Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

 Spaghetti Western Director – Albert Band

Albert Band was born in Paris, France on May 7, 1924. Alfredo Antonini was an alias he used and not as is often found in books his real name. Albert was the son of artist Max Band [1901-1974]. His mother was born in Marijampolė, and his father was from Kudirkos Naumiestis. His family heritage is Jewish. He escaped from Paris to the United States with his family prior to the occupation of France during World War II. There he graduated from Hollywood High School.

Interested in film, he became an apprentice at Warner Bros. where he developed contacts eventually becoming an assistant director on John Huston's “The Asphalt Jungle”, then adapting the story “The Red Badge of Courage” for Huston's film of the same name.

He made his debut as a producer and director in “The Young Guns” (1956), combining the two then-popular genres of Westerns and juvenile delinquent films. In the late 1950s, he moved to Europe, producing a variety of films, beginning in Sweden with “Face of Fire” (1959), based on another of Stephen Crane's stories, The Monster.

Albert directed seventeen films between 1956 and 2006. He is the father of filmmaker Charles Band and of film composer Richard Band.

Albert Band died in Los Angeles, California on June 14, 2002, from complications from stomach blockage and lung infection. He was 78.

Band directed two Spaghetti westerns: “Massacro al grande Canyon” (Massacre at Grande Canyon) in 1963 with Sergio Corbucci and “Gli uomini dal passo pesante” (The Tramplers) with Mario Sequi in 1966

BAND, Albert (aka Alfredo Antonini) [5/7/1924, Paris, Île-de-France, France – 6/14/2002, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. (complications from stomach blockage and lung infection)] – producer, production manager, director, assistant director, writer, son of artist Max Band [1901-1974], married to actress Jacquelyn Band (Jacquelyn Lois Richardson) [1927-2012] (19??-2002), father of producer, director, writer, actor Charles Band (Charles Robert Band) [1951-    ], producer, production manager, assistant director, writer, composer, songwriter, actor Richard Band (Richard Howard Band) [1953-    ], grandfather of actress Taryn Band (Taryn Lynn Band) [1977-    ], producer, composer, songwriter, actor Alex Band (Alexander Max Band) [1981-    ], actor Harlan Band (Harlan Stefano Band) [1991-    ], actor Zalman Band (Zalman Kerrigan Band) [1995-    ].

Massacre at Grande Canyon – 1963 (co)

The Tramplers – 1966 (co)

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter – Lamberto Antonelli

Lamberto Antonelli was born in Rome on February 19, 1921. He is/was a political journalist who, in addition to his observation of Italian politics (Le poltrone d'oro, 1974) and current affairs (I padri di Cosa Nostra, 1972), also wrote about Italian film (Nato col cinema: Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia, 1992). On some occasions he was also directly involved in films, such as the screenplay of the Italo-Western parody “Lola Colt”, as director of the reportage film about the Vietnam War, guerra e pace and for an unpublished work. 

An article I found published in 202 mentions he passed away a few years ago which means sometime in the 2010s.

As mentioned above Antonelli co-wrote the screenplay for one Spaghetti western: “Lola Colt” (Black Tigress) in 1967 with Luigi Angelo (Luigi Giunta) and Siro Marcellini.

ANTONELLI, Lamberto [2/19/1921, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 201?, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – director, author, writer, actor.

Black Tigress – 1967 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer – Enzo Barboni

Enzo Barboni was born in Rome on July 10, 1922. Although best known as the director of the Trinity films as E.B. Clucher, the surname of his grandmother, Enzo Barboni started out in the film business as a cameraman and cinematographer.

He began to work in film at a very young age, serving as a war correspondent on Eastern Front of World War II, and starting work as a camera operator in 1942. In 1961 he advanced to a career as cinematographer, working several times with director Sergio Corbucci and gaining a well-respected reputation.

He made his directorial debut in 1970 with the serious western “Chuck Moll” (The Unholy Four), which had little success. Undaunted, he decided to make his next film a slapstick parody of the Spaghetti Western phenomenon. The result, “They Call Me Trinity”, was an enormous hit and made superstars out of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. The three reunited the next year for the even more successful sequel “Trinity Is STILL My Name!”, which became, up to that point, the highest grossing Italian movie ever.

Barboni never strayed from his successful formula; his subsequent films were all slapstick comedies and almost all featured either Hill or Spencer. This collaboration produced numerous hits, but when Hill and Spencer's careers started to wane, so did Barboni's. In 1994 he wanted to direct “Troublemakers”, which was to be the "swan song" of the duo, but Terence Hill insisted on directing instead. The next year Barboni tried to revive the formula with “Sons of Trinity”, which proved to be a disaster at the box-office.

After this disappointment, Barboni retired. He died in Rome, at age 79 on June 23, 2002.

Barboni was a cinematographer on ten Spaghetti westerns: “Massacro al grande Canyon” (Massacre at Grande Canyon) in 1963, “Django” in 1965, “Texas, Adios” (The Avenger), “I creudeli” (The Hellbenders) and “El precio de un hombre” (The Ugly Ones) all in 1966, “Little Rita nel West” (Little Rita of the West) and “Little Rita of the West” (A Train for Durango) both in 1967, “Vivo per la tua morte” (A Long Ride from Hell) and “Il suo nome gridava vendetta) (The Man Who Cried for Revenge) both in 1968 and “Un esercito di 5 uomini” (The 5-Man Army) in 1969.

BARBONI, Enzo (aka E.B. Clucher, E.B. Clutcher) [7/10/1922, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 6/23/2002, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – director, writer, cinematographer, cameraman, SFX, brother of cinematographer Leonida Barboni [1909-1970], married to Irma Gazzi (195?-2002) father of writer Marco Barboni [1952-    ].

Massacre at Grande Canyon - 1963

Django – 1965

The Avenger – 1966

The Hellbenders – 1966

The Ugly Ones - 1966

Little Rita of the West – 1967

A Train for Durango - 1967

A Long Ride from Hell - 1968

The Man Who Cried for Revenge – 1968

The 5-Man Army - 1969