The painter at his canvas. He also created 12 very strange, singular Italian westerns, the most prolific contributor to that genre.
The Spiritualist....
On Feb. 8, 1914 Demofilo Fidani*, writer, actor, set designer, medium, friend of Gordon Mitchell, film director and one of my spiritual Godfathers, was born in in Caligari, Sardinia. He is now immortal.
We all know a true artist never dies.
Some favorite Fidani scenes:
STRANIERO...FATTI IL SEGNO DELLA CROCE: Future director Joe D'Amato appearing as the bandit who enjoys throwing eggs up in the air and letting them smash on his face!
GIU LA TESTA...HOMBRE: The tribute to Shakespeare's MACBERTH before the final shootout.
Era Sam Wallach... lo chiamavano 'così sia': the delirious flashback to the childhood trauma which provoked the protagonist's fear of doors swinging open.
ONE DAMN DAY AT DAWN...DJANGO MEETS SARTANA!: The fact that Sartana (Fabio Testi) acts and is costumed like Franco Nero in Sergio Corbucci's original DJANGO while Django (Hunt Powers) acts and is costumed exactly like Gianni Garko's Sartana in that series.
I've never encountered anyone who has seen all of Fidani's Spaghetti Westerns, it would probably be too much for one lifetime...
*aka Slim Alone / Danilo Dani / Nedo De Fida / Miles Deem / Lucky Dickinson / Dino Fidani / Nedo Fidano / Dennis Ford / Sean O'Neal / Demos Philos / Dick Spitfire / Nedo de Fida
(C) Robert Monell, 2008
I love Fidani! He is the king of the weird flashbacks! His film "The godfather's advisor" has an outstanding one too.
ReplyDeleteYes "weird flashbacks"! The ones in ERA SAM WALLACH are really bizarre! I had a chance to talk with Robert Woods about it and he just laughed. I'd like to see GODFATHER'S ADVISOR also. Thanks for the feedback, Sartana.
ReplyDeleteRobert Woods really didn't look very happy in Sam Wallach. But he made worse films like "Mallory must not die".
ReplyDeleteRobert, check out my Spaghetti Western blog when you have some time:http://dollarirosso.blogspot.com/
Take care, amigo!
Somenoon I'm going to home edit together (on dvdr) all these feverish rocky sandpit horse riding clips (inbetween, to and from Black City and other "cardboard" outposts), put it on repeate in a loop for personal bascet case entertainment : D
ReplyDeleteSartana: Woods laughed when I mentioned that flashback scene to him in SAM WALLACH, he thought it was really bizarre, and it is. I'll check out your blog. Thanks for the link.
ReplyDeleteSvartglimmer. I'd like to see that compilation. They always seem to be riding in endless circles in his films. And don't forget WHITE CITY...