Fernando Di Leo

Fernando Di Leo (11 January 1932 – December 2003) was an Italian film director and script writer born in San Ferdinando di Puglia, Italy. Fernando di Leo made 17 films as a director and about 50 scripts from 1964 to 1985.[1]

Fernando Di Leo
Born(1932-01-11)11 January 1932
San Ferdinando di Puglia, Italy
DiedDecember 2003(2003-12-00) (aged 71)
OccupationFilm director, screenwriter

Biography

Fernando Di Leo was born on 11 January 1932 in San Ferdinando di Puglia.[1] After briefly working in a Rome's film school Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, di Leo made his debut as a director as part of the omnibus comedy Gli eroi di ieri, oggi, domani with his episode titled Un posto in paradiso (transl. A Place in Heaven).[2] Following this Di Leo wrote several scripts for Westerns, often uncredited.[2] This included work on A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More.[2] Some of his Westerns had uncredited literary sources, such as Days of Vengeance which as loosely based on Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo.[2]

Di Leo was a fan of film noir and wanted to make an Italian version of these films.[2] Among his first efforts was the script for Mino Guerrini's Date for a Murder based on Franco Enna's novel Tempo di massacro written in 1955.[2] In Di Leo's version, the setting is moved to a contemporary Rome and has elements of contemporary spy films.[2] Di Leo worked with Guerrini again on the film Gangsters '70 which did not do well in the box office.[2] Di Leo began directing more of his own films at the time including the war film Red Roses for the Fuhrer and a few erotic films: A Woman on Fire and A Wrong Way to Love.[2] From 1969 to 1976, di Leo was able to produce many of his own works with his production company Duania cineproduzioni 70.[1] He followed this with a return to noir with Naked Violence, a film adapting a novel by Giorgio Scerbanenco, a writer who Di Leo would adapt for several future film productions.[2]

Di Leo would make a giallo film with Slaughter Hotel starring Klaus Kinski and Margaret Lee.[2] Following this Di Leo worked on Caliber 9 and The Italian Connection which were both inspired by the writing of Scerbanenco.[2] He followed up this film Il Boss, a film which got Di Leo in trouble with politicians and authorities due he the films display connections between the mafia and the Italy's major party Democrazia Cristiana.[2] Di Leo followed this up with Shoot First, Die Later in 1974.[2] Di Leo worked through the latter half of the 1970s directing Mister Scarface, Kidnap Syndicate, and Nick the Sting.[3] He also wrote scripts for other directors such as Romolo Guerrieri's Young, Violent, Dangerous and Ruggero Deodato's Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man.[3] Di Leo's last film produced by his company Duania cineproduzioni 70 was Rulers of the City in 1976.[3] He continued with a few more films after with the film noir Blood and Diamonds, the erotic drama To Be Twenty and Madness ins 1980.[3]

Di Leo worked in television in the 1980s, starting with the television series L'assassino ha le ore contate, which involved six one-hour long made-for-tv films produced by RAI Uno which as of 2013 are unreleased.[3] Di Leo also made The Violent Breed and his last film Killer vs. Killers towards the mid-1980s.[3] Killer vs. Killers wasn't released theatrically in Italy and only surfaced 20 years later on DVD.[4] Di Leo died in December 2003.[4]

Select filmography
TitleYearCredited asNotesRef(s)
DirectorScreenwriterStory authorOther
Gli eroi di ieri, oggi, domani 1963 Yes Yes [5][6]
A Fistful of Dollars 1964 Yes Uncredited. [7]
The Return of Ringo 1965 Yes Yes Yes Assistant director [8][9][10]
For a Few Dollars More Yes Yes Yes Uncredited as screenwriter. Also 2nd assistant director [11]
Kiss Kiss...Bang Bang 1966 Yes Yes [12][13]
Massacre Time Yes Yes [14][15]
Seven Guns for the MacGregors Yes [16][17]
Johnny Yuma Yes [18][19]
Navajo Joe Yes [20][21]
Up the MacGregors! 1967 Yes Yes [22][23]
Long Days of Vengeance Yes [24][25]
The Ruthless Four 1968 Yes Yes [26][27][28]
Beyond the Law Yes [29]
Gangsters '70 Yes Yes [30]
Red Roses for the Fuhrer Yes Yes [31]
Naked Violence 1969 Yes Yes [32]
Caliber 9 1972 Yes Yes [33]
Bloody Friday Yes Yes Uncredited [34][35]
The Italian Connection Yes Yes Yes Yes Also dialogue [36]
Il Boss 1973 Yes Yes [37]
Shoot First, Die Later 1974 Yes Yes [38]
Kidnap Syndicate 1975 Yes Yes [39]
Loaded Guns Yes Yes [40]
Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man 1976 Yes Yes [41]
Nick the Sting Yes [41]
Mister Scarface Yes Yes Yes [42][43]
Young, Violent, Dangerous Yes Yes [44]
Blood and Diamonds 1978 Yes Yes Yes [45]
Madness 1980 Yes Yes [46]

References
  1. Curti 2013, p. 292.
  2. Curti 2013, p. 293.
  3. Curti 2013, p. 294.
  4. Curti 2013, p. 295.
  5. Curti 2016, p. 293.
  6. "Gli eroi di ieri, oggi, domani (1963)" (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.com. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  7. Curti 2016, p. 192.
  8. "Cast and Crew". A Pistol for Ringo / The Return of Ringo (Booklet). Arrow Video. 2018. p. 5. AV137 / FCD1710.
  9. Hughes 2004, p. 29.
  10. Hughes 2004, p. 36.
  11. Curti 2016, p. 193.
  12. "Kiss kiss... bang bang" (in Italian). Archvio del cinema italiano. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  13. Erickson, Hal. "Kiss Kiss...Bang Bang". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  14. Howarth 2015, p. 106.
  15. Firsching, Robert. "Massacre Time". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  16. "7 Pistole Per I Macgregor (7 Guns for the MacGregors), Italy/Spain, 1965". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 34 no. 405. British Film Institute. October 1967. p. 158.
  17. Grant 2011, p. 443.
  18. Grant 2011, p. 442.
  19. "Johnny Yuma (1966)" (in Italian). Archiviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  20. Hughes 2004, p. 81.
  21. Hughes 2004, p. 92.
  22. "7 donne per i Mac Gregor (1967)" (in Italian). Archiviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  23. "Up the MacGregors". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  24. "Lunghi giorni della vendetta (1967)" (in Italian). Archiviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  25. Grant 2011, p. 446.
  26. "Das Gold von Sam Cooper". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  27. "Ognuno per sé" (in French). Bifi.fr. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  28. "Ognuno per sé (1968)" (in Italian). Archvio del Cinema Italiano. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  29. "Die letzte Rechnung zahlst du selbst". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  30. Curti 2013, p. 23.
  31. Allen 2015, p. 179.
  32. Curti 2013, p. 31.
  33. Curti 2013, p. 52.
  34. Curti 2013, p. 51.
  35. "Blutiger Freitag" (in German). Filmportal.de. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  36. Curti 2013, p. 61.
  37. Curti 2013, p. 77.
  38. Curti 2013, p. 118.
  39. Curti 2013, p. 137.
  40. Curti 2013, p. 141.
  41. Curti 2013, p. 181.
  42. Curti 2013, p. 190.
  43. Curti 2013, p. 191.
  44. Curti 2013, p. 202.
  45. Curti 2013, p. 237.
  46. Curti 2013, p. 274.

Bibliography
  • Allen, Jane (2015). Pier Angeli: A Fragile Life. McFarland. ISBN 9781476603575.
  • Curti, Roberto (2013). Italian Crime Filmography, 1968-1980. McFarland. ISBN 0786469765.
  • Curti, Roberto (2016). Tonino Valerii: The Films. McFarland. ISBN 1476664684.
  • Grant, Kevin (2011). Any Gun Can Play. Fab Press. ISBN 9781903254615.
  • Hughes, Howard (2006). Once Upon a Time in the Italian West. I B Tauris. ISBN 0857730452.
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