Spaghetti Western Director ~ Jean Girault
Jean Girault was a French film director and screenwriter
renowned for his contributions to popular comedy cinema, most notably the
Gendarme series featuring Louis de Funès as the bumbling Sergeant Ludovic
Cruchot.
Born in Villenauxe-la-Grande in the Aube department on
May 9. 1924, to a sales representative father and a teacher mother, Girault
faced early hardships, including his father's abandonment and a childhood
battle with tuberculosis. After earning his baccalauréat and briefly studying
medicine, he attended the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC)
and began his career in the 1940s as a screenwriter and assistant director,
collaborating with figures like Jacques Vilfrid and Marcel Blistène on shorts,
theater pieces such as Douce Anita, and early feature scripts.
Girault transitioned to directing with his debut feature “Les
Pique-assiette” in 1960, quickly establishing himself in the comedy genre with
films like “Pouic-Pouic” (1963) and the blockbuster “Le Gendarme de
Saint-Tropez” (1964), which launched a franchise that spanned six installments,
including “Le Gendarme à New York” (1965), “Le Gendarme se marie” (1968), “Le
Gendarme en balade” (1970), “Le Gendarme et les extra-terrestres” (1979), and “Le
Gendarme et les gendarmettes” (1982). Girault's films, including the Gendarme
series often co-written with Vilfrid, amassed over 75 million admissions in
France and highlighted his knack for farce, ensemble casts, and satirical takes
on authority, frequently starring de Funès alongside Michel Galabru, Claude
Gensac, and later Jacques Villeret in “La Soupe aux choux” (1981).
Beyond the Gendarme saga, Girault directed more than 30
films over two decades, including “Les Grandes Vacances” (1967), “Jo” (1971),
and an adaptation of Molière's “L'Avare” (1979), blending lighthearted
narratives with occasional dramatic elements while maintaining a focus on
accessible, crowd-pleasing entertainment. His style emphasized verbal humor,
physical comedy, and social observation, though it received mixed critical
acclaim for its formulaic approach. In 1978, he was awarded the Prix du
meilleur cinéaste by the Amicale des cadres de l’industrie cinématographique.
Girault's life was marked by personal reserve and
professional humility; married with limited public details on his private
affairs, he succumbed to tuberculosis complicated by a heart attack at age 58
while overseeing post-production on “Le Gendarme et les gendarmettes”. His
legacy endures through the enduring popularity of his films, which continue to
draw audiences for their timeless comedic appeal and role in elevating de Funès
to stardom.
Jean Girault co-directed one Spaghetti western, “Le juge
Roy Bean” (Judge Roy Bean) with Federico Chentrens in 1971
GIRAULT, Jean [5/9/1924, Villenauxe-la-Grande,
Aube, France – 7/24/1982, Paris, Île-de-France, France (tuberculosis)] –
director, writer, actor, married to makeup artist, actress Francoise Girault (Françoise
Louise Jourdanet) [1946-2019] (19??-1982) father of Dominique Girault.
Judge Roy Bean – 1971 (co)
Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Franco Cobianchi
Franco Cobianchi was an Italian actor and screenwriter
known for his contributions to 1960s genre cinema, including peplum films, Spaghetti
westerns, and adventure productions. Born on June 23, 1923 in Ferrara, Italy,
he began his film career in the mid-1950s with supporting acting roles in
comedies, melodramas, and adventure pictures, frequently appearing under
pseudonyms such as Franco D'Este, Peter White, and Lanfranco Cobianchi.
He gained particular recognition for his work in popular
Italian low- and mid-budget films, acting in titles such as “Maciste e i 100
gladiatori” (1964), “Il colt è la mia legge” (My Gun is the Law, 1965), “I
lunghi giorni della vendetta” (Long Days of Vengeance, 1967), and “Commandos”
(1968). Cobianchi also wrote screenplays and stories for several films in the
same era, including “The Conqueror of Atlantis” (1965), “My Gun is the Law”
(1965), and “If You Want to Live... Shoot!” (1968), where he additionally
served as an assistant director. His career exemplified the prolific character
players and multi-hyphenates of Italy's post-war popular film industry, though
it ended prematurely with his death on 9 August 9, 1970, in Rome, Italy, at age
47.
As mentioned above Franco Cobianchi co-wrote the
screenplays for three Spaghetti westerns: “La Colt è la mia legge” (The Colt is
My Law) with Mario Musy (Mario Glori), Ramón Comas Turner and Alfonso Brescia
in 1965, “Se vuoi vivere…spara!” (If You Want to Live... Shoot!) with Darturo
M. Tejedor and Sergio Garrone in 1967 and “Tre croci per nopn morire” (No
Graves on Boot Hill) with Sergio Garone in 1968.
COBIANCHI, Franco (aka F. Cobianchi,
Franco D'Este Cobianchi, Lanfranco Cobianchi, Franco D'Este, Franco d'Este,
Franco D’Este, Peter White, Franco D'Este/Peter White) (Franco Cobianchi
d'Este) [10/3/1930, Orbignano, Pistoia, Italy – 7/12/2015, Coccomaro DiCona,
Ferrara, Italy] – assistant director, writer, film actor.
The Colt is My Law – 1965 (co) [as Franco D’Este]
If You Want to Live... Shoot! – 1967 (co) [as F.
Cobianchi]
No Graves on Boot Hill – 1968 (co)
Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Robert Krasker
Robert Krasker was an Australian cinematographer best
known for his innovative black-and-white work on British films, including his
Academy Award-winning cinematography for “The Third Man” (1949), which featured
distinctive high-contrast lighting, tilted camera angles, and atmospheric
depictions of post-war Vienna.
Born on August 21 1913, in Alexandria, Egypt, to Romanian
merchant Leon Krasker and Austrian-born Matilde Rubel, Krasker was the youngest
of five children and emigrated with his family to Perth, Western Australia. After
studying art in Paris and optics and photography in Dresden in the 1930s, he
moved to London in 1932, where he began his career at Alexander Korda's London
Film Productions as a camera assistant and operator under cinematographer
Georges Périnal, gaining expertise in lighting, composition, and camera
placement. His first solo cinematography credit came with “The Gentle Sex”
(1943, directed by Leslie Howard), marking the start of a prolific career
spanning over 60 films, primarily in Britain.
Krasker's notable collaborations included directors David
Lean, Carol Reed, and Laurence Olivier, with standout works such as “Henry V”
(1944), his first in Technicolor, which earned praise for its painterly visuals
inspired by medieval manuscripts; “Brief Encounter” (1945), capturing emotional
intimacy through subtle lighting; and “Odd Man Out” (1947), a film noir
precursor noted for its shadowy, tension-filled Belfast streets. His Oscar for “The
Third Man”, the first for an Australian cinematographer, highlighted his
mastery of wide-angle lenses, unusual perspectives, and realism over glamour,
influencing the film's iconic sewer chase and canted angles. Later highlights
included “Romeo and Juliet” (1954, for which he won a British Society of
Cinematographers award), “Alexander the Great” (1956), “The Criminal” (1960), “El
Cid” (1961, shot in 70mm Technirama and earning another BSC award), and “The
Running Man” (1963, BAFTA-nominated). Fluent in French with good knowledge of
Spanish and Italian, Krasker never married and virtually retired after “The
Trap” (1966) due to health issues and shifting cinematic trends toward color
and widescreen formats, though he later contributed to short films in the 1970s
and 1980. He died on August 16, 198,1 in London a week shy of turning 68,
leaving a legacy as a pioneer of expressive, narrative-driven cinematography in
mid-20th-century British film.
As mentioned above Robert Krasker was the cinematographer
on one Euro-western, “The Trap” in 1966.
KRASKER, Robert (aka Bob Klasker,
Bob Krasker, R. Krasker) [8/21/1913, Alexandria, Egypt – 8/16/1981, London,
England, U.K.] – cinematographer, cameraman.
The Trap – 1966
