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
