Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

 Spaghetti Western Director ~ Alex Burks

 Alex Burks was an alias used by Camillo Bazzoni who was born in Salsomaggiore Terme, Emilia-Romagna, Italy on December 29, 1934. He was an Italian film director and cinematographer, the younger brother of director Luigi Bazzoni, whose career spanned from the early 1960s to 2000, contributing to numerous productions in Italian cinema through roles in direction, photography, and camera operation.

Bazzoni began his professional journey as a camera operator on films such as Bernardo Bertolucci's “Prima della rivoluzione” (1964), “La bellezza d'Ippolita” (1962), and “Violenza segreta” (1962). Over the subsequent decades, he established himself as a director of photography on a wide array of projects, including Mario Monicelli's “Speriamo che sia femmina” (1985), Mauro Bolognini's “Le due vite di Mattia Pascal” (1985), and the television miniseries “La Certosa di Parma” (1982). His directorial efforts were more limited, encompassing four feature films between 1967 and 1972: “Vivo per la tua morte” (1967, also known as A Long Ride from Hell), “Commando suicida” (1968), “E venne il giorno dei limoni neri” (aka Black Lemons) (1970), and “Abuso di potere” (1972, (aka Shadows Unseen), often blending genres like Westerns, thrillers, and dramas. Bazzoni's later works as cinematographer included contributions to films such as “Rosa e Cornelia” (2000) and “L'ombra del gigante” (2000), showcasing his enduring versatility in capturing the visual essence of Italian storytelling across dramas, comedies, and historical narratives. He passed away in Mori, Trentino, Italy on October 8, 2020, at the age of 85.

As Alex Burks he directed on Spaghetti western “Vivo per la tua morte” (A Long Ride from Hell) in 1968.

BURKS, Alex (aka Marc Meyer) (Camillo Bazzoni) [12/29/1934, Salsomaggiore Terme, Emilia-Romagna, Italy – 10/8/2020, Mori, Trentino, Italy] – director, writer, cinematographer, cameraman, brother of director, assistant director, writer Luigi Bazzoni [1929-2012], cousin of cinematographer Vittorio Storaro [1940-    ].

A Long Ride from Hell - 1968

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ William E. Bast

William E. Bast was born in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin on April 3, 1931. He moved to Los Angeles to study theater arts at UCLA. There he met and became a close friend of actor James Dean. When Dean died, Bast wrote a highly regarded biography of his friend entitled James Dean: A Biography In 2006, he wrote a second, more candid, book about his relationship with Dean entitled Surviving James Dean.

Bast, wrote extensively for both film and TV such as episodes of series including “Combat!,” “Perry Mason,” “Ben Casey,” “The Outer Limits,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Honey West,” “Dr. Kildare,” “The Mod Squad” and “It Takes a Thief.” He also wrote scripts for the BBC and British Independent Television, adapted Jean Giradoux’s play “Tiger at the Gates” for Granada Television and wrote episodes for classic series “The Prisoner.”

In 1976 he received the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award for his telepic “The Legend of Lizzie Borden,” starring Elizabeth Montgomery. His 1977 adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ “The Man in the Iron Mask,” with Richard Chamberlain in the dual role, was nominated for an Emmy, and in 1982 his script for “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” with Anthony Andrews and Ian McKellen, was honored with a Christopher Award. In 1984, his script for the miniseries “The First Modern Olympics” won him the Writers Guild Award for outstanding script for TV longform series.

From 1985-87 Bast wrote and produced, with his partner Paul Huson, “The Colbys,” a spinoff from the ABC series “Dynasty.”

Bast died from complications of Alzheimer’s on May 4, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. He was 84.

Bast’s only Euro western was the co-screenplay for “El valle Gwangi” (Valley of Geangi) in 1968 with Julian More/

BAST, William E. (William Edwin Bast) [4/3/1931, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, U.S.A. - 5/4/2015, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. (Alzheimer’s)] - writer.

The Valley of Gwangi - 1968 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Mario Capriotti

Mario Capriotti is/was an Italian cameraman and cinematographer who worked thirty films as a cameraman between 1953 and 1972 and also worked on thirty films as a cinematographer between 1956 and 1977.

Even with this number of film credits there is no biographical information available for him.

Capriotti was the cinematographer on eight Spaghetti westens: “Sfida a Rio Bravo” (Gunman of the Rio Grande) in 1964 with Guglielmo Mancori, “Doc, manos de plata” (The Man Who Came to Kill) in 1965 with Stelvio Massi, “Johnny Yuma” in 1966, “Lo straniero di silenzio” (The Silent Stranger) in 1968, “Un uomo chiamato Dakota” (A Gunman Called Dakota” with Angelo Baistrocchi and “Un dólar de recompense” (These Damned Pounds of Gold) both in 1971, “Lo chiamavano Verità” (They Call Hilm Veritas) in 1972 and “Prima ti suono e poi ti sparo” (Trinity the Bell, the Guitar) in 1974.

CAPRIOTTI, Mario (aka M. Capriotti, Mario A. Capriotti) [Italian] – cinematographer, cameraman.

Gunmen of Rio Grande – 1964 (co)

The Man Who Came to Kill – 1965 (co)

Johnny Yuma – 1966

The Silent Stranger - 1968

A Gunman Called Dakota – 1971 (co)

These Damned Pounds of Gold - 1971

They Call Him Veritas - 1972

Trinity, the Bell, the Guitar - 1974