Spaghetti
Western Director ~ Viggo Larsen
Viggo
Larsen was a Danish cinema pioneer who advanced from a military background to
become an actor, director, scriptwriter, and producer in the silent film era.
After initial work in Ole Olsen's cinema chain, he joined the newly founded
Nordisk Film Kompagni in 1906, directing its early output—including all films
produced between 1906 and 1909, and helming 29 Danish titles, such as the
commercially successful “Løvejagten” (Lion Hunt, 1907), which sold 259 prints
despite controversy over its depiction of captive animal hunting. Larsen gained
prominence for directing and portraying Sherlock Holmes in a series of Nordisk
adaptations from 1908 to 1910, including “Sherlock Holmes i Livsfare” (1908)
and “Den Graa Dame” (The Grey Lady), 1909, as well as German crossovers like “Arsène
Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes”.
Relocating
to Berlin in 1910, Larsen collaborated with Vitascope and later discovered
actress Wanda Treumann, co-founding Treumann Larsen Film GmbH in 1912 to
produce dozens of films, including “Die Sumpfblume” (The Marsh Flower), 1913.
Over his career, he directed approximately 235 films through 1921, spanning
genres from detective stories to early Westerns like “Frank Hansens Lykke”
(Frank Hansen's Fortune), 1917, before focusing more on acting in 140 roles up
to “Diesel” (1942).
He
remained in Germany until after World War II, returning to Denmark in 1945.
There he died on January 6, 1957, in Copenhagen at the age of 76.
Viggo
Larsen directed two silent Euro-westerns: “Texas Tex” in 1907 and “Frank
Hansens Lykke” (Frank Hansen’s Fortune) in 1917.
LARSEN,
Viggo [8/14/1880, Copenhagen,
Denmark – 1/6/1957, Copenhagen, Denmark] – producer, director, actor, co-founded
Treumann Larsen Film GmbH [1912].
Texas Tex - 1907
Frank Hansen’s Fortune – 1917
Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Sergio Donati
Sergio Donati was an Italian screenwriter best known
for his pivotal role in shaping the spaghetti western genre through his
collaborations with director Sergio Leone, most notably penning the expansive
screenplay for the landmark film “Once Upon a Time in the West” (1968).
Born in Rome on April 13, 1933, Donati initially
trained as a lawyer at the city's Faculty of Law but abandoned the profession
after publishing three crime novels by the age of 23, including Il Sepolcro
di Carta (1956), which was later adapted into the film “I Am What I Am”
(1967). His screenwriting career took off in the mid-1960s with uncredited
rewrites for Leone's Dollars Trilogy, contributing to “For a Few Dollars More”
(1965) and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” (1966), which helped establish the
gritty, operatic style of Italian westerns.
Donati's partnership with Leone continued with the
420-page script for “Once Upon a Time in the West”, an epic revenge tale
starring Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson that is widely regarded as a
masterpiece of the genre for its intricate plotting and atmospheric tension. He
also co-wrote “Duck, You Sucker!” (1971), another Leone-directed western set
during the Mexican Revolution, blending action with political themes. Beyond
westerns, Donati's prolific output spanned more than 70 films, including the
thriller “Orca: The Killer Whale” (1977) and the action film “Raw Deal” (1986)
starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as later works like “Man on Fire”
(1987) and “The Sicilian Girl” (2008).
In his later years, Donati reflected on his career in
the memoir Once Upon a Time in the West… I Was There Too (2007),
offering insider anecdotes on the filmmaking process while maintaining a
self-effacing view of screenwriting as a collaborative craft overshadowed by
directors. He passed away in Mentana, near Rome, at the age of 91 on August 13,
2024, leaving a legacy as one of the unsung architects of Italian cinema's
golden age.
Sergio Donati wrote and co-rote eleven screenplays for
Spaghetti westerns: “$100,000 par el Lassiter” (Dollars for a Fast Gun) with Joaquín
Romero Hernández and “Per qualche dollaro in piu” (For a Few Dollars More) with
Sergio Leone, Luciano Vincenzoni both in 1965, “La resa dei conti” (The Big
Gundown) with Tulio Demicheli and Sergio Sollima and “Il buono, il brutto, il
cattivo” (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) with Agenore Incrocci, Furio
Scarpelli), Sergio Leone and Luciano Vincezoni both in 1966, “Faccia a facia”
(Face to Face) with Sergio Sollima in 1967, “C’era un a volta il west” (Once
Upon a Time in the West) with Sergio Leone in 1968, “Amico, stammi lontano
almeno un palmo” (The Ballad of Ben and Charlie) with Luigi Montefiori and
“”Giu la testa” (Duck You Sucker) with Sergio Leone and Luciano Vincenzoni both
in 1971, “Cipolla Colt” (Spaghetti Western) with Miguel de Echarri and Luciano
Vincenzoni in 1974, “Occhio alla penna” (Buddy Goes West) in 1981 and “Grand
Nord” (North Star” with Lorenzo Donati and Paul Ohl in 1996. Donati was also
scheduled to write screenplays for the long-awaited Sergio Leone television
series ‘Colt’ which has never materialized.
DONATI,
Sergio (aka Sergio Donatti, Serge
Given, Lorenzo Ruffino) [4/13/1933, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 8/13/2024,
Mentana, Lazio, Italy] – assistant director, writer, film editor, actor,
married to Lorena Donati [19??-2024] father of writer, cameraman Lorenzo
Donati, writer Duccio Donati, awarded a “Tondo” [2015].
Dollars for a Fast Gun – 1965 (co)
For a Few Dollars More – 1965 (co)
The Big Gundown – 1966 (co)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – 1966 (co)
Face to Face – 1967 (co)
Once Upon a Time in the West – 1968 (co)
The Ballad of Ben and Charlie – 1971 (co)
Duck You Sucker – 1971 (co)
Spaghetti Western – 1974 (co)
Buddy Goes West – 1981
Colt (TV) – 1994 [TV series was never made]
North Star – 1996 (co)
Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Émile Pierre
Ovide Émile Pierre was born in Mohon, Brittany, France
on April 27, 1883 he was a French cameraman and cinematographer. He was a
cameraman on eight films between 1926 to1935 and mainly as a cinematographer on
one-hundred-thirteen films between 1908 and 1934.
Like most silent film crew members little has been
written about them other than a filmography. Pierre is no exception and I can
find no biographical information on him other than his birthdate and his
passing on September 19, 1969 in Paris, France at the age of 86.
Émile Pierre was a cinematographer on one silent
Euro-western, “Aux mains des bandits” in 1911.
PIERRE, Émile (Ovide Émile Pierre) [4/27/1883, Mohon, Brittany,
France – 9/19/1969, Paris, Île-de-France, France] – cinematographer, cameraman.
Aux mains des bandits - 1911
