Duccio Tessari and his films

Duccio Tessari is another of the prolific Italian directors, whose movies, sadly, I still have to explore a lot more. There are some I saw multiple times. But not all those I would like to watch.

My Son, the Hero (1962)
A peplum movie and I think the first movie to star Giuliano Gemma.

Secret of the Sphinx (1964)
An eurospy movie. I just found out about its existence.

A Pistol for Ringo (1965)

A classic spaghetti western with Gemma and Tessari's to be wife Lorella de Luca. But not my favorite. Too long, too clean shaven characters and too clean environment.

The Return of Ringo (1965)
The second Ringo is, on the other hand, the negative of the first and maybe therefore my favourite Tessari. This is an amazing spag with basically the same cast an crew of the first movie, but this time they are all much better.

Kiss Kiss - Bang Bang (1966)
And almost all of them returned for this spy movie, but I have never seen it. I used to think that Gemma's most frequent lady partner was Evelyn Stewart, but it's apparent that actually it was Nieves Navarro.

The Bastard (1968)
An Italian attempt to do a film noir probably, starring Gemma again with Rita Hayworth, Margaret Lee and Klaus Kinski. I have yet to see it.

Alive or Preferably Dead (1969)
On the other hand I almost pity I saw this. A really unfunny attempt to make a spaghetti western comedy. The movie looks like a TV movie, which really doesn't help.

Death Occured Last Night (1970)
And Giuliano Gemma is gone for a while. The first of Tessari's gialli, of which, unfortunately, I haven't seen anything. Frank Wolff stars. It's based on a book which I have, but still, I haven't read it.

The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971)
Another giallo that is now on Netflix, so I will probably watch it soon... Starring Helmut Berger.

Long Live Your Death (1971)
A spaghetti western that tries to be a sequel of The Mercenary and Companeros, and a remake of The Good The Bad and the Ugly at the same time. But it lacks basically everything that makes those movies great. Only Nero, Wallach and Fajardo stand out.

Forza G (1972)
A plane racing movie probably. Maybe the only film with both Anita Strindberg and Barbara Bouchet.

Tony Arzenta (1973)
Tessari's first poliziottesco and his first working with Alain Delon. A good movie, but I haven't seen it for a very long time. I guess the only thing I remember is Richard Conte.

The Heroes (1973)
I found out about this film only as I started writing this article. A war movie with Rod Taylor and Rod Steiger should be quite interesting. Also starring Gianni Garko, Claude Brasseur and Terry-Thomas.

Tough Guys (1974)
A really bizzare film. Blaxploitation made by Italians, co-starring Lino Ventura! The only available copy is unwatchable though.

Puzzle (1974)
Another giallo, this time with Luc Merenda and Senta Berger. Anita Strindberg appears for a while.

Zorro (1975)
Another of the zillion Zorro adaptations. This one was quite popular since the hero is played by Alain Delon.

Safari Express (1976)
Giuliano Gemma is back! But not in a western, but in an adventure movie, co-starring an ape, Ursula Andress and Jack Palance. The same year there was a similar movie called Africa Express, directed by Michele Lupo and starring the same cast...

Tex and the Lord of the Deep (1985)
And finally, Giuliano Gemma again in a western, this time an adaptation of a comic book The only Gemma and also only Tessari western I haven't seen.

Fernando di Leo and his movies

Fernando di Leo was an interesting filmmaker. As a screenwriter, he left his traces in any possible genre, including many spaghetti westerns, even many famous spaghettis, like Navajo Joe, The Return of Ringo, Massacre Time or Long Days of Vengeance. But when he became a director, he never made a western and made a lot of mafia movies instead. His heroes were mostly gangsters or vigilantes, when he made a movie about a cop, he was usually a corrupted one.

Naked Violence (1969)

All I know is this one is more of a social drama perhaps? Co-starring Nieves Navarro under her Susan Scott alias.

Slaughter Hotel (1971)

At the beginning of his career, he tried to make a giallo, and... didn't succeed. This movie is mostly boring and pornographic. Rosalba Neri is hot as hell in this, but we didn't need to see her body double touching herself. Klaus Kinski is useless in it.

Caliber 9 (1972)

This is where the real Fernando di Leo begins. A mafia movie with a great cast (Gastone Moschin, Barbara Bouchet, Mario Adorf, Lionel Stander, Frank Wolff, Luigi Pistilli etc.), good story and unexpected twists. Perfect score by Luis Bacalov and Osanna, amazing opening sequence.

The Manhunt (1972)

Second film of his sort of trilogy, this time starring Mario Adorf as a falsely accused pimp, who has to hide from mafia killers. And those killers are Henry Silva and Woody Strode. Bad times for Mario... bad times for almost everybody, mostly the women - and what women! Luciana Paluzzi, Femi Benussi, Sylva Koscina... Great funky score, this time by Armando Trovaioli, great action sequences. The chase in the middle of the movie is insane.

Boss (1973)

Final film of the trilogy, but not as good as the previous two in my opinion. Henry Silva stars as a cold-blooded killer, who kills everyone in his way to the top. Richard Conte is the mafia boss, Gianni Garko is a corrupt policeman.

Shoot First, Die Later (1974)

Again a weaker one, first of Di Leo's collaborations with Luc Merenda. Merenda plays a cop here, but a cop working for the mafia. Richard Conte is here again, as a lawyer this time, and we also get Di Leo's favourite actor, Vittorio Caprioli, playing a deaf old guy, who becomes a witness of a crime, and therefore dangerous for the mafia. Delia Boccardo is Merenda's girlfriend, so we know she won't meet a good end here.

Kidnap Syndicate (1975)

Merenda again as a father, whose son is kidnapped together with a son of a rich businessman played by James Mason. When Mason refuses to pay the ransom, the poor child is killed in order to force Mason to pay. Merenda gets in a rage, but... the second half is not such a riot as we would expect from the director of Manhunt. Vittorio Caprioli is back as the policeman.

Loaded Guns (1975)

Poliziesco / sex comedy starring Ursula Andress! Not a bad one though. Yes, it becomes really silly and there are moments when Andress' body plays the lead, and the final fistfight is really silly and feels out of place. But a fun movie.

Nick the Sting (1976)

To be honest, I stopped with Di Leo in 1975 so far, so just quickly to the rest. This one stars Merenda again, paired with Lee J. Cobb. All I know about it.

Mr. Scarface (1976)

Jack Palance as a mafia boss in a eurocrime comedy. Seems so.

Blood and Diamonds (1977)

Claudio Cassinelli takes the lead here, Barbara Bouchet returns as a gogo dancer once again. Martin Balsam is in it as well I think. And Vittorio Caprioli again.

To Be Twenty (1978)

A sex comedy that turns into a horror in the end.. Sex comedy starlets Gloria Guida and Lilli Carati starring. Caprioli again co-starring.

Madness (1980)

Joe Dallesandro as a criminal on the run in this movie. I think so.

Killer vs. Killers (1985)

I think this is di Leo's last movie and he didn't end with anything else than a gangster movie with Henry Silva. He made an action flick with him the previous year as well I think.

Well, seems like apart from crime movies and sex comedies and one sex drama Di Leo really didn't do any other genres. But that kind of compares him with Sergio Leone, as the master of the poliziotteschi genre. Not that his movies were as great as the Sergio Leone westerns,but he really concerned to one genre, like Leone with westerns or Dario Argento and Mario Bava with gialli and horror. Other directors made most of the genres. These did their stuff.

Sergio Martino and his movies

Last time we had a look on the movies by the Italian cult filmmaker Umberto Lenzi. This time let's look on the filmography of Sergio Martino, another Italian cult filmmaker. Just like Lenzi, Martino did just every single genre. He was too young to make a peplum film, but maybe he wrote some of them. He begun with the mondo films, then made his name with gialli before stepping into the genres of police thrillers, sex comedies and in the 80's sci-fi action flicks. Martino's brother Luciano (1933-2013) was a producer, a head of the Dania company, and Sergio made most of his movies for him, usually casting Luciano's wife Edwige Fenech. Maybe that was also his break that forced him to do just everything and remaining as just one of the many genre directors, although he was definitely talented.

MONDO SEX (1969)
a.k.a. Mille peccati... nessuna virtù. One of the mondo movies that exploited different cultures and portrayed various countries as places full of criminal activities, drugs and perverted sex. I haven't watched any of them and I probably won't.

ARIZONA COLT RETURNS (1970)
Sergio's first scripted movie was a spaghetti western, using themes from various previous movies and making just a regular Anthony Steffen spag. Lots of action, lots of coolness, not much of plot. Co-starring Roberto Camardiel as not very funny sidekick, Marcella Michelangeli as the good girl, Rosalba Neri as the bad girl and Aldo Sambrell as the villain. The most memorable thing is the goofy title song by Bruno Nicolai. "I guess I've gotta get my gun, I guess I'v gotta shoot someone bang bang yeah yippee yippeayay..."

THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH (1971)
One of the best gialli combining the erotic drama Lenzi style and murder mystery Argento style, presenting Edwige Fenech with everything we love about her and putting her into a team with George Hilton and Ivan Rassimov. One of Martino's best.

THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL (1971)
His second giallo is good, but not great. I guess it's the story, that tries to imitate Psycho with following Ida Galli in the beginning and killing her after 30 minutes, then presenting new leads George Hilton and Anita Strindberg this time. And I can't choose - I'd love to spend more time with Strindberg, but also with Galli. Besides Galli, Strindberg and mostly Hilton we are also following the police and also the killer of course. Too many paths to follow. But in the end it's effective.

ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK (1972)
They're coming to get you! Not a typical giallo, rather a horror movie with a giallo ending. If we didn't have enough of Edwige in Wardh, we have even more of her this time. She basically oesn't leave the screen. George Hilton plays just the second fiddle, although being credited as the first actor. We get Ivan Rassimov with very blue eyes, and two more giallo queens, Nieves Navarro and Marina Malfatti. The shining star is of course Edwige herself.

YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY (1972)
I wrote twice about this movie here, so I won't be writing much more than it's a good movie, this time Anita Strindberg being the lead and Edwige Fenech just a support.

TORSO (1973)
Very popular among horror movie fans, but I don't like it that much. The second half in the house is amazing, but the first part is boring. Yes, a lot of nude girls with big breasts, but I don't watch horror movies for that. 

THE VIOLENT PROFESSIONALS (1973)
Martino's first poliziottesco and second collaboration with Luc Merenda. The same year he also made his first sex comedy with Fenech. I haven't watched any of those movies.

SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF A MINOR (1975)
A mix of poliziotteschi and gialli, this time starring Claudio Cassinelli. Not great, but good enough. The same year Martino did two poliziotteschi more, both starring Luc Merenda, Silent Action and Gambling City. I haven't watched any of them.

 
SEX WITH A SMILE (1976)
A sex comedy starring Fenech, Milian, Bouchet and other actors of Italian genre movies. And also starring Marty Feldman, which is odd. I won't watch it. Never.

MANNAJA (1977)
Martino's second and last western starring, surprisingly, Maurizio Merli, who rarely left the poliziesco genre. A good western from the late "twilight" era. John Steiner does a great villain.

THE SLAVE OF THE CANNIBAL GOD (1978)
And Martino goes even more trashy with a cannibal movie, starring Ursula Andress, Stacy Keach and Claudio Cassinelli. I haven't watched it, I probably won't. 

THE BIG ALLIGATOR RIVER (1979)
More trashy horrors, this one and Island of the Fishmen, both starring Barbara Bach and Claudio Cassinelli. I haven't watched them and I probably won't.

SCORPION WITH TWO TAILS (1982)
After a series of sex comedies with Edwige Fenech Martino sort of returned to gialli, but this time covering under the pseudonym of Christian Plummer. In the 80's he suddenly begun to use americanized names, mostly Martin Dolman. This movie is not supposed to be good. There's again Claudio Cassinelli in the cast.

2019: AFTER THE FALL OF NEW YORK (1983)
A very trashy copy of Escape from New York. But Michael Sopkiw isn't Kurt Russell, George Eastman isn't Isaac Hayes and some midget isn't Ernest Borgnine. Boring cheap trash. 

DEVIL FISH (1984)
It seems like this clone of Jaws was co-directed by Martino and Lamberto Bava. Both made a movie with Sopkiw, who made just four of them, including this one.

HANDS OF STEEL (1986)  
And this is an Italian Terminator, starring Daniel Greene. Who's he, you're asking? Well, the VHS cover says that he's star measurable with Sylvester Stallone. The movie itself is a very trashy fun with George Eastman as a mean truck driver who loves armwrestling, John Saxon as the bad guy and Claudio Cassinelli again. Sadly he died in a helicopter accident during making this movie. 

UPPERCUT MAN (1988)
A sport movie starring Greene again with Ernest Borgnine and Giuliano Gemma. Probably the cast is better than the movie deserves.

 
CASABLANCA EXPRESS (1989)
A war movie starring son of Sean Connery and Donald Pleasence. I don't have anything to add.

THE SMILE OF THE FOX (1992)
Martino returned to gialli in the early 90's and made two movies with two hot girls of their time. In this one it's Debora Caprioglio, former girlfriend of Klaus Kinski and proprietor of huge breasts, in Craving Desire (93) it was Vittoria Belvedere, not so busty, but hotter than Caprioglio. In the second one is co-starring Serena Grandi, so I guess you won't be missing huge breasts at all.

THE FISHMEN AND THEIR QUEEN (1995)
After 15 years Martino returned to his 1979 horrors with Barbara Bach and made a third one. No one notable in the cast. Edwige Fenech was supposed to star, but refused.

MOZART IS A MURDERER (1999)
And this is the very last giallo Martino has made. After that he directed a few more movies, but they were all done for TV. So this would be the last (at least a bit) interesting Sergio Martino movie.

As you can see, his filmography is mostly interesting till 1977. After that it seems mostly mediocre at best. Some of the trash is funny, but not as good as his gialli. His westerns weren't bad either, and I need to watch more of his poliziotteschi.