Spaghetti Western Director ~ Guy Lefranc
Guy-André Lefranc was born in Paris, France on October
21, 1919. Assistant director to Marcel Carné for Le Quai des brumes and then
editor, Guy Lefranc was taken prisoner during the Second World War. At the
Liberation, he directed “Knock” with Louis Jouvet. His subsequent films were
often slapstick comedies that were mostly popular with the public, but which
seem to have been forgotten today. In parallel to his career as a director, he
assisted several big names in cinema such as Robert Bresson and Jean Grémillon.
His most notable collaboration remains” Le Corporal épiné” by Jean Renoir, in
which he appears in the credits as assistant director and as a screenwriter,
drawing on his memories of captivity. After directing, in 1976, the mini-series
‘Marie-Antoinette’ for television, he ceased all activity.
Lefranc died in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines, France
on February 1, 1994 at the age of 74.
Guy Lefranc directed one Euro-western, “Fernand cow-boy”
(Fernand Cowboy) in 1956.
LEFRANC, Guy (Guy-André
Lefranc) [10/21/1919, Paris,
Île-de-France, France – 2/1/1994, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines, France] –
director, assistant director, writer, film editor
Fernand Cowboy –
1956
Spaghetti Western Screenwriter ~ Jean Durand
Jean Durand was a pioneering French film director,
screenwriter, and actor of the silent era, best known for his prolific
contributions to early cinema, including over two hundred films characterized
by physical burlesque, absurd comedy, and innovative stunts. Born in Paris on
December 15, 1882, Durand began his career in the city's café-concerts and
music halls before transitioning to film in 1908, initially working briefly at
Pathé and then producing more than forty films—most now lost—at Société Lux.
In 1910, Durand joined Gaumont as a replacement for Roméo
Bosetti, quickly rising to become the studio's third-most-important director
after Louis Feuillade and Léonce Perret, where he helmed fast-paced comedies
and genre-blending works that influenced later slapstick traditions, such as
the Keystone Cops and Marx Brothers. His signature style emphasized acrobatic
burlesque, wrecked scenery, and adrenaline-fueled absurdity, often featuring a
team of performers called "Les Puittes," including actor Gaston Modot.
Notable among his output were the successful Onésime series (1912–1915), which
pioneered extreme physical comedy and stunts, as well as the Calino and Zigoto
burlesque series starting in 1910 and 1912, respectively.
Durand also directed original westerns filmed in the
Camargue region of France, collaborating with performer Joë Hamman on
spectacular adventures that parodied the genre while incorporating his humorous
flair, such as “Pendaison à Jefferson City” (1911) and “Le Railway de la mort”
(1912). Though many of his films were lost over time, representing less than a
third of his total work surviving today, recent rediscoveries and scholarly
attention, including Francis Lacassin's 2004 book À la recherche de Jean
Durand, have elevated his status as an unjustly forgotten auteur of 1910s
cinema. His career, marked by genius and recklessness, spanned the vibrant
early silent era until the impact of World War I, after which he faded from prominence.
Jean Durand directed and wrote over 200 films during the
silent era, primarily between 1908 and 1929, though records are incomplete due
to the loss of many nitrate prints and incomplete documentation from early
production companies like Pathé, Lux, and Gaumont. His works span burlesque
comedies, Western parodies, and later dramas, with fewer than a third surviving
today.
Jean Durand married actress Berthe Dagmar on December 11,
1917, in Paris. They remained married until Durand died on March 10, 1946, at
the age of 63.
Jean Durand wrote screenplays for seven Euro-westerns: “Les
aventures d’un cowboy à Paris” (The Adventures of a Cowboy in Paris), “Amitié
de cow-boy” (Amitie the Cowboy), “L’amour du ranch” and “La main coupée” all in
1910, “Cent dollars mort ou vif” in 1911, “Le railway de la mort” (The Railway
of Death) in 1912 and “Onésime sur le sentier de guerre” (Onésime on the
Warpath) in 1913.
DURAND, Jean [12/15/1882, Paris,
Île-de-France, France – 3/10/1946, Paris, Île-de-France, France] – journalist,
cartoonist, producer, director, assistant director, writer, actor married to
director, dancer, director, actress Berthe Dagmar (Albertine Blanche Augusta Marie Hamon) [1881-1934] (1917-1934).
The Adventures of a
Cowboy in Paris – 1910
Amitie the Cowboy –
1910
L’amour du ranch –
1910
La main coupée -
1910
Cent dollars mort ou
vif – 1911
The Railway of Death
- 1912
Onésime on the
Warpath - 1913
Spaghetti Western Cinematographer ~ Gabor Pogany
Gábor Pogány was a Hungarian-born Italian cinematographer
known for his prolific contributions to Italian and international cinema across
several decades
Born in Budapest on October 28, 1915, Pogány established
his career in Italy after emigrating there, where he worked as director of
photography on numerous films until his death in Rome on October 30, 1999 two
days after turning 84.
He is particularly recognized for his cinematography on
acclaimed works such as Vittorio De Sica's “Two Women” (La Ciociara, 1960),
which starred Sophia Loren in her Oscar-winning role, as well as adventure and
action films including “Valdez Is Coming” (1971), “Hornet's Nest’ (1970), “Bluebeard”
(1972), and “The Two Missionaries” (1974).
His versatile style supported a wide range of genres,
from dramatic classics to popular Italian comedies and co-productions, making
him a key figure in mid-20th-century European filmmaking.
Gabor Pogany was a cinematographer on two Spaghetti
westerns: “La morte non conta i dollari” (Death at Owell Rock) in 1966 and “¡Que
viene Valdez!” (Valdez Is Coming!) in 1970.
POGANY, Gabor (Gábor Pogány) [10/28/1915, Budapest, Hungary –
10/30/1999, Rome, Lazio, Italy] –
cinematography, cameraman.
Death at Owell Rock
– 1966
Valdez Is Coming! –
1970
