Möhner, Célina Cély, Ketty Carver, Livio Lorenzon

 

Country: France

Label: Elephant Films

Format: PAL

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 anamorphic, widescreen

Languages: DD 2.0 mono Italian, English, French

Running time: 92 minutes

Extras: Trailer

ASIN: ‎B0CKWKWQZY

Available: November 28, 2023

Monday, November 27, 2023

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Brigitte Beier

[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.]

Brigitte Beier was born in Belin, Germany on October 24, 1939, the daughter of the press illustrator and caricaturist Alfred Beier-Red.

She made her film debut in 1964 at the DEFA in Heiner Carow's film drama “Die Hochzeit von Länneken” (The Wedding of Länneken). In this literary adaptation based on the novel by Herbert Nachbar, she played the fisherman's daughter Bärbel Pröpping, who, together with the love of her life, the young fisherman's son Henning Grabe, campaigns for a fair distribution of fishing spots among all fishermen. In 1971, under the direction of Claus Dobberke, she played the role of Maria Ritter in the political drama “Verspielte Heimat” (Playful Homeland). In 1971/1972, director Kurt Jung-Alsen hired Beier for the role of the Jewess Recha Fain in the Holocaust miniseries “Die Bilder des Zeugen Schattmann” (The Pictures of the Witness Schattmann) a film adaptation of the autobiography of the same name by the writer and graphic artist Peter Edel.

Beier then appeared in many feature films until the 1980s. These included: “Die Legende von Paul und Paula” (The Legend of Paul and Paula), the children's film “Moritz in der Litfaßsäule” (Moritz in the Advertising Column) as well as the family films “Das Schulgespenst” (The School Ghost) and “Der Streit um des Esels Schatten” (The Dispute About the Donkey's Shadow).

On television, she was mostly seen in crime films, such as several episodes of the ‘Polizeiruf-110’ series, starting with ‘Collision’ (1977) to ‘The Last Customer’ (1987) and ‘Destroyed Hope’ (1991). In a similar format, ‘The Public Prosecutor Has the Floor’, she also participated several times. Brigitte also played a role in the series ‘Spuk unterm Riesenrad’ and ‘Drei von der K’.

Brigitte Beier appeared in two Euro-westerns: as the bus driver in 1981’s “Der lange Ritt zur Schule” (The Long Ride from School) starring Frank Träger and as Zofe in the 1987 TV series “Präriejäger in Mexiko” (Prairie Scout in Mexico) starring Gojko Mitic.

BEIER, Brigitte [10/24/1939, Berlin, Berlin, Germany –     ] – film, TV actress.

The Long Ride from School – 1981 (bus driver)

Prairie Scout in Mexico (TV) – 1987 (Zofe)

Spaghetti Western Locations Then and Now ~ Betterville Prison Camp

 

When Blondie and Tuco were captured wearing Confederate uniforms by Union troops they are taken to Betterville Prison Camp. This is where they meet up with Sergeant Angel Eyes who has taken charge of the camp as the commanding officer is dying from gangrene in his leg.

The site of the camp is on a small hill not more than a mile from Sad Hill Cemetery which is Contreras, Burgos, Spain.



European Western Comics – L’Audace Collana Audace

 





The Audace Audace Series 

This comic book series was published weekly from 1949 to1950 entitled Hands Up!. It consisted of 373 issues. The series was re-released in 1957-1958 in two series with Kociss the first series being released on June 15, 1957, ending on April 19, 1958. A second series entitled Little Ranger was released with #1 on June 15, 1958, to #68 on April 25 1971. It was published in Milan by SBE under the direction of Sergio Bonelli. Size of issues varied from 44 to 80 to 96 black and white pages with color covers.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Mary Begona

[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.]

Mary Begona was an alias for María Begoña Bragas who was born in Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain on April 4, 1925. She was a singer and dancer, theater, film and TV actress. She worked mainly in theatre as a vedette and later as a comedy actress in the cinema. He also made numerous appearances on television. Among them, Hostal Royal Manzanares.

In 1944, Mary took part in the show that consecrated a legendary couple: Lola Flores and Manolo Caracol. With them – and supposedly at the age of 15 she starred in “Zambra” and toured on stage in several Spanish cities. Later she managed to occupy a prominent position on posters as a dancer alongside Pepe Marchena. In 1946 the impresario Colsada set up a company of revues presenting himself with the show De la tierra a Venus. As female stars it featured Mary Begoña and Dorita del Alba.

Her filmography, which began in 1960, is not very extensive and does not include any major titles of Spanish cinema. At the end of the 1990s she enjoyed some popularity again for her appearance in the popular Lina Morgan comedy TV series ‘Hostal Royal Manzanares’.

At the beginning of the 21st century, she semi-retired. In 2000 she appeared in “The Prince's Bride” and a year later in “Approved in Chastity”, the last stage appearance also by Chicho Ibáñez Serrador. Shee then made a brief appearance in television series and quietly retired.

Begona appeared in only one Euro-western and that was a small role as a prostitute in 1962’s “Torrejón City”.

BEGONA, Mary (aka Mari Begoña, María Begoña, Mary Begoña) (María Begoña Bragas) [4/4/1925, Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain – 4/12/2020, Madrid, Madrid, Spain] – dancer, theater, film, TV actress, singer.

Torrejón City – 1962 (prostitute)

RIP Aldo Lado

 


Italian film and television director and assistant director, screenwriter and author Aldo Lado died on November 25th  in Rome, Italy. He was a week short of his 89th birthday. Born on December 5, 1934, in Fiume, Italy he came up through the film industry as an assistant director, notably to Bernardo Bertolucci on “The Conformist” (1970). After a series of experiences as an assistant director, Aldo Lado made his directorial debut in 1971 with the horror thriller “The Short Night of the Glass Dolls”, followed, the following year, by the thriller “Who Saw Her Die?” (1972). In 2015 he began his career as a writer by participating with several short stories ("The Giant and the Child", "Cold Case on Lake Maggiore") in some anthologies. Lado was an assistant director on “Hallelujah for Django” in 1966, “Pecos Cleans Up!” in 1967, “May God Forgive You... But I Won't” and was a screenwriter on “Lynching” both in 1968.

“IL CINEMA DI ROMOLO GUERRIERI” (THE CINEMA OF ROMOLO GUERRIERI). THE FIRST OF TWO VOLUMES ON AN ABSOLUTE CULT FILMMAKER

Redazione Cinemonitor

November 20, 2023

"The cinema of Romolo Guerrieri. Journey into the Italian Genre Film" by Giuseppe Costigliola, in bookstores for "Edizioni Il Foglio", is the first part of a monumental critical biography on a cult author capable of opening up a vision of a particular way of doing, understanding and even seeing the cinema of which there is more and more nostalgia. We talked about it with the critic Giuseppe Costigliola.

What are the characteristics of Guerrieri's work that become paradigmatic for the moment in which his work is inscribed?

Giuseppe Costigliola: I've always felt a strong originality in Guerrieri's approach to genre films. In the mid-Sixties, when he made his directorial debut, he wanted to establish himself as a content director, to create a path clearly distant from the one undertaken by his brother Marino, his first teacher, who for various reasons had confined himself to musicals and comedies: it is no coincidence that he signed his films with a pseudonym, a real identity choice. Romulus had submitted a dramatic subject to Ennio De Concini, one of the greatest screenwriters of the time, who said he was enthusiastic and proposed that he talk about it to Anna Magnani; as I tell in the book, the project did not come to fruition, but he was offered to shoot a western, a genre at the time in extraordinary take-off after the resounding success of "A Fistful of Dollars" by Sergio Leone. In two years, Guerrieri directed three in a row, in each one putting something personal, keeping in mind the masterful example of Leone – who, by the way, was his friend, they had both been assistant directors to Mario Bonnard – but also detaching himself from it. The most perceptive critics today recognize the originality of Guerrieri's approach to the Italian western, especially with regard to the psychological excavation of the characters, the "smoothing" of the figure of the fearless and cynical hero dedicated only to making money or killing typical of Italian westerns, the introduction of a "romantic" vein, this one really peculiar, or even the way in which he represents the female figure, never marginal or instrumental: for example, in "Johnny Yuma" the character of Samantha Felton played by Rosalba Neri is an authentic deus ex machina of the action. The personal imprint that Guerrieri gave to the genre film is even more perceptible in other areas: with "The Sweet Body of Deborah" he codified a certain way of shooting mystery-thrillers, in which legions of his colleagues who had become more famous fished hands down, and the same happened for what I consider one of the few cases of pure Italian noir, "A Detective", in which – in my analysis – he managed to blend elements of polar French with the classic American noirs of the Forties and Fifties, while at the same time keeping in mind the lesson of Pietro Germi. This originality is also evident in terms of content: detective Belli, played by Franco Nero, is one of the first cases of a "rotten" policeman brought to the screen in that type of film, and has marked an imprint followed by many, while in the film the fears and anxieties of post-sixty-eight Italy are perceptible. The discourse can be extended more generally to the crime films shot by Guerrieri in the Seventies, not centered on pure action, but on the psychological excavation of the characters – as much as, of course, it allowed a genre film to be made – and on the social and political issues of the time. I consider it an essential contribution, not always recognized by critics in the sector.

Among the big names of Italian genre cinema, that of Romolo Guerrieri is not so much waiting for a re-evaluation, because the critical favor is beyond question, but rather a rediscovery, on home video or, even better, within the numerous reviews organized in large or small festivals. When it comes to his cinema, the titles available are always limited to "A Detective", "Deborah's Sweet Body", "A Man, a City", and above all "The Divorce"... How do you explain the difficulty of finding many of your titles?

G.C.: As far as festivals and retrospectives are concerned, it's very true, Guerrieri is waiting for a rediscovery, his films should be proposed above all to an audience of young people, who have not had the opportunity to know his work, and in fact my critical biography was born precisely from this need.

With regard to home video, a distinction must be made between the Italian and foreign markets. In the former, as for many directors even more famous than Guerrieri, in fact there are few titles, especially those produced by Mario Cecchi Gori, some of which, however, are out of the market. The Italian home video market is very restricted, it is reduced to very few realities, investments are modest, so few titles come out and in a somewhat random way, in poorly edited and poor quality editions, often without special content. Here we are anchored to DVD, while in many foreign countries editions are produced in Blue Ray and even in 4K. Guerrieri's films that have an appeal abroad have almost all been released: westerns, noirs and detective stories, mystery-thrillers, and they are also useful from a critical point of view because they present interesting special contents, such as that of "Johnny Yuma", in German, by Colosseum. There is also "The Last Warrior", a science fiction film of not excellent quality, which however became a small cult in Germany. The rest of his production, comedies or historical films such as "Salvo D'Acquisto", have a very "national" reality, the same Italian comedy beyond the Alps is not widespread, except for the most famous examples, or in markets such as French or Spanish. As we know, comedy, in all its forms, is more difficult to export.

Brother of Marino Girolami, uncle of Enzo G. Castellari and Enio Girolami, Romolo Guerrieri is part of one of the most famous celluloid families in the history of Italian cinema. How did the family fabric also shape and direct Romulus' career (he is closer to his two nephews than to his brother Marino)?

G.C.: It was fundamental. Romolo Girolami began to breathe cinema as a boy, and went on a set for the first time at the age of twenty, in 1952, as a volunteer assistant director of the film "Noi due soli" by Marino Girolami, among other things an interesting case of comedy with a science fiction side. Marino, a director underestimated by critics, in reality very skilled and profound connoisseur of every cinematographic reality, from the screenplay, to the editing, to the photography, etc., is his recognized teacher, from whom Guerrieri learned the basic directorial technique, then refined with other masters, Bonnard, Campogalliani, Brusati and above all Giuseppe De Santis, of whom he was wanted and appreciated collaborator in the direction in "Italiani brava gente". Romolo has always recognized the importance of Marino in his training, but Marino has also provided him with another type of example: what he did not want to become as a director, since he aspired to create a personal path that would detach himself from the one traced by his brother.

However, the Girolami family were a close-knit family, in the fifties Marino, Romolo, Enzo (the future G. Castellari) and the actor Enio worked together with great fun in several films, in particular those shot in Tirrenia, then home to the Pisorno film factories, the oldest in Italy. In short, the family journey has deeply marked Guerrieri.

What is also striking, in this first volume of a work that promises to be monumental, is the precision of the historical reconstruction, the search for detail, the verification of the sources. Beyond the conversations with Guerrieri himself, how was it structured and what did it draw from your research path?

G.C.: It's a job that took me two years. From the beginning, I wanted to give centrality and pre-eminence to the recovery of memory, because I believe it is essential that the protagonists who made it tell the story of the cinema of such distant times: directors, actors, authors, technicians and workers. For generational reasons, they are disappearing, and it is important to collect their memories while there is still time. My research path is built on their testimonies, in an attempt to reconstruct the relationships and relationships, human as well as professional, that characterized the cinematographic universe of that time. However, I have also tried to cross-reference those stories with the available written sources, academic and otherwise, since memory is a fragile and complex thing, it often leads astray, even unconsciously, and the conversations held with scholars and film enthusiasts have proved fruitful. Essential was the (repeated) viewing of the films, which always present surprises, of which I proposed systematic critical analyses. In this regard, I have programmatically blurred the division between so-called auteur cinema and genre cinema, a critical distinction that in my opinion does not take us far, but rather tends to conceal senses and meanings rather than reveal them. Another compass was History, with a capital "s", that of all of us, within which cinema, as an industry as well as as an art, has been created and evolved. Together with the biographical and artistic events of Romulus, History is the common thread of this book. Sometimes I literally let myself get carried away, driven by a voracious curiosity, fueled by the exciting discoveries I was making during the research, curiosity that I hope readers will also have, especially young people, because, at the end of the day, this book is about how we were.

What are the fundamental films that need to be known in order to understand the idea of cinema and Guerrieri's profession?

G.C.: For westerns, "Johnny Yuma" and "$10,000 for a Massacre", very different from each other, seen in sequence also testify to a growth in directorial awareness and progressive "appropriation" of the genre. Guerrieri's most fruitful phase begins with "The Sweet Body of Deborah" and ends with "Dangerous Armed Freedoms", a scarce decade, from 1967 to 1976. In between are some of his best films, such as "A Detective", "A Man, a City" and "Salvo D'Acquisto". In the second volume of the biography, which I hope will be released soon, and which specifically deals with Guerrieri's filmography, I tried to highlight one of the least cited and appreciated films, "The Stand-in" (1971), a thriller based on a novel entirely built with the flashback technique, an authentic tour de force. Together with "One Man, One City", it is perhaps the film in which the director has had the most free hand from a production point of view.


Who Are Those Singers & Musicians ~ Catherine Howe

 

Catherine Howe is a singer-songwriter, actress, television presenter . She was born on May 17, 1950, in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. She is an Ivor Novello Award winner who has earned critical acclaim in dozens of music magazines both in the U.K. and the U.S.A., including Folk Album of the Year from The Sunday Times.

Howe was the youngest of five children. Just before her 12th birthday she moved to London to attend the Corona Stage School. She began an acting career in the late 1960s and has since gained a following in folk music: Record Collector in 2007 called her "one of the great unrecognized voices". Observer Music in 2007 said "Catherine Howe was a Kate Bush before her time".

Howe trained as an actress at the Corona Drama School in London. She commenced an acting career in the late 1960s, performing in contemporary television dramas such as ‘Z-Cars’, ‘The Wednesday Play’, ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Undermind’ and ‘Dixon of Dock Green’. Howe went on to appear in Barney Platts-Mills' film, “Private Road”. In 1970 Howe met Andrew Cameron Miller, an executive at Reflection, a subsidiary of CBS Records, resulting in her recording her debut album “What A Beautiful Place” at Trident Studios in London, in February 1971.

In the early 1980s, Howe took a break from the music industry, before reappearing in the 2000s with new music.

Aside from her time in music and acting, Howe has also written books on secularist George Holyoake and a history of her hometown of Halifax.

HOWE, Catherine [6/17/1950, Halifax, Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England, U.K. -     ] – writer, theater, film, TV actress, singer, songwriter.

The Genius – 1975 [sings: “Glory, Glory, Glory”]

 

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwJDy_lqnpw

Saturday, November 25, 2023

“Spaghetti Westerns Podcast” Season 6 episode 5 #118

Please join me today at high noon PST for the “Spaghetti Westerns Podcast” Season 6 episode 5 #118. I’ll be covering “7 Hours of Gunfire” in our ongoing segment “History of the Spaghetti Western”. I’ll also talk about “Whatever Happened to… Brad Harris”. “Who are Those Guys?” will feature the Italian brothers Osiride and Renzo Pevarello”. The film of the week will be a Giuliano Gemma western “Alive or Preferably Dead”. The LP/CD of the week is also “Alive or Preferably Dead” by composer Gianni Ferrio. We’ll have an autograph of the week, book of the week and wrap things up with the News of the Week. So, join me today at 12 noon PST.



Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Fausto Beffa

[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.]

Fausto Beffa was an Italian fotoromanzi and film character role. He never had any major roles but was always available for crowd scenes, saloon patrons and wedding or party guests where he was just one of the crowd. You won’t find him listed on the IMDb or any other databases concerning films and actors. What information I could find on him was taken from the Thrilling Forum webpage. 

BEFFA, Fausto [Italian] – fotoromanzi, film actor

The Man from Nowhere – 1966 (Blackstone Hill townsman)

The Dirty Outlaws – 1967 (onlooker at hanging)

A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die – 1967 (Tascosa saloon patron)

White Fang – 1973 (saloon patron)

Trinity, the Clown, the Guitar – 1974 (saloon patron)

Who’s Afraid of Zorro – 1975 (wedding guest)

Burt Reynolds Ended Up in Western Production Hell Because of Clint Eastwood

 Eastwood’s recommendation led Reynolds to take on a role he would quickly regret.

Collider

By Samuel Williamson

11/17/2023

If you were an actor and Clint Eastwood told you to go work with a certain filmmaker on a Western, you would absolutely go wherever he told you to go. This was the case for Burt Reynolds, who was thrown way in over his head by the mid-60s Spaghetti Western, Navajo Joe. At the height of the prime era for this subgenre, legendary producer Dino de Laurentiis and acclaimed genre filmmaker Sergio Corbucci were looking to bring a new hero to the big screen, that being the titular Navajo Joe. Allegedly, this filmmaking duo had their eyes on none other than Marlon Brando for the part. Who could blame them? Wouldn't you also want one of cinema's greatest figures leading your movie?

However, Brando turned it down, as he never ended up starring in the picture or taking any role in it. Legend has it that this was a blow for Corbucci, who was "promised" that Brando would take the part. Instead, the team behind Navajo Joe pivoted to Reynolds because of his apparent resemblance to the Godfather actor. In return, Reynolds was interested because his good friend, Eastwood, had talked up a Spaghetti Western filmmaker named Sergio a good bit.

When Reynolds was already on board, he realized Eastwood was talking about Sergio Leone — not Corbucci. These days, Corbucci is regarded as one of the coolest filmmakers of his era, but at the time, not being Sergio Leone wasn't going to cut it. Since then, Reynolds has repeatedly dogged Navajo Joe. According to Aliza Wong's non-fiction book, Spaghetti Westerns: A Viewers Guide, Reynolds has even referred to Corbucci as "the wrong Sergio" on multiple occasions. Despite his bitter feelings towards Navajo Joe, there is a lot of fun to be found in this under-seen Spaghetti Western gem.

In the '60s, Spaghetti Westerns were primarily seen as a means for actors to break into the industry, but these days, everybody loves this particular subgenre. How could you not? This is a genre full of action-packed movies, often mean-spirited and cut from revenge cloth. They cut the nonsense that so many overrated classic Westerns get caught up in and run straight for the action. We're talking about way less of a focus on character drama and over-sentimental drivel, and rather a desire to see how many rounds of ammunition can be fired off in 90 minutes or so. And before I am accused of insisting that there is any less level of artistry at play here, let's just take a step back for a moment and relax. These are incredibly crafted movies, their artistry is just focused elsewhere. The very best Spaghetti Westerns feel enormous, carry an overly badass tone throughout their entire runtime, and are centered around a mysterious antihero who is surrounded by nothing but dirty outlaws. Movies like the Dollars trilogy, Django, and Navajo Joe do this extremely well.

If you look at the early filmographies of many stars that came to prominence in the '60s and '70s, you'll find that many of them got their start, or at least played parts, by taking roles in Spaghetti Westerns. Classic screen presences, like Franco Nero, Lee Van Cleef, and, of course, Clint Eastwood, worked in this stratosphere. These were typically made fast and for cheap, so loads of Spaghetti Western filmmakers dabbled in this genre regularly. There's a reason that the entries in the Dollars trilogy were all released one year after the next. So, when it came time for Dino de Laurentiis and Sergio Corbucci to cast Navajo Joe, the prospect couldn't have been easy for Reynolds to turn down.

This had to have been compacted by his friend Clint Eastwood, the star of the hit (and now iconic) Dollars trilogy, recommending that Reynolds go work with "Sergio." Eastwood had to be as good of a reference in this department as anyone, so of course, Reynolds ended up taking the part. Production commenced, and at some point, he learned that the filmmaker behind the project was actually Sergio Corbucci, not Leone.

This, presumably, tanked his excitement for the prospects of the project that he was filming, yet he obviously persevered because we now have Navajo Joe in full. In Howard Hughes' 2004 nonfiction book, Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness, Reynolds is quoted as saying that the film was "so awful it was only shown in prisons and airplanes because nobody could leave." In his 1991 Emmy acceptance speech, he did reluctantly claim that movies like Navajo Joe were worth working on, but that little morsel of praise feels faint in comparison to the quote about walking out of planes, and years of calling Corbucci "the wrong Sergio."

Is Navajo Joe truly all that bad though? Not in the slightest. It isn't exactly For a Few Dollars More (a leaner and meaner Spaghetti Western than its sequel The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), but it is a ton of fun. In it, we follow Navajo Joe, a Native American warrior (Burt Reynolds) who seeks revenge on the bank-robbing outlaws that slaughtered his tribe. It's the epitome of the pulpy Spaghetti Western action that we run to this subgenre for! There is a feeling of déjà vu here and there, but there's a feeling of comfort in the way that these movies recycle tropes. We go to these movies to watch our leading anti-hero seek revenge on those who wronged them, defend a town from threatening outlaws, and develop a charmingly weakly written romance (in this case, it was with Nicoletta Machiavelli's Estella). It's all part of the fun.

There are brutal action scenes, every frame is covered in grime and full of the sweatiest folks in the West, and wide lenses are thrown on at every opportunity to capture the vast landscapes at hand. It's all topped off with a fantastic, pissed-off leading performance from Reynolds. He might not be Brando, but we don't need an actor of that pedigree in this role. Reynolds walks around this movie looking like an enraged torpedo shrink-wrapped in leather, delivering very few lines, and scowling at everyone in sight like he wants to murder them. From our perspective, no one feels safe at the hands of Navajo Joe — even the people that he's defending! Sometimes, you just need someone in roles like this who has the physicality to carry you through the character's journey, as opposed to someone not only trained at Julliard but who wants you to feel like they trained at Julliard. The actor for Navajo Joe just needs to look mean and be able to kill outlaws on screen. That, Reynolds does very well (and would continue to for decades). He might have hated this movie and sounds like he hated making it, but you wouldn't be able to tell by his performance. Reynolds is fantastic as the titular antihero.

As for the whole "wrong Sergio" situation, Burt Reynolds might have ended up being directed by someone that he wasn't anticipating, but that doesn't say a thing about Corbucci's abilities. He might not be Leone, but in some ways, that's for the better. This isn't an attempt to knock the films of Sergio Leone, one of the greatest filmmakers to ever play the game, but his movies can be a bit... long. Occasionally, that's totally warranted! Some movies need to breathe and take on epic run times. That being said, you can't really go wrong with an airtight 90-minute revenge story. Well, Navajo Joe is technically 93 minutes long, but you get the idea. Corbucci gets in and out of this story at the speed of a bullet.

Still, he doesn't quite have the cinematic eye that Leone does, but that is also asking a lot of somebody. It's kind of like the difference between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones — these are two artists that came out of the same era. In one corner, you have a filmmaker who might technically be more proficient and skilled, but the other knows how to make a meaner and, dare I say it, cooler piece of art. Sometimes, that's all you need. Corbucci, in no world, is the "wrong Sergio." You can get out of here with that, Mr. Reynolds.

There also should be some credit thrown to Ennio Morricone's killer score. It's a criminally overlooked entry in his enormous body of work and just might be his most underrated score. The soundtrack is full of his typical yelping vocalists, but this time more tortured than ever. Of course, twangy surf rock guitars crash through the mix like a bullet through glass, while backing vocalists call and respond to the name "Navajo Joe" over and over again. Violins soar in the background while timpani bang along like the thudding hooves of horses, and the track fades at its peak as if Morricone had no way of structurally ending a piece this bombastic. It's operatic, it's dirty, and it perfectly fits the vibe of Navajo Joe. The whole soundtrack is all killer, with no filler from the greatest composer in the canon of Spaghetti Westerns. There's a reason that the track, "A Silhouette of Doom" is used by Quentin Tarantino in Kill Bill Vol. 2 — it's just that good.

If you're a fan of Spaghetti Westerns, don't listen to Burt Reynolds on this one. Instead, fire it up to catch his totally overlooked antihero performance in Navajo Joe, get to know the other Sergio's filmography a bit better, and thank Clint Eastwood for accidentally mixing up two filmmakers. It might have been tough for Reynolds, but without that oversight, we might not have this overlooked gem in the Spaghetti Western canon.

Navajo Joe is available to watch on Prime Video in the U.S.


Spaghetti Western Locations for “Face to Face”

We continue our search for locations for “Face to Face”. As the coach rolls along Fletcher tells Bennett he’s made a bad mistake taking him a hostage as he’s very ill. Bennett says, “But the sheriff’s men didn’t know.” He then yells to the driver to go faster. Suddenly the stagecoach lynch pin breaks the horses bolt off and the coach overturns. Fletcher and then Bennett crawl out. The driver has been thrown from the coach and lies dead. Bennett removes his holster and gun. Beauregard prepares to shoot and kill Fletcher, but he’s talked out of it. Bennett then faints and falls to the ground. When he wakes, he’s at a stream and Fletcher is tending to his wound a bullet from the sheriff’s gun, back at the inn has given him a side wound. Bennett gives Fletcher the gun he took from the stagecoach driver and asks him to shoot the chain on his manacles. Fletcher has never fired a gun. He’s able to break the chain as Bennett laughs.


This scene was filmed on the plains near Guadix, Spain.


For a more detailed view of this site and other Spaghetti Western locations please visit my friend Yoshi Yasuda’s location site: http://y-yasuda.net/film-location.htm  and Captain Douglas Film Locations http://www.western-locations-spain.com/


Friday, November 24, 2023

Spaghetti Western Trivia - Gerard Herter’s Mercedes

 

German actor Gerard Herter who played Major Lloyd, leader of the Confederate gold thieves in “Professionals for a Massacre”, appeared in a number of other Spaghetti Westerns, including as the villainous Colonel Skimmel in “Adios, Sabata,” and as the sharp-shooting baron in “Big Gundown.” In an interview for Wild East, Edd Byrnes said Herter drove his Mercedes all the way from Germany to Spain, so it’d be at his disposal during the filming.

Little Known Spaghetti Western Actors ~ Karin Beewen

[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.]

Karin Beewen is/was an East German film and TV actress who also worked behind the cameras as casting director. Born in Berlin, Germany in 1944, she appeared in 65 film and TV appearances between 1965 and 1991. She was born in Berlin, Germany sometime in the early 1940s and made her film debut in a 1965 TV film titled “Drei Kriege - 3. Teil: In Berlin” directed by Norbert Büchner and starring Heinz Trilling, Lenka Fiserová and Wilhelm Koch-Hooge. Her last credited film was a 1991 TV movie called “Tandem” directed by Bernhard Stephan which starred Hannelore Hoger, Vadim Glowna and Winfried Glatzeder.

Beewen died in Babelsberg, Stadtkreis Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany sometime in 2016.

Karin appeared in only one Euro-western and that was as Kate in the 1965 East German DEFA Indian film “The Sons of Great Bear” starring Gojko Mitic.

BEEWEN, Karin [1944, Berlin, Germany – 2016, Babelsberg, Stadtkreis Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany] – film, TV actress, casting director.

The Sons of Great Bear – 1965 (Kate)