Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Demofilo Fidani

Demofilo Fidani was an Italian film director known for his prolific output of low-budget genre films, particularly spaghetti westerns produced during the late 1960s and 1970s, often under pseudonyms such as Miles Deem. Born on February 8, 1914 in Cagliari, Sardinia, he worked extensively in Italian exploitation cinema, directing around twenty films while frequently serving as writer, producer, and production designer on the same projects. His westerns, which commonly borrowed character names and title formulas from more famous entries in the genre such as Django and Sartana, were characterized by minimal budgets, location shooting in Italy, and a recurring cast including actors like Gordon Mitchell, Jeff Cameron, and Hunt Powers.

Fidani's films often featured unconventional stylistic choices, including heavy use of handheld cameras and extended stock footage sequences, earning him a reputation among genre enthusiasts as a distinctive, if technically modest, figure in spaghetti western production. Beyond westerns, he directed works in other exploitation categories, including adventure films like “Karzan, il favoloso uomo della giungla” and erotic comedies such as “A.A.A. Masseuse, ”, “Good-Looking, Offers Her Services”.

Fidani also used his wife Mila Vitelli Valenza in many of his films as co-writer, and production designer along with his stepdaughter Simone Blondell as an actress in almost all of his westerns.

He maintained a multifaceted career in cinema as a set designer on numerous productions before and during his directing period and also pursued interests in spiritualism as a practicing medium since the 1930s, authoring several books on the subject later in life.

 Fidani died in 1994Fidani died in Rome on April 1, 1994 at the age of 80.

Demofilo Fidani directed Spaghetti westerns: “Ed ora… raccomand l’anima a Dio!” (And Now… Make Your Peace With God), “Passa Sartana… e l'ombra della tua morte” (Shadow of Sartana… Shadow of Death}, “Straniero… fatti il segno della croce!” (Stranger Say Your Prayers) all in 1968, “E vennero in quattro per uccidere Sartana!” (4 Came to Kill Sartana) in 1969, “Arrivano Django e Sartana… è la fine” (Django and Sartana Are Coming... It's the End), “Quel maledetto giorno d’inverno… Django e Sartana all’ultimo sangue” (One Damned Day at Dawn... Django Meets Sartana!), “Inginocchiati straniero… i cadaveri non fanno ombra!” (Dead Men Don’t Make Shadows) all in 1970, “Giù le mani … carogna!” (The Ballad of Django), “Per una bara piena di dollari” (Showdown for a Badman), “Giù la testa… hombre!” (A Fistful of Death), “Il suo nome era Pot” (His Name Was Pot... They Called Him Allegria) with Lucio Giachin and “Era Sam Wallash!... Lo chiamavano… e “Cosi sia” (Savage Guns) all in 1971 and “Amico mio, frega tu... che frego io!” (Anything for a Friend) in 1972

FIDANI, Demofilo (aka Slim Alone, Danilo Dani, Nedo De Fida, Nedo de Fida, M. Deem, Miles Deem, Lucky Dickinson, Nedo Fidano, Demos Filos, Sean O'Neal, Demos Philos, Dick Spitfire) [2/8/1914, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy – 4/1/1994, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – producer, production designer, production manager, director, assistant director, writer, actor, author, married to producer, production designer, writer, actress Mila Vitelli Valenza [1923-2007], stepfather of production designer, film editor, actress Simone Blondell (Simonetta Vitelli) [1950-    ].

And Now… Make Your Peace With God – 1968 [as Miles Deem]

Shadow of Sartana… Shadow of Death – 1968 [as Sean O’Neal]

Stranger Say Your Prayers – 1968 [as Miles Deem]

4 Came to Kill Sartana – 1969 [as Mile Deem]

Django and Sartana Are Coming... It's the End – 1970 [as Dick Spitfire]

One Damned Day at Dawn... Django Meets Sartana! - 1970 [as Miles Deem]

Dead Men Don’t Make Shadows – 1970 [as Miles Deem]

The Ballad of Django – 1971 [as Lucky Dickinson]

Showdown for a Badman -1971 [as Miles Deem]

A Fistful of Death – 1971 [as Miles Deem]

His Name Was Pot... They Called Him Allegria – 1971 (co) [as Slim Alone]

Savage Guns - 1971 [as Miles Deem]

Anything for a Friend – 1972 [as Miles Deem]

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Ramón Plana Castell

Ramón Plana Castell is/was a Spanish filmmaker. He was a production manager on twenty-two films, an assistant director on six, a cameraman on three, a producer on two, a cinematographer on 1and a screenwriter on one.

That one co-screenwriting credit was for his only Spaghetti western, “Yendo hacia ti” (Comin’ at Ya!) with Esteban Cuenca Sevilla, Lloyd Battista, Gene Quintano and Wolfe Lowenthal in 1980.

CASTELL, Ramón Plana (aka Ramón Plana) [Spanish] – producer, production manager, assistant director, writer, cinematographer, cameraman.

Comin’ at Ya! – 1980 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Jorge Herrero

Jorge Herrero is a Spanish writer and cinematographer. He was born in Madrid on April 14, 1936. Besides co-writing the screenplay for the 1969 film “La primera carga al machete” he was a cameraman on thirty films and TV shows from 1956 to 1967 and a cinematographer on fifty-five films between 1964 and 1995.

Jorge was a cameraman on “L'ombra di Zorro” (Shadow of Zorro) in 1962, “Una bara per lo sceriffo” (A Coffin for the Sheriff) and “La Colt è la mia legge” (My Gun is the Law), “Aventuras del Oeste” (Seven Hours of Gunfire) all in 1965, “El precio de un hombre: The Bounty Killer” (The Ugly Ones) in 1966, “ I crudely” (The Hellbenders) in 1967

Herrero was a cinematographer on two Spaghetti westerns: “El Lobo Negro” (The Black Wolf) and “La venganza del Lobo Negro” (Revenge of the Black Wolf) both in 1980.

HERRERO, Jorge [4/14/1936, Madrid, Madrid, Spain -     ] – writer, cinematographer, cameraman.

The Black Wolf - 1980

Revenge of the Black Wolf – 1980