This work is a detailed portrait of one of the most important, bustling and absurd industries that cinema has ever known: colorful essays and nine career-spanning interviews with Italian genre directors of the 1970s, such as Luigi Cozzi, Francesco Barilli, Lamberto Bava and more. The directors reflect on their successes, failures and experiences directing films in the Italian westerns, sci-fi and horror genres. Following the anecdotes, gossip and controversies of the industry, the essays employ critical analyses to fully unveil the Italian genre cinema, as well as its impact on films across the world.

Eugenio Ercolani is a film scholar and documentarian. For the past decade he has alternated these activities with those of assistant director and screenwriter. He is responsible for dozens of extras and featurettes, for both American and European labels. He lives in Rome.

Eugenio Ercolani

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 252
Bibliographic Info: 39 photos, notes, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9036-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4926-9
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
1969—Starcoates!: The Cinema of Luigi Cozzi 7
1971—Drops of Memory: The Cinema of Aldo Lado 33
1974—A Brush and a Camera: The Cinema of Francesco Barilli 53
1974—The G Spot: The Cinema of Ovidio G. Assonitis 69
1975—A Professional for Hire: The Cinema of Gianni Martucci 121
1976—No Messages: The Cinema of Giulio Berruti 139
1977—Profondo Nero: The Cinema of Antonio Bido 160
1979—Inheriting Fear: The Cinema of Lamberto Bava 181
New Decade, Old Problems: The Cinema of Roberto Girometti 215
Chapter Notes 229
Index 233