Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenplays, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Sergio Bergonzelli

Sergio Bergonzelli was born in Alba, Piedmont, Italy on August 25, 1924. He was an Italian director, screenwriter, producer and actor.

A graduate in philosophy, Sergio Bergonzelli made his debut as an actor in 1952, initially using the pseudonym Siro Carme.

1957 marked the final end of his acting activities, but it opened the door to Bergonzelli's directing career; in fact, in 1960 he made his first film as both director and screenwriter (a role he would play in many other productions) with the film “The Adventurers of the Tropicsref”. In 1964 Bergonzelli directed his first Spaghetti western as Serge Bergon “Jim il priom” (The Last Gun), described by critics as the first Italian-style western, predating even Sergio Leone's masterpiece “A Fistful of Dollars”. In 1965 he was again director and screenwriter (participation in the screenplay by Bitto Albertini) with “Uno straniero a Sacramento” (A Stranger in Sacramento), described by critics as having no particular merit. Also in the same year, the director-actor produced another film, again signing the screenplay, and again with Bitto Albertini, M.M.M.83, completely changing genres. A peculiarity of Sergio Bergonzelli is precisely the great variation of genres, both as an actor and as a director. In 1966 he returned to the western genre with the making of “El Cisco”, starring William Berger, again Bergonzelli personally handled the screenplay. In the period between 1965 and 1975 the film world will see a great spread of the western genre, Bergonzelli does not escape the trend and signs one more western film: “Una colt in pugno al diavolo” (A Colt in the Hand of the Devil).

In all Bergonzelli directed five Spaghetti westerns: “Jim il primo” (The Last Gun) in 1964, “Uno straniero a Sacramento” (A Stranger in Sacramento) in 1965, “El Cisco” (Cisco) in 1966, “Una colt in pugno al diavolo” (A Colt in the Hand of the Devil) in 1967, “Un dólar para Sartana” (Raise Your Hands Dead Man, You’re Under Arrest) in 1971 with León Klimovsky.

Sergio died in Rome on September 24, 2002, at the age of 78.

BERGONZELLI, Sergio (aka Serge Bergon, Siro Carme) [8/25/1924 – 9/24/2002, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – producer, director, assistant director, writer, actor.

The Last Gun – 1964 [as Serge Bergon]

A Stranger in Sacramento – 1965 [as Serge Bergon]

Cisco – 1966 [as Serge Bergon]

A Colt in the Hand of the Devil – 1967

My Name is Sartana and I’ve Come to Kill You – 1970 [film was never made.]

Blood Bath – 1971 [film was never made]

Raise Your Hands Dead Man, You’re Under Arrest – 1971 (co)

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Yvan Audouard

Yvan Odilon Augustin Louis Audouard was born in Saigon, Indochina on February 27, 1914. Audouard was a French writer, journalist, and screenwriter known for his sharp satirical contributions to the weekly Le Canard enchaîné over more than five decades, his humorous books often celebrating Provence, and his dialogues and screenplays for French films in the 1950s and 1960s. His father was a military officer from Avignon and his mother was a bookseller from Marseille, he spent much of his childhood in Arles and Nîmes, fostering a lifelong attachment to the Provence region and its culture.

Audouard enjoyed a prolific career as a screenwriter and dialoguist in French cinema during the 1950s and 1960s, contributing to approximately 20 feature films, most often through dialogue work, adaptations, and contributions to comedies and musicals. His involvement typically emphasized witty dialogue and adaptation from literary or other sources, aligning with the era's popular light entertainment genres.

Among his key credits are “Le grand bluff” (1957), where he served as writer, and “Oh! Qué mambo” (1959), for which he provided the dialogue. He wrote the screenplay and story for “Cocagne” (1961), adapted from his own 1959 novel of the same name. Other notable works include “Tartarin de Tarascon” (1962) as writer and “D’où viens-tu... Johnny?” (1963), where he handled the adaptation, dialogue, and screenplay. He also contributed uncredited dialogue to “Secret File 1413” (1961).

Audouard extended his screenwriting efforts to television, writing the TV movie ‘Bethléem de Provence’ (1960), a segment of ‘Chroniques de France’ (1971), and supplying the original idea for an episode of ‘Histoires de voyous’ (1978). These contributions reflect his continued engagement with narrative writing beyond feature films into later decades

In his final years, Yvan was afflicted with severe age-related macular degeneration (DMLA), a condition that left him nearly blind. Despite this profound visual impairment, he persisted in his writing, producing aphorism collections such as Pensées provisoirement définitives and Heureux les fêlés… car ils laisseront passer la lumière, in which his characteristic humor remained notably effective.

Audouard spent his last period in the palliative care unit of the Jeanne-Garnier medical centre in Paris's 15th arrondissement, where he retained his combative spirit and wit even as his health declined further and writing became increasingly difficult. He died on March 21, 2004, at the age of 90.

Audouard’s only Euro-western screenplay was for “Fernand cow-boy” (Fernand Cowboy) in 1956 with Jean Redon and Guy Lefranc

AUDOUARD, Yvan (Yvan Odilon Augustin Louis Audouard) [2/27/1914, Saigon, Indochina – 3/21/2004, Paris, Île-de-France, France] – writer, author, actor, married to Françoise Thirion (1955-2004) father of writer Antoine Audouard [1956-    ], author Marianne Audouard (195?-    ).

Fernand Cowboy – 1956 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Helmut Bergmann

Helmut Bergmann was born in Niederkaina, Bautzen, Saxony, Germany on February 15, 1926. He was the younger brother of cinematographer Werner Bergmann. He began his career working as an assistant to his brother shooting documentaries with his director wife Bärbl Bergmann mainly in Egypt. Upon their return to East Germany, he continued his work behind the camera for DEFA When DEFA closed up production in 1991 Bergmann retired.

He was a cinematographer on forty-nine films and was a writer on one film, 1991’s “Olle Hexe”.

Helmut Bergmann was a cinematographer on three Euro-westerns: “Apachen” (Apaches) in 1973 and “Ulzana” in 1974

BERGMANN, Helmut [2/15/1926, Niederkaina, Bautzen, Saxony, Germany – 3/15/1998, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany] – writer, cinematographer, cameraman, brother of cinematographer Werner Bergmann [1921-1990], married to writer, director, assistant director Bärbl Bergmann [1931–2003] (19??-1998).

Apaches – 1973

Ulzana – 1974

Bloody Heart – 1986 [film was never completed]