Luigi Bazzoni
Italian film director and screenwriter (1929–2012)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Luigi Bazzoni (25 June 1929 - 1 March 2012)[1] was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known internationally to horror film fans for directing three well-regarded gialli: The Possessed (1965), The Fifth Cord (1971) and Footprints on the Moon (1975).[2][3] He was also the cousin of noted cinematographer of Vittorio Storaro, and was one of his earliest notable collaborators.[4]
- Film director
- screenwriter
Luigi Bazzoni | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 June 1929 Salsomaggiore Terme, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
| Died | 1 March 2012 (aged 82) Salsomaggiore Terme, Emilia-Romagna, Italy |
| Occupations |
|
| Notable work | |
| Relatives | Camillo Bazzoni (brother) Vittorio Storaro (cousin) |
Early life
Bazzoni was born in Salsomaggiore Terme in June 1929. He was the elder brother to film director and cinematographer Camillo Bazzoni, and a cousin of the Academy Award-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro.[5]
He began his filmmaking career as an assistant director to Mauro Bolognini on several films between 1960 and 1964.[5]
Career
Bazzoni directed several short films, and his debut Di Domenica received a Special Mention at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival.[6][7] His feature film debut was the 1965 psychological thriller The Possessed, which earned high critical marks.[8][9] He gained further attention for two offbeat Spaghetti Westerns, Man, Pride and Vengeance (1968) with Franco Nero and Klaus Kinski, and Brothers Blue (1973) with Jack Palance.[5][10]
Bazzoni subsequently directed two well-regarded gialli, The Fifth Cord (1971) and Footprints on the Moon (1975). The former was praised by critic Marina Antunes as an "entertaining, occasionally awe-inspiring package that stands the test of time as a fine example of the giallo genre."[11] Both films are also noted for the cinematography by Bazzoni’s cousin Vittorio Storaro.[4]
Though both were commercially successful, Bazzoni never directed another feature film, and subsequently focused on documentaries. He contributed to the multi-part series Roma Imago Urbis.[3][12] His final film credit was as a screenwriter on the 2005 crime drama Raul: Straight to Kill.
Death
Bazzoni died on March 1, 2012 at the age of 82, in his hometown of Salsomaggiore Terme.[13]
Filmography
Feature films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | The Possessed | Yes | Yes | Co-director with Franco Rossellini[14] |
| 1968 | Man, Pride and Vengeance | Yes | Yes | |
| 1971 | The Fifth Cord | Yes | Yes | |
| 1973 | Brothers Blue | Yes | Yes | |
| 1975 | Footprints on the Moon | Yes | Yes | |
| 2005 | Raul: Straight to Kill | No | Yes |
Short films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Di domenica | Yes | No | [7] |
| Un delitto | Yes | No | ||
| 1966 | Sortilegio | Yes | No | |
| Sirtaki | Yes | No |
Television
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-95 | Roma Imago Urbis: Parte I - Il mito | Yes | No | 6-part documentary series[3] |
