Spaghetti Western Directors, Screenwriters, Cinematographers

Spaghetti Western Director ~ Bruno Mattei

Bruno Mattei was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and editor best known for directing over 50 low-budget exploitation films in genres such as Nazisploitation, zombies, women-in-prison, nunsploitation, cannibal, and mondo documentaries.

Born in Rome, Italy on July 30, 1931, Mattei grew up in a family involved in the film industry, as his father owned a small editing studio where he began working odd jobs at age 20 in the early 1950s. He started his professional career as a film editor, contributing to more than 100 productions during the 1960s and 1970s, before transitioning to directing with his debut feature, “Armida, il dramma di una sposa” (1970), released under the pseudonym Jordon B. Matthews. Throughout his career, Mattei frequently collaborated with screenwriter and director Claudio Fragasso and employed numerous pseudonyms, including Vincent Dawn and Andy Lamar, to navigate the international market for his often controversial, trend-following works produced on shoestring budgets.

Mattei's films gained notoriety for their graphic content and imitation of popular Hollywood and Italian hits, with standout titles including the Nazisploitation entry “Women's Camp 119” (1977), the zombie film “Hell of the Living Dead” (also known as “Zombie Creeping Flesh”, 1980), and the post-apocalyptic horror “Rats: Night of Terror” (1984). He later contributed to the zombie subgenre with “Zombie 3” (1988), completing it after Lucio Fulci's involvement, and directed “Cruel Jaws” (1995), an unauthorized Jaws knockoff filmed in Florida, where he increasingly worked in the Philippines in his later years.

 Despite lacking formal awards, Mattei's output earned him a cult following among fans of Italian genre cinema for his unapologetic embrace of exploitation tropes and rapid production pace.

In his final years, Mattei announced a return to horror with “Zombies: The Beginning” (2007), intended as part of a new trilogy, but he died on May 21, 2007 in Rome at age 75 from complications following surgery for a brain tumor, entering a coma shortly after the procedure.

Bruno Mattei was a director on three Spaghetti westerns: “Les aventures galantes de Zorro” (Red Hot Zorro) with Gilbert Roussel in 1972, “L’Apache Bianco” (White Apache) with Claudio Fragasso in 1985 and “Scalps!” in 1986.

MATTEI, Bruno (aka Michael Cardoso, Norman Dawn, Vincent Dawn, David Graham, David Hunt, Bob Hunter, Frank Klox, Andy Lamar, Pierre Le Blanc, Jimmy B. Matheus, Jimmy Matheus, J.B. Mathews, B. Mattei, J.B. Matthews, Jordan B. Matthews, J. Metheus, Martin Miller, Erik Montgomery, Herik Montgomery, Stefan Oblowsky, Gilbert Roussel, George Smith, William Snyder, A. Swyftte) [7/30/1931, Rome, Lazio, Italy – 5/21/2007, Ostia, Rome, Lazio, Italy (brain tumor)] - producer, director, assistant director, writer, cameraman, film editor. 

Red Hot Zorro – 1972 (co)

White Apache – 1985 (co) [as Vincent Dawn]

Scalps! – 1986 [as Werner Knox]

Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Franco Fogagnolo

Franco Fogagnolo as/was an Italian production manager, assistant director and writer. His career in the film industry was basically as an administrator working on 10 films between 1994 and 2003. He was an assistant director on three films between 1969 and 1983 and as a production manager and unit manager on three films between 1971 and 1972. For some unknown reason he was a co-writer on one film the Spaghetti western, “10.000 dollari per un massacre” ($10,000 for a Massacre) with Ernesto Gastaldi, Luciano Martino and Sauro Scavolini in 1967.

I can find no biographical information on him.

FOGAGNOLO, Franco [Italian] – production manager, assistant director, writer.

$10,000 for a Massacre – 1967 (co)

 

Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Sándor Senkó

Sándor Senkó is a Hungarian film maker. He’s been a producer, director, writer and cinematographer on several documentaries. Sándor also competes in fast dram competitions and is an avid collector and researchers of firearms.

Sándor Senkó was a cinematographer on three Euro-westerns: “Apache Bow”, “The Ballad of the Three Outlaws” and “Pistolero” all in 2023 and “Good Trade”, “Winnetou’s Tomahawk” and “Az elfelejtett Winchester Titka” (The Secret of the Forgotten Winchester) all in 2024.

SENKO, Sándor (Sándor Senkó) [Hungarian] – producer, director, writer, cinematographer.

Apache Bow - 2023

The Ballad of the Three Outlaws – 2023

Pistolero - 2023

Good Trade – 2024

Winnetou’s Tomahawk - 2024

The Secret of the Forgotten Winchester - 2024