Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Luciano Lelli

 

Luciano Lelli was an alias used by Luciano Sacripanti, an Italian assistant director and production manager known for his extensive work on international film and television productions, particularly those filmed in Italy during the mid-to-late 20th century. He contributed to numerous high-profile projects as first assistant director or second unit director, including the fantasy epics “Krull” (1983) and “Ladyhawke” (1985), where he oversaw Italian units. His career also encompassed early roles in unit management on major Hollywood productions shot in Italy, such as “Quo Vadis” (1951) and “War and Peace” (1956).

Born on December 29, 1927, in Rome, Lazio, Italy, Sacripanti entered the film industry in the early 1950s and built a long career focused on logistical and directorial support for both feature films and television. He accumulated dozens of assistant director credits on diverse projects, ranging from adventure films like “Clash of the Titans” (1981) to television miniseries such as ‘Noble House’ (1988) and ‘The Son of Sandokan’ (1998). He occasionally took on writing duties, including for “Bang Bang Kid” (1967), and held production management positions on several productions.

Sacripanti was married to Carole Murdoch and Winifred Richardson.  He died on March 20, 2000, in Rome, Lazio, Italy, after a career that bridged Italy's postwar cinema boom with the era of large-scale international co-productions filmed there.

As Luciano Lelli he co-directed one Spaghetti western, “Bang, Bang” (The Bang Bang Kid) with Stanley Prager and Giorgio Gentili in 1967.

LELLI, Luciano (aka Lucky Mildon, Lucky Sacripanti) (Luciano Sacripanti) [12/29/1927, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 3/20/2000, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – production manager, director, assistant director, writer, actor, brother of assistant director Mauro Sacripanti [1934-2015], married to Winifred Richardson (1956-19??), married to Carole Murdoch (1962-1980).

The Bang-Bang Kid – 1967 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Werner Ebert

German sources credit Werner Ebert as a co-writer on one film and that was the Spaghetti western, “Aventuras del Oeste” (7 Hours of Gunfire) with Jose Romero Marchent and Pino Passalaqua in 1965.

No other information is available on him.

EBERT, Werner [German] – writer.

7 Hours of Gunfire – 1965 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Elio Polacchi

Elio Polacchi is/was an Italian cameraman and cinematographer. He worked behind the scenes as a cameraman on seventy-nine films between 1950 and 1981. He also worked as a cinematographer on three films between 1961 and 1973.

Polacchi was an Italian assistant cameraman, camera operator and director of photography, active in cinema from the first half of the forties at least until the seventies. The personal documentation on him is extremely scarce, while his professional career can be reconstructed with some precision thanks to film credits and above all to a long personal testimony released in 1999, when he declared that he was 74 years old and had already retired from the business for some time.

Polacchi recalled that he had started working in cinema in 1942, participating in a film directed by Mario Soldati. However, he did not indicate the title of the work, so it is preferable not to identify it arbitrarily. The second film of his career was “Il fanciullo del West”, directed by Giorgio Ferroni and starring Erminio Macario. This first phase was typical of the technical apprenticeship in the photography department, with camera assistance tasks.

Elio Polacchi was a co-cinematographer on one Spaghetti western, “La sceriffa” (The Sheriff) with Sergio Pesce in 1959. As a cameraman Elio worked on five westerns: “Una signora dell’ovest” (Lady of the West) in 1942, “Lo sceriffo che non spara” (The Sheriff Won’t Shoot) in 1965, “Un minuto per pregare, un istante per morire” (A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die) in 1967, “Un buco in fronte” (Hole in the Forehead) in 1968 and “Il mio nome è Nessuno” (My Name is Sobody) in 1973.

During the early fifties he progressively acquired greater professional autonomy. In 1952 he worked as a cameraman on La leggenda del Piave, while in 1953 he was a camera operator on Un giorno in pretura, directed by Steno, with photography by Marco Scarpelli. The film, built through several court cases, brought together performers such as Peppino De Filippo, Alberto Sordi, Silvana Pampanini, Walter Chiari and a young Sophia Loren.

POLACCHI, Elio [1925, Italy - ?] – cameraman, cinematographer.

The Lady of the West – 1942 [cameraman]

The Sheriff – 1959 (co) [cinematographer]

The Sheriff Won't Shoot – 1965 [cameraman]

A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die – 1967 [cameraman]

Hole in the Forehead – 1968 [cameraman]

My Name is Nobody - 1973 [cameraman]