Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Luciano B. Carlos

Luciano Balares Carlos was born in Sampaguita, Philippines in 1925. Known by his nickname "Chaning", Carlos began as a writer for Sampaguita Pictures and then ventured into directing. He directed 101 films between 1964 and 1997. He also wrote stories and screenplays for films 127 films between 1954 and 1991. During his film career he also acted and appeared in 9 films between 1954 and 2003.

His works were characterized by strong satirical and cynically humorous tones, which led him to be considered one of the most important exponents of Filipino comedy. Nevertheless, he was also able to be appreciated in several other genres, such as drama.

Carlos died of complications of pneumonia on November 21, 2002, at the age of 77, during a visit to his daughter in Fullerton, California. He was 77.

Lucien B. Carlos directed one Spaghetti western 1970’s “The Arizona Kid”.

CARLOS, Luciano B. (aka Chaning Carlos, Luciano Carlos Luciano ‘Channing’ Carlos) (Luciano Balares Carlos) [1925, Sampaguita, Philippines – 11/21/2002, Fullerton, California, U.S.A. (pneumonia)] – director, assistant director, writer, songwriter, actor, married to Chet Carlos father of seven children.

The Arizona Kid – 1970

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Giulio Berruti

Giulio Berruti was born in Leini, Piedmont, Italy on April 28, 1937. He was an assistant director, film editor and writer. He was active in the Italian film industry from 1966 to 1979 as an assistant director on 6 films, a film editor on 9 and wrote stories and screenplays for 8 films.

Giulio Berruti co-wrote the screenplay for only one Spaghetti western: “Zanna Bianca e il cacciatore solitario” (White Fang and the Hunter” with Giuseppe Maggi and Alfonso Brescia in 1975.

BERRUTI, Giulio (aka G. Berruti) [4/28/1937, Leini, Piedmont, Italy -     ] – assistant director, writer, film editor.

White Fang and the Hunter – 1975

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Stanley Cortez

Stanley Cortez was an American cinematographer whose career spanned over six decades, marked by innovative use of lighting, deep-focus techniques, and atmospheric visuals in more than 70 films.

Born Stanislaus Krantz in New York City's Lower East Side on November 4, 1908, to Austrian immigrant parents, Cortez adopted his professional name in homage to his older brother, the silent film actor Ricardo Cortez. He began his career in the 1920s as an assistant to portrait photographers such as Pirie MacDonald and Edward Steichen before transitioning to the film industry as a camera operator and assistant on projects including D.W. Griffith's final films and Busby Berkeley musicals.

Cortez's breakthrough as a director of photography came in the late 1930s, with his first feature credit on “Four Days Wonder” (1936) at Universal Studios, followed by acclaimed work on Orson Welles's “The Magnificent Ambersons” (1942), for which he earned his first Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography (Black-and-White). His second Oscar nomination arrived for co-cinematography on John Cromwell's epic “Since You Went Away” (1944) alongside Lee Garmes, noted for its emotional depth and wartime realism.

Among his most celebrated achievements was the haunting, expressionistic black-and-white photography for Charles Laughton's sole directorial effort, “The Night of the Hunter” (1955), widely regarded as his masterpiece for its stark contrasts, symbolic compositions, and fairy-tale-like menace. Later highlights include the psychological drama “The Three Faces of Eve” (1957), Samuel Fuller's provocative “Shock Corridor” (1963) and “The Naked Kiss” (1964), and the war film “The Bridge at Remagen” (1969), showcasing his versatility in genres from noir thrillers to social commentary.

Known for his perfectionism and dramatic style—influenced by collaborations with directors like Fritz Lang and Welles—he received four major ASC awards over his lifetime, though his uncompromising approach sometimes led to clashes, such as his brief stint on Roman Polanski's “Chinatown” (1974), from which he was fired after 10 days. Cortez passed away in Los Angeles after a long illness on December 23, 1997, leaving a legacy of visually poetic contributions to cinema. He was 89.

Stanley Cortez was a cinematographer on two Euro-westerns: “Blue” in 1968 and with Jacques Lefrançois on “Un autre homme, une autre chance” (Another Man, Another Chance) in 1977.

CORTEZ Stanley (Stanislaus Kranz) [11/4/1908, New York City, New York, U.S.A. – 12/23/1997, Hollywood, California, U.S.A.] – cinematographer, cameraman, brother of actor, director Ricardo Cortez (Jacob Krantz) [1900-1977], married to dancer and actress Mildred Rehn

(Mildred Ann Rehn) [1913-1989] (1938-1989).

Blue - 1968

Another Man, Another Chance – 1977 (co)