Saturday, July 27, 2013
7 PISTOLS FOR A GRINGO
Río maldito – Spanish titleSete pistolas para gringo – Brazilian title
Kaksintaistelu St. Trinityssä – Finnish title
Kaksintaistelu St. Trinityss’a’ – Turkish title
Cursed River – English title
The Law of Revenge – English title
Big Duel in St. Trinity – English title
7 Pistols for a Gringo – English title
A 1965 Spanish, Italian co-production [I.F.I. España S.A.
(Madrid), Cineproduzioni Associate(Rome)]
Producer: Julio S. de la FuenteDirector: Ignacio F. Iquino (Ignacio Ferres Iquino), Juan Xiol Marchal, J. Larch y Boig
Story: “Big Duke in St. Trinity” by Peter Kenn
Screenplay: Ignacio Iquino, Roberto Bianchi Montero
Cinematography: Julian P. Rozas (Julio Pérez de Rozas) [Technicolor, Techinscope]
Music: Enrique Escobar (Enrique Sotas)
Running time: 97 minutes
Cast:
Dan – Dan Harrison (Bruno Piergentili)
Torrence – Albert Farley (Alberto Farnese)
Doctor Clapper – Gérard Landry (Landry Marrier de Langatinerie)
Bliss – Llosa Gadea (Alberto Gadea)
Joe – Fernando Rubio (Fernando Peña)
Betsy – Patricia Loran (Encarnación García)
Sheriff – Manuel Simon (Juan Simón)
Betsy’s father – Gustavo Re
Manolo – Gaspar González
With: Alberto Cesar Ojinaga (César Ojínaga Erill), José María Pinillos, Eduardo Lizarraga, Víctor Vilanova, Teresa Giro, Martha May (Maria Ávila)
In a western town robberies and assaults are carried out
by a mysterious gang that is then blamed on innocent citizens, who are hanged.
Following one of these executions, Dan now an orphan accepts the invitation of
a charlatan who works out of a wagon, claiming to be a dentist, and he becomes
his co-worker. Dan returns many years later to the same town, and realizes that
the country has changed little: the robberies of furs and attacks on hunters
are still repeated. The young man, determined to avenge his father's death,
confronts and kills Murdock and Gorman, two members of the gang of outlaws but
cannot find out the spy, who by means of carrier pigeons, alerts the gang
leaders of the departures of fur shipments. After another aggression and
confusion which generates a delay it is finally discovered that Torrence, a
peaceful and respected citizen, is the leader of the gang.
Remembering Claudio Gora
Emiliano Gora was born in Genoa, Liguria, Italy on July
27, 1913. As Claudio Gora, he was a particularly prolific actor making some 155
appearances in film and television over nearly 60 years from 1939 to 1997. In
the 1950s he dabbled with directing and screenwriting and directed the film “Three
Strangers in Rome” (1958) which was incidentally the first leading role by
Claudia Cardinale. He’s best remembered for his appearances in “Adua e le
compagne”, directed by Antonio Pietrangeli, “Tutti a casa” by Luigi Comencini
(both 1960) and Dino Risi's “A Difficult Life” (1961).During his long and distinguished career Claudio appeared in five Euro-westerns from “The Tramplers” in 1965 to “The Five Man Army” in 1969.
Claudio was married to actress Marina Berti [1924-2002] (1944-1998). He is the father of actors Andrea Giordana [1946- ], Carlo Giordana and actress Marina Giordana. Gora died on March 13, 1998 in Rome, Italy.
Today we remember Claudio Gora on what would have been his 100th birthday.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Guess Who I Am
I’m an American actor born in New York City in 1933.
I made my name as a character on 1950s TV series.
I appeared in 3 Euro-westerns in the mid-1960s.
Guess who I am.
Antonio Furtado da Rosa correctly named Edd Byrnes as this weeks phot.
2006 Franco De Gemini Interview
By John Mansell
October 4th 2006; a hot day in Rome. I was lucky enough to be invited to the offices of the well-known record label BEAT. The temperatures were in the mid 80’s and I decided to take a taxi from Vatican City to my destination which was just a little way from the impressive architecture of the Pope’s residence. I was greeted warmly by Daniele De Gemini who very soon introduced me to the esteemed and respected musician Franco De Gemini. We went to Mr. De Gemini’s office and sat for a while just chatting. After a while he began to relay to me stories about recording sessions and also about concerts and specific film scores which he had worked on.
I was amazed to find out that he had played harmonica on no less than 800 film scores. I remember thinking to myself, God I don’t think I have or will ever see 800 movies in my lifetime. One particular story that stuck in my mind was about Ennio Morricone. De Gemini had been asked to play harmonica on a score by the maestro, but the score began with a very low bass note. De Gemini explained it was virtually impossible for him to play this note first thing in the morning at this session, so he told Morricone that the note could not be played on the harmonica. The Maestro accepted his word and made the necessary alterations to the score.
Some weeks later De Gemini found himself in the studio
again with Morricone and again the Maestro had begun his score with a very low
bass note. De Gemini reminded the maestro that this note could not be played on
the harmonica. Morricone looked at him and then produced a harmonica of his
own, played the note and told Franco “once you can get away with it but twice
NO…”.There was also a story that involved Leonard Bernstein, De Gemini played
harmonica on WEST SIDE STORY, he began to play at the recording session, and
Bernstein called a halt to the recording, calling the harmonica player over to
him mis-pronouncing his name as De Geminy, he asked him why he was playing in
the way he did. De Gemini shrugged his shoulders more or less saying this is
how I play. Bernstein produced a record of a harmonica player performing a
piece of music. He played it for De Gemini, saying this is what I want. De
Gemini said this person is a dog, I am the best, but the recording was of De
Gemini that Bernstein had had for some time; Franco De Gemini did say I knew
this but was not admitting it… Mr. De Gemini also told me he was the only
artist to be known for three notes; he looked at me and then hummed the opening
three notes from THE MAN WITH THE HARMONICA.Franco De Gemini was born in
Ferrara in the North of Italy, on the 10th September 1928.
October 4th 2006; a hot day in Rome. I was lucky enough to be invited to the offices of the well-known record label BEAT. The temperatures were in the mid 80’s and I decided to take a taxi from Vatican City to my destination which was just a little way from the impressive architecture of the Pope’s residence. I was greeted warmly by Daniele De Gemini who very soon introduced me to the esteemed and respected musician Franco De Gemini. We went to Mr. De Gemini’s office and sat for a while just chatting. After a while he began to relay to me stories about recording sessions and also about concerts and specific film scores which he had worked on.
I was amazed to find out that he had played harmonica on no less than 800 film scores. I remember thinking to myself, God I don’t think I have or will ever see 800 movies in my lifetime. One particular story that stuck in my mind was about Ennio Morricone. De Gemini had been asked to play harmonica on a score by the maestro, but the score began with a very low bass note. De Gemini explained it was virtually impossible for him to play this note first thing in the morning at this session, so he told Morricone that the note could not be played on the harmonica. The Maestro accepted his word and made the necessary alterations to the score.
Some weeks later De Gemini found himself in the studio
again with Morricone and again the Maestro had begun his score with a very low
bass note. De Gemini reminded the maestro that this note could not be played on
the harmonica. Morricone looked at him and then produced a harmonica of his
own, played the note and told Franco “once you can get away with it but twice
NO…”.There was also a story that involved Leonard Bernstein, De Gemini played
harmonica on WEST SIDE STORY, he began to play at the recording session, and
Bernstein called a halt to the recording, calling the harmonica player over to
him mis-pronouncing his name as De Geminy, he asked him why he was playing in
the way he did. De Gemini shrugged his shoulders more or less saying this is
how I play. Bernstein produced a record of a harmonica player performing a
piece of music. He played it for De Gemini, saying this is what I want. De
Gemini said this person is a dog, I am the best, but the recording was of De
Gemini that Bernstein had had for some time; Franco De Gemini did say I knew
this but was not admitting it… Mr. De Gemini also told me he was the only
artist to be known for three notes; he looked at me and then hummed the opening
three notes from THE MAN WITH THE HARMONICA.Franco De Gemini was born in
Ferrara in the North of Italy, on the 10th September 1928.
John Mansell: Did you come from a family background that
was musical in any way?
Franco De Gemini:
No. Not at all, my Father was a policeman; my Mother was my Father’s wife.
John Mansell: What musical education did you receive?
Franco De Gemini:
My education was mainly self obtained; I taught myself and also developed my
own skills on the harmonica.
John Mansell: When did you begin to specialise in playing
the harmonica?
Franco De Gemini:
I was very young and used to play the harmonica everywhere, there was not much
to do in my free time after World War 2, OK lets say that there was not much
time to waste in that period also. Nevertheless my specialisation began in the
1950s it was at this time I played on my first soundtrack.
John Mansell: Do you play any other instrument at all?
Franco De Gemini:
No not at all, although I do play lots of different harmonicas.
John Mansell: Can you recall how many soundtracks that you
have performed on?
Franco De Gemini:
Yes, it is around 800 in all, maybe more, and that is just the soundtracks.
John Mansell: This year is the 40th anniversary of the
BEAT record label, what was the first release on your label?
Franco De Gemini:
The first release was not a soundtrack as such, but a compilation of film
music, IL SOGNI DELLA MUSICA LPF 001. I do think that maybe there were some
45rpm records released before this.
John Mansell: At one time you had a Manchester address on
your record releases. Was this your UK base?
Franco De Gemini:
No, it was just a distributor in Manchester.
John Mansell: Are there any items in the BEAT catalogue that
were issued on LP that have not yet received a compact disc release?
Franco De Gemini:
Yes, most certainly, dozens maybe even hundreds, it’s very difficult to say
just how many.
John Mansell: When you were working on ONCE UPON A TIME IN
THE WEST, did you have any idea just how successful the music and the movie
were going to be. And did you imagine that it would still be popular some 30
years plus on?
Franco De Gemini:
Difficult to say really, I surely did my best in my performance to obtain a
sound that was perfect for the movie.
John Mansell: Are there any movies that you have worked on
that you have particularly fond memories of?
Franco De Gemini:
ITALIANI BREVA GENTE which had a score by Armando Trovajoli, brings back many
fond memories for me; that and ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST of course.
John Mansell: Your style of playing the harmonica is quite
unique. Were you influenced by the performances of others at all?
Franco De Gemini: No
I created that kind of sound alone; I consider myself my personal censor.
John Mansell: What would you say is BEAT’s best selling
soundtrack?
Franco De Gemini: All
of the soundtracks of Ennio Morricone sell very well, but also DEATH IN VENICE
was a best seller, and music by other composers such as De Masi, Trovajoli,
Ortolani, Piccioni and Piovani also do well.
John Mansell: Because of the company’s 40th anniversary,
will you be issuing any more special soundtracks this year?
Franco De Gemini: We
will release two compilations, this will be at the end of the year, one
dedicated to Joe D’Amato, and one to BEAT and of course we are preparing the
BEAT original book.
John Mansell: Have you ever performed in concert at all?
Franco De Gemini: Yes
many times and still today I perform.
John Mansell: What was Bruno Nicolai like to work with?
Franco De Gemini: He
was a great Maestro, I worked with him on many scores including ALLORA IL
TRENO.
John Mansell: You also worked on many of Francesco De Masi’s
score.
Franco De Gemini: I
played on around 80% of Francesco’s scores, I worked with him many times.
John Mansell: Is there a specific harmonica that you use?
Franco De Gemini:
Yes, a Honer Chromatic.
John Mansell: What would you say is the most difficult score
that you have had to work on?
Franco De Gemini: It
was an American Maestro’s work, there were 25 pages of dodecaphonic music, and
I finished it in two and a half hours.
Many thanks to Franco De Gemini and his son Daniele and for
their kind hospitality in Rome…
[Posted with permission from John Mansell]
Thursday, July 25, 2013
2013 Almeria Western Film Festival
Its back to the desert of Tabernas for the 2013 Almeria
Western Film Festival, the first European festival dedicated exclusively to the
western genre, that will, be held October 2, 3, 4 and 5, 2013 in the mythical
town of Tabernas, the reference point of western cinema worldwide.
The AWFF is an attractive festival, original and unique. With a unique place in the national and European film industry. The genre as well as 'classic among classics' and 'pure cinema', is continually revitalizing and updating itself. It is a source of inspiration and ongoing review by filmmakers for both young and emerging filmmaking.
The festival remains true to its mission to promote the western genre through its film competition, and to promote filming in the province and, above all, put on the map Almeria Tabernas through their natural settings in which hundreds of movies were filmed of the mythical genre in the 1960s and 1970s.
The western is more than cowboy movies and landscapes of the Far West. It is also a form of storytelling adapted to the XXI century, in full force with cutting-edge urban backgrounds.
7 NUNS IN KANSAS CITY
Sette monache a Kansas City – Italian titleNonnen., Gold un Gin – German title
Siete monjas en Kansas City – Spanish title
7 Rahibe Kansas’da – Turkish title
Trouble in Kansas City – English title
Seven Nuns in Kansas City – English title
A 1973 Italian production [Armonica Cinematografica (Rome)]
Producers: Elido Sorrentino, Pietro Santini
Director: Roy Patterson (Marcello Zeani)
Story: Lidia Puglia, Marcello Cascape
Screenplay: Lidia Puglia, Marcello Cascape (Marcello Cascapera)
Cinematography: Mario Sbrenna [color]
Music: Gino Peguri
Running time: 110 minutes
Cast:
Jessica Mother Superior – Lea Gargano
Gin – Vincenzo Maggio (Vincente Maggio)
Whiskey Joe – Paul McCray (Enzo Pulcrano)
Dave – Ugo Fangareggi
Bob – Tony de Leo (Antonio Di Leo)
Fatty/Bart – Pedro Sanchez (Ignazio Spalla)
Fatty/Bart henchman – Sal Boris (Salvatore Baccaro)
Big Ton – Lina Franchi
Susanna Rourke – Irta D’Angel (Irta D'Angelis)
Sam – Bruno Boschetti
Marrison henchman – Edmondo Tighi, Sergio Ukmar
With: Eduardo Tieghi, Mario Dani, Sergio Serrafini, Mario Dani (Mario Danieli), Enrico Casadei, Pino Mattei (Giuseppe Mattei)
Two cowboys, searching for a hidden gold mine, hide out from Mexican bandits in a convent. When the bandits arrive at the convent in search of the cowboys, the nuns don’t take any crap and proceed to kick the hell out of them.
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