Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director – George Bange

Yang Man-Yi was born in Singapore, China on August 2, 1937. Under the aliases George Bang, Yeo Ban-yee, Man-Yi Yang, Leo Ban Yee, Ban Ann Yeo, Ban-Yee Yeo he worked on over ninety films in his career from 1966 as 1981 as a producer, production manager and director. He began his career in 1964 at only 27 years of age at the Cathay Organization, where he worked on movies as a production manager and assistant director for such films as “Travel with a Sword” (1968), “The Invincible Sabre” (1968), “A Pearl in Command” (1969) “Unconquered” (1970), and the award-winning “From the Highway (1970), eventually becoming General Manager of the company till its dissolution in 1971. He then went to work for Shaw Brothers and then in 1971 founded his own production company Yang Tze Productions, Ltd. Yang pushed the promotion of his company and his new leading actor Pai Piao like a true huckster; claiming that in Britain, 1973s “Stranger from Canton” was a top ten hit; and that other than Bruce Lee, the most popular Chinese star in America was Pai Piao. The reality was Pai's movies hadn't done well in Hong Kong and Taiwan but were doing good business in other Asian territories like the Philippines. That market would be integral in the production of one of the few films in Yang Tze's catalog that made money internationally.

As George Bange he directed one Spaghetti western: “…Altrimenti vi ammucchiamo” (Kung Fu Brothers in the Wild West) in 1972,

BANGE, George (aka Yeo Ban-yee, Man-Yi Yang, Leo Ban Yee, Ban Ann Yeo, Ban-Yee Yeo) (Yang Man-Yi) [8/2/1937, Singapore, China – 5/16/1979, China (liver disease)] – producer, production manager, director, founded Yang Tze Productions, Ltd. [1971].

Kung Fu Brothers in the Wild West – 1972

Spaghetti Western Screenwriters – Cédric Apikian

Cédric Apikian was born in Marseille, France in 1971. He holds a Master's degree in cinema and is a screenwriter, director and producer. He has written and directed numerous music videos, music documentaries, TV series, short and medium-length films, most of which have won awards and been broadcast around the world (France, USA, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Spain, Germany...). He made his first foray into the world of comics in 2013 with the audiovisual show pifPAFpoum dedicated to the 9th art, with a lot of humorous sketches and unexpected guests. In 2019, he released his first album with Casterman La ballade du soldat Odawaa with Christian Rossi on the drawings. The 3rd Kamera with Denis Rodier (La Bombe) is his first graphic novel with Glénat editions. Today he lives between Paris and Marseille.

Apikian has written the screenplays for two Euro-westerns the 2007 film short “Where the Indian Lies” and a 2011 TV project called ‘The Adventures of One-Eyed Diaz the Clear Sighted One’.

APIKIAN Cédric [1971, Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France -     ] – producer, director, author, writer.

Where the Indian Lies – 2007

The Adventures of One-Eyed Diaz the Clear Sighted One (TV) 2011

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer – Arturo Barr

Arturo was a director of photography, cinematographer on eleven Italian silent films during a decade long career from 1913 to 1923. Like so many silent film actors and crew members there is little to no biographical information on them other then a list of films they worked on. Barr is no exception. He’s listed in the Italian Film: A Who’s Who by John Stewart, McFarland & Co. Inc. 1994 but only by name a list of credits.

Barr was a cinematographer on only one Euro-western 1920’s “Buffalo e Bill”.

BARR, Arturo – cinematographer, cameraman.

Buffalo e Bill – 1920