Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Emil Kneiss

The illustrator and caricaturist Emil Kneiss was born on December 3, 1867, in Frankfurt, Germany. After completing his school education, Emil Kneiss completed an apprenticeship as a lithographer and then went to the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. Later he studied at the art academy in Berlin and he contributed illustrations for the publication "Berliner Wespen".

He was active working for the magazine "Jugend" from 1896 to 1897 and realized around 20 drawings. In 1899 he was appointed artistic director of the lithographic institute Schneller in Nuremberg but gave up the position in 1902 when he returned to Munich. In the studio he founded there, he produced numerous advertising drawings, posters and postcards as a graphic artist. With the outbreak of the First World War, illustrated postcards experienced a great boom and Emil Kneiss created numerous motifs that quickly became popular.

When he was commissioned in 1917 to make an animated film that was shown to students as a

teaching aid on the subject of "obstetrics", he took a liking to this new profession, and he drew several humorous animated films such as the "Texas Jack" series of films in the following years.

In 1921 he founded Minverva Film GmbH, which concentrated on the production of animated and educational films.

In the years of the 2nd World War, he successfully continued his career as a caricaturist and heralded his last work-intensive period as a draughtsman. After the war, Kneiss increasingly showed problems with his eyesight, and he realized only a few illustrations.

Kneiss died on March 22, 1956, at the age of 88 in Munich, Germany.

Emil Kneiss directed on silent Euro western, “Texas Jack zähmt ein wildes Pferd” (Texas Jack Tames a Wild Horse) in 1922

KNEISS, Emil (Emil Kneiß) [12/3/1867, Frankfurt, Main, Germany – 3/22/1956, Munich, Bavaria, Germany] – director, son of actor, singer Ludwig Kneiß [1830-1900], founded Minverva Film GmbH [1921].

Texas Jack – 1922 [series titles “Der Todessattel” (Texas Jack – The Deathly Hallows), “Firestarter”. “Texas Jacks Todesritt” (Texas Jacks Deadline), “Die Todesfarm”]

 

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Arpad de Riso

Arpad DeRiso was a Hungarian-born Italian screenwriter known for his contributions to low-budget Italian genre cinema during the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in the peplum (sword-and-sandal), spaghetti western, and giallo genres.

Born on December 13, 1909, in Budapest, Hungary, DeRiso worked extensively in the Italian film industry and resided in Rome, where he died in 1983. His screenwriting career focused on popular exploitation and adventure films, often produced quickly for international markets, and he frequently received credit under variant spellings such as Arpad De Riso or De Riso Arpad.  Among his notable works are “La strada dei giganti” (1960), “Maciste contro i mostri” (1962), “Death Carries a Cane” (1973), and “Death Steps in the Dark” (1977).

Arpad de Riso wrote and co-wrote ten Spaghetti westerns: “Sansone e il Tesoro degli Incas” (Lost Treasure of the Aztecs) with Piero Pierotti in 1964, “Uccidete Johnny Ringo” (Kill Johnny Ringo) with Nino Scolaro in 1965, “Il magnifico Texano” (The Magnficent Texan) with Luigi Capuano and Manuel Martínez Remís in 1967, “Garrringo” with Joaquin Luis Romero Marchent and Nino Scolaro in 1969, “In nome del padre, del figlio e della Colt” (In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Colt) with Mario Gariazzo, Eduardo M. Brochero and “I senza Dio” (Thunder Over El Paso) with Antonio Fos and Maurizio Pradeaux both in 1971, “Küçük Kovboy” (Cowboy Kid) with Guido Zurli, Gianfranco Pisano, Fuat Özlüer and Erdogan Tünas, “La colt era il suo Dio” (God is My Colt .45) with Luigi Batzella, “Storia di karatè, pugni e fagioli” (Karate, Fists and Beans) with Giovanni Scolaro and “Il figlio di Zorro” (The Son of Zorro) with Guido Zurli and Gianfranco Baldanello both in 1973

de RISO, Arpad (aka A. De Riso, Arpad De Riso, Robert Keaton) (Arpad DeRiso) [12/13/1909, Budapest, Hungary – 1983, Rome, Lazio, Italy] – writer, brother of actress Giulietta De Riso [1896-1988].

Lost Treasure of the Aztecs – 1964 (co)

Kill Johnny Ringo 1965 (co)

The Magnificent Texan – 1967 (co) [as Robert Keaton]

Garringo – 1969 (co)

Soltanto il diritto di morire – 19?? (co) [film was never made]

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Colt – 1971 (co)

Thunder Over El Paso – 1971 (co)

Cowboy Kid – 1972 (co)

God is My Colt .45 – 1972 (co)

Karate, Fists and Beans – 1973 (co)

The Son of Zorro – 1973 (co)

Soltanto il diritto di morire – 19?? (co) [film was never made]

Spaghetti, western e karate – 19?? (co) [film was never made]

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Enrique Novials

Enrique Novials was born in Mequinenza, Zaragoza, Spain on July 13, 2002, and graduated in Humanities from the UOC (Barcelona 2014) and Film Production and Direction (San Sebastián, SGAE 2009) with Pablo Malo. He started as an actor at the Globe Theater in Zaragoza and he moved to Tarragona where he worked as an actor at Universal Studios Port-Aventura. He began directing amateur theater groups and directing / producing short films selected at various national and international festivals. His stories always have always a personal and poetic thread. Enrique is member of the PNR platform that brings together new talents from independent Spanish cinema and the Aragonese Film Academy.

Enrique Novials was a cinematographer on two Euro-westerns: “The Searcher” in 2024 and “The Bounty Hunter” in 2025.

NOVIALS, Enrique [7/13/2002, Mequinenza, Zaragoza, Spain - ] – director, writer, cinematographer, actor.

The Searcher – 2024

The Bounty Hunter - 2025