Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Mario Gariazzo

Mario Gariazzo was an Italian film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor renowned for his contributions to low-budget exploitation cinema during the 1970s and 1980s.

Born in Biella, Piedmont, Italy on June 4, 1930, Gariazzo began his career in the Italian film industry in the early 1960s, directing his debut feature “Lasciapassare per il morto” (Passport for a Corpse) in 1962, a crime thriller co-written with others. Over the next three decades, he helmed at least 18 films and contributed screenplays to over 20 projects, often working in genres including horror, science fiction, erotic drama, adventure, and poliziotteschi (crime-action films), with frequent international co-productions involving Spain and the United States. His style emphasized sensational and erotic elements, aligning with Italy's boom in genre and exploitation filmmaking, though his works received mixed critical reception, typically earning average ratings on platforms like MYmovies.it.

Among his most notable directorial efforts are the horror film “L'ossessa” (The Possessed, 1974), a tale of demonic possession starring Stella Carnacina; the science fiction thriller “Occhi dalle stelle” (Eyes Behind the Stars, 1978), featuring Robert Hoffmann and involving alien invasion themes; and the erotic mystery “Play Motel” (1979), which starred Ray Lovelock and Anna Maria Rizzoli and explored themes of voyeurism and murder. Gariazzo also directed westerns like “Acquasanta Joe” (Holy Water Joe, 1971) and adventure films such as “Schiave bianche: Violenza in Amazzonia” (White Slaves of the Amazon, 1985), often under pseudonyms like Ray Garrett for international releases. Later in his career, he shifted toward more explicit erotic content, with titles like “Sapore di donna” (Taste of a Woman, 1991) marking his final directorial works before his death in Rome on March 18, 2002 at age 71. Despite not achieving mainstream acclaim, Gariazzo's output reflects the vibrant, if niche, landscape of Italian B-movies during a transformative era for European genre cinema.

Mario Gariazzo directed three Spaghetti westerns: “Dio perdoni la mia pistola” (God Will Forgive My Pistol) with Leopoldo Savona in 1969, “Acquasanta Joe” (Holy Water Joe) in 1971 and “Il giorno del giudizio” (Drummer of Vengeance) in 1971.

GARIAZZO, Mario (aka Gariazzo, Roy Garret, Roy Garrett, Robert Paget, John Walker) [6/4/1930, Biella, Piedmont, Italy – 3/18/2002, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – producer, director, writer, film editor.

God Will Forgive My Pistol – 1966, 1969 (co)

Holy Water Joe - 1971

Drummer of Vengeance – 1971 [as Robert Paget]

The Most Dangerous Man in the West – 1972 [film was never made]

Spaghetti Western Screenplay ~ Marcello Ciorciolini

Marcello Ciorciolini was an Italian screenwriter, film director, playwright, lyricist, and author for radio and television.

Born in Rome on March 7, 1922, Ciorciolini began his professional career in the late 1940s by writing sketches and scripts for Italian radio broadcasts, before entering the film industry in the early 1950s as an assistant director and screenwriter on projects such as Silvio Laurenti “Rosa's La folla” (1951). Over the next three decades, he contributed to more than 50 films, specializing in popular genres like comedy, western, adventure, and parody, with frequent collaborations alongside director Giorgio Simonelli and the iconic comedy duo Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia. His screenwriting credits include notable titles such as “Robin Hood e i pirati” (1960), “La vendetta di Ursus” (1961), and “Due mafiosi contro Al Capone” (1966), often blending humor with lighthearted action.

Ciorciolini transitioned to directing in 1965 with the comedy “Con rispetto parlando”, starring Scilla Gabel, and went on to helm around 10 features, many featuring Franco and Ciccio, including “I nipoti di Zorro” (1968), “Ciccio perdona... io no!” (1968), and “Meo Patacca” (1972), a Roman dialect comedy that highlighted his versatility in regional storytelling. Beyond cinema, he worked as a playwright and authored content for television, contributing to the vibrant post-war Italian entertainment scene. As a lyricist affiliated with SIAE (Società Italiana degli Autori ed Editori), he penned the original Italian words for "Ti guarderò nel cuore" from the 1962 documentary Mondo cane, composed by Riz Ortolani and Nino Oliviero; the song achieved global fame through its English adaptation "More," earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Ciorciolini's work exemplified the prolific, genre-blending spirit of mid-20th-century Italian popular culture, though he remained best known domestically for his contributions to comedic cinema.

Marcello Ciorciolini was a co-screenwriter on five Spaghetti westerns: “Due Mafiosi nel Far West” (Two Mafiamen in the Far West) with Giorgio Simonelli, Leonardo Martin Mendez in 1964, “I due sergenti del generale Custer” (The Two Sergeants of General Custer) with Giorgio Simonelli, Amedeo Sollazzo and Alfonso Balcazar Granda in 1965, “I due figli di Ringo” (Two Sons of Ringo” with Roberto Gianviti, Amedeo Sollazzo, Dino Verde in 1966, “Ciccio perdona…io no!” (Ciccio Forgives…I Don’t!) with Amedeo Sollazzo and “I nipoti di Zorro” (The Nephews of Zorro) with Roberto Gianvitti, Vittorio Metz and Dino Verde in both in 1968

CIORCIOLINI, Marcello (aka M. Ciorciolini, James Harris, Frank Red, Frank Reed) [3/7/1922, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 9/5/2011, Rome Lazio, Italy] – director, assistant director, writer, songwriter.

Two Mafiamen in the Far West – 1964 (co)

The Two Sergeants of General Custer – 1965 (co)

The Two Sons of Ringo – 1966 (co)

Ciccio Forgives…I Don’t! – 1968 (co)

The Nephews of Zorro – 1968 (co)

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Jan Karpas

Jan Karpas is a Czech animator, director, and screenwriter known for his contributions to stop-motion animation in Czechoslovak cinema during the 20th century. Born on October 8, 1913, in Červený Kostelec, Austria-Hungary, he developed a distinctive style that incorporated creative substitutions and everyday objects in his animated shorts. His work emerged within the vibrant tradition of Czech animation, alongside contemporaries in puppet and stop-motion filmmaking.

Karpas directed and wrote several notable animated films, including “Liška a vlk” (Fox and Wolf) and “Fikmik” (1959), the latter celebrated for its inventive use of food items and pebbles as substitutes for objects in stop-motion sequences. He also contributed to other projects such as “Three Gifts” (1974). His career spanned several decades until his death on May 26, 1984, in Brandýs nad Labem, Czechoslovakia, leaving a legacy in experimental and short-form animation

Jan Jarpas was a co-animator on one Euro-western “Arie Prerie” (Song of the Prairie) with Břetislav Pojar, Bohuslav Šrámek, Zdeněk Hrabě, and Stanislav Látal in 1949.

KARPAS, Jan (Jan Karpaš) [10/8/1913, Červený Kostelec, Austria-Hungary – 5/26/1984, Brandýs nad Labem, Czechoslovakia] – director, writer, animator.

Song of the Prairie – 1949 (co)