Damiano Damiani (23 July 1922 – 7 March 2013) was an Italian

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

and writer. Poet and director

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...

referred to him as "a bitter moralist hungry for old purity", while film critic Paolo Mereghetti said that his style made him "the most American of Italian directors". In 1946 Damiano Damiani became part of the so-called Group of Venice with

Fernando Carcupino Fernando Carcupino (23 July 1922 – 22 March 2003) was an Italian painter, illustrator and comics artist. He was most widely known for his female nudes, but he also painted landscapes, still lifes, historical subjects, and portraits of mothers ...

Hugo Pratt Ugo Eugenio Prat, better known as Hugo Pratt (15 June 1927 – 20 August 1995), was an Italian comic book creator who was known for combining strong storytelling with extensive historical research on works such as ''Corto Maltese''. He was ind ...

and Dino Battaglia.

Life and career

Born in

Pasiano di Pordenone Pasiano di Pordenone ( vec, Pasiàn; fur, Pasiàn) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pordenone in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about south of Pordenone. Geography Pasiano b ...

Friuli Friuli ( fur, Friûl, sl, Furlanija, german: Friaul) is an area of Northeast Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity containing 1,000,000 Friulians. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli Venezia Giuli ...

, Damiani studied at the

Accademia di Brera The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera ("academy of fine arts of Brera"), also known as the or Brera Academy, is a state-run tertiary public academy of fine arts in Milan, Italy. It shares its history, and its main building, with the Pinacoteca ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

, then made his début in 1947 with the documentary ''La banda d'Affari''. After a few years as a screenwriter, he directed his first feature film in 1960, '' Il rossetto''. Before his career as a big screenwriter, Damiani was first a comic cartoonist in association with the "Group of Venice". Focused on the comic '' Asso di Picche'' (1945–49) the comic featured a masked vigilante who fights crime all over the globe and is in charge of the crime stopping organization, "Band of Panthers". A smaller publication to which he also contributed through illustration was ''Mike Lazy'' (1946) producing two volumes in Albo Dinamite by Edizioni Il Carro in

. Then individually producing his own gangster comic, ''Pat la Rocca'' (1946). Two books were published in the collection Collana Gialli Film, also by Edizioni Il Carro. A third comic was scheduled and advertised to release yet never materialized. Continuing his work in the comic industry, Damiani wrote scripts for the photo comic strip ''Arizona Kid'' (1949) published in Mondadori magazines such as ''Avventuroso Film'' and ''Bolero Film''. Moving on to work on the launch of a similar magazine, '' Sogno'', alongside editor Luciano Pedrocchi, he also later worked as a screenwriter for an adventure comic ''I Tre Boyscouts'' (Edizioni Castello, 1948; which was illustrated by Rino Ferrari, Giovanni Benvenuti and Andrea Bresciani). Later in his career, Damiani did some illustration work for the crime noir comic, '' Hogart il Giustiziere'', which was reprinted and published under the title '' Bogart il Giusitiziere'' (1968–69). His 1962 film, '' Arturo's Island'', won the

Golden Shell The Golden Shell ( es, Concha de Oro; eu, Urrezko Maskorra) is the highest prize given to a competing film at the San Sebastián Film Festival. It was introduced in 1957. In 1953 and 1954, the highest prize had been called the Gran Premio. In 19 ...

at the

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in ...

. The 1960s were Damiani's "golden decade"; he was praised by critics and his films were box office successes. In 1966, he directed ''

A Bullet for the General ''A Bullet for the General'' ( es, Quién sabe?; original title means "Who knows?", in the Spanish language), also known as ''El Chucho Quién Sabe?'', is a 1966 Italian Zapata Western film directed by Damiano Damiani and starring Gian Maria Vol ...

'', one of the first political "

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

s". In 1968, with ''

The Day of the Owl ''The Day of the Owl'' ( it, Il giorno della civetta ) is a crime novel about the Sicilian Mafia by Leonardo Sciascia, finished in 1960 and published in 1961. As the author wrote in his preface of the 1972 Italian edition, the novel was writt ...

'', he started a series of films in which social criticism, often related to the connections between politics and crime, was mixed with spectacular plots. His 1971 film ''

Confessions of a Police Captain ''Confessions of a Police Captain'' ( it, Confessione di un commissario di polizia al procuratore della repubblica, also known as ''Confessions of a Police Commissioner to the District Attorney'') is an Italian crime-drama film. The film won the ...

'' won the Golden Prize at the

7th Moscow International Film Festival The 7th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 20 July to 3 August 1971. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Italian film ''Confessions of a Police Captain'' directed by Damiano Damiani, the Japanese film ''Live Today, Die Tomorrow! ...

. In 1973 Damiani débuted as an actor, playing

Giovanni Amendola Giovanni Amendola (15 April 1882 – 7 April 1926) was an Italian journalist, professor and politician, noted as an opponent of Italian Fascism. Biography Early life and education Amendola was born in Naples on 15 April 1882. He moved to Rome, ...

in Florestano Vancini's '' The Matteotti Murder''. He was known to cult horror film fans for directing '' Amityville II: The Possession'' in 1982 for

Dino de Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...

. In 1984, he directed one of the most famous Italian television series, ''

La piovra ''La Piovra'' (; en, The Octopus, referring to the Mafia) is an Italian television drama series about the Mafia. The series was directed by various directors who each worked on different seasons, including Damiano Damiani (first season), Flores ...

'', a description of the contemporary

Italian Mafia Organized crime in Italy and its criminal organizations have been prevalent in Italy, especially Southern Italy, for centuries and have affected the social and economic life of many Italian regions since at least the 19th century. There are six ...

and its involvement in politics. His last feature film was ''Assassini dei giorni di festa '', directed in 2002.

Death

Damiani died on 7 March 2013, at his home in Rome, from respiratory failure; he was 90 years old.

Filmography

Screenwriter

* ''

The Mysteries of Paris ''The Mysteries of Paris'' (french: Les Mystères de Paris) is a novel by the French writer Eugène Sue. It was published serially in 90 parts in ''Journal des débats'' from 19 June 1842 until 15 October 1843, making it one of the first seria ...

'' (1957) * ''

Herod the Great Herod I (; ; grc-gre, ; c. 72 – 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman Jewish client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renova ...

'' (1958) * ''

Head of a Tyrant ''Head of a Tyrant'' or ''Judith and Holofernes'' (Italian:''Giuditta e Oloferne'') is a 1959 Italian-French historical film directed by Fernando Cerchio and starring Massimo Girotti, Isabelle Corey and Renato Baldini.Parish p.53 It is part of th ...

'' (1959)

Director

* ''

Lipstick Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates bac ...

'' (''Il rossetto'', 1960) * ''

Blood Feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one pa ...

'' (1961) aka ''Il sicario'' (1960) * '' Arturo's Island'' (''L'isola di Arturo'', 1962) * ''

The Empty Canvas ''The Empty Canvas'' is a 1963 Italian drama film directed by Damiano Damiani. The screenplay written by Damiani, Tonino Guerra and Ugo Liberatore is based on the best-selling novel ''La noia'' by Alberto Moravia. The film stars Horst Buchholz ...

'' (''La noia'', 1963) * '' The Reunion'' (''La rimpatriata'', 1963) * '' The Witch in Love'' (''La strega in amore'', 1966) * ''

'' (''El Chuncho, quien sabe?'', 1966) * ''

'' also known as ''Mafia'' (''Il giorno della civetta'', 1967) * '' A Complicated Girl'' (''Una ragazza piuttosto complicata'', 1968) * ''

The Most Beautiful Wife ''The Most Beautiful Wife'' ( it, La moglie più bella) is a 1970 Italian film directed by Damiano Damiani, based on the 1965 case of Franca Viola, who challenged the still frequent southern Italian custom of kidnapping and raping a prospective ...

'' (''La moglie più bella'', 1970) * ''

'' (''Confessioni di un Commissario di Polizia al Procuratore della Repubblica'') (1971) * '' The Case Is Closed, Forget It'' (''L'istruttoria è chiusa: dimentichi'', 1972) * ''

The Assassin of Rome ''The Assassin of Rome'' ( it, Girolimoni, il mostro di Roma) is a 1972 Italian historical drama film directed by Damiano Damiani. The film tells, with some historical licenses, the story of Gino Girolimoni, wrongfully accused of a series of chi ...

'' (''Girolimoni, il mostro di Roma'', 1972) * '' The Devil Is a Woman'' (''Sorriso del grande tentatore'', 1974) * '' How to Kill a Judge'' (''Perché si uccide un magistrato'', 1974) * ''

A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe ''A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe'' ( it, Un genio, due compari, un pollo) is a 1975 Spaghetti Western comedy film directed by Damiano Damiani and Sergio Leone, who directed the opening scene. Plot Joe Thanks ( Terence Hill) is a genius co ...

'' (''Un genio, due compari, un pollo'', 1975) * '' Goodbye and Amen'' (''Goodbye e amen'', 1977) * ''

I Am Afraid ''I Am Afraid'' ( it, Io ho paura, link=no) is an Italian crime film directed by Damiano Damiani. Cast *Gian Maria Volonté as Brigadeer Lodovico Graziano *Mario Adorf as Judge Moser *Erland Josephson as Judge Cancedda *Angelica Ippolito ...

'' (''Io ho paura'') (1977) * '' A Man on His Knees'' (''Un uomo in ginocchio'') (1978) * '' The Warning'' (''L'Avvertimento'', 1980) * '' Amityville II: The Possession'' (1982) * '' Parole e sangue'' (1983, TV) * ''

'' (1984, TV) * '' Pizza Connection'' (1985) * '' The Inquiry'' (''L'inchiesta'', 1986) * ''

Imago urbis In biology, the imago ( Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the imaginal stage, the stage in which the insect attains maturity. It follows the ...

'' (1987) * '' Massacre Play'' (1989) * '' Lenin...The Train'' (1990, TV) * '' The Dark Sun'' (''Il sole buio'', 1990) * '' Man of Respect'' (''Uomo di rispetto'') (1992) * '' L'angelo con la pistola'' (1992) * '' Una bambina di troppo'' (1994, TV) * '' Ama il tuo nemico'' (1999, TV) * '' Alex l'ariete'' (2000) * '' Ama il tuo nemico 2'' (2001, TV) * '' Another World Is Possible'' (', 2001) * '' Assassini dei giorni di festa'' (2002)

Actor

* ''7 Bullets for Gringo'' (1967) - Journalist with Gen. Elías (uncredited) * '' The Case Is Closed, Forget It'' (1971) - Vanzi's lawyer (uncredited) * ''

The Assassination of Matteotti ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1973) -

* '' How to Kill a Judge'' (1975) - Giacomo Solaris' Attorney (uncredited) (final film role)

Awards

* Golden Seashell at San Sebastian Film Festival for ''L'isola di Arturo'' (1962) * Berlin FIPRESCI Prize - Honorable Mention, for ''La rimpatriata''(1963) *

Silver Berlin Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fes ...

- Honorable Mention for '' Pizza Connection''(1985) *

David di Donatello The David di Donatello Awards, named after Donatello's ''David'', a symbolic statue of the Italian Renaissance, are film awards given out each year by the ''Accademia del Cinema Italiano'' (The Academy of Italian Cinema). There are 26 award cat ...

, Alitalia Award, for L'Inchiesta (1986) * Golden Prize at

Moscow Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...

for ''Confessione di un commissario di polizia al procuratore della repubblica'' (1971)

Nominations

*Golden Berlin Bear for ''Pizza Connection'' (1985) *Golden Berlin Bear for ''Il giorno della civetta'' (

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

) *Golden Berlin Bear for ''La rimpatriata'' (

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Damiani, Damiano 1922 births 2013 deaths People from the Province of Pordenone Giallo film directors Italian film directors Italian screenwriters Spaghetti Western directors Poliziotteschi directors Deaths from respiratory failure Italian male screenwriters