Newsgroup: it.politica
Titolo: Fino alle 4 di mattina con vecchi amici!

Che nottata! Che rimpatriata!
 
Amici di gioventù e con grandi star di un tempo, si fan le 4 di
mattina  con il cuore
pieno di emozioni antiche, di ricordi favolosi di una vita spesa tutta
con persone di alto livello. Non viene sonno.
 
Il computer è acceso e i post di testa di Clapos distendono i nervi,
mettono pace nell'animo.
Lui crede di insultare e invece  l'abisso morale e mentale che mostra
rassicura, dà alle persone normali un senso di superiorità e di pace.
Dopo si va a letto contenti.
=================================================================================
INTERVIEW WITH ‘MY NAME IS NOBODY’ WRITER ERNESTO GASTALDI
http://henryswesternroundup.blogspot.com/2013/05/interview-with-my-na..
."
 
I became aware of the work of the talented and prolific Italian
screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi as I prepared to do audio commentary,
with fellow western writer C. Courtney Joyner, for Blue Underground’s
DVD release of Gastaldi’s THE GRAND DUEL, starring Lee Van Cleef (you
can read my review HERE.)
 
The auteur theory of film, which deifies the director, often ignores
the fact that the words have to come from someone, and Mr. Gastaldi’s
words have illuminated many of the best European Westerns and Giallo
(literally ‘thrilling’movies); he has more than 120 produced movies to
his credit.  We exchanged a few emails after I did the commentary, and
to my delight, he agreed to an email interview about his westerns for
the Round-up.
 
In preparing my questions, the hardest part of my research was
identifying his films from the maze of alternate titles.  I was
reminded that in February I had been talking to Spaghetti Western star
Giuliano Gemma at the Los Angeles Italia Fest, about his favorites
among his own westerns.  He was talking about MAN FROM NOWHERE and I
was talking about Gastaldi’s ARIZONA COLT, and it took us a minute to
realize we were talking about the same movie.
 
I finally put every Euro-western DVD I had in the player to read the
writing credits – and I was startled to realize how many of my
favorites were written by Ernesto Gastaldi.  I emailed my questions to
Ernesto late on Thursday night, and to my great surprise, on Friday
afternoon, all of my answers were waiting for me.  Here, then, is my
interview.
 
HENRY: What is the first movie you remember seeing?
 
ERNESTO: Maybe L’ASSEDIO DELL’ALCAZAR by Augusto Genina. I was 6.
(Note: an Italian war film about the famous Siege of Alcazar during
the Spanish Civil War; winner of the Mussolini Cup at the Venice Film
Festival)
 
HENRY: When did you know that you wanted to make movies?
 
ERNESTO: After RASHOMON by Kurosawa.
 
HENRY: In 1957 you graduated from Centro Sperimentale di
Cinematografia of Roma with degrees in direction and screenwriting.
In the United States, ‘film school’ was practically unheard of until
the early 1970s.  What were the most important things you learned in
your film studies?
 
ERNESTO: CSC allowed me to stay in Rome and meet people. One good prof
was the director Alessandro Blasetti. (Note: the founder of the
school, he directed his first film in 1917, and he continued directing
until 1981.)
 
The young writer and director.
 
HENRY: In 1960 you were writer and assistant director on THE VAMPIRE
AND THE BALLERINA.  Was that your first movie?  How did you get the
job?
 
ERNESTO: In 1959, at Christmas, I was assistant director of Renato
Polselli in that movie: we wrote the script together.  Renato was
fiancé of a girl I met at CSC.
 
HENRY: How did it feel to hear actors saying your dialogue for the
first time?
 
ERNESTO: Having been on the set, not so much...
 
HENRY: In the first three years of your screenwriting career, 1960
through 1962, you worked on nineteen movies – horror movies, pirate
movies, comedies, gladiator movies.  Were you under contract?
 
ERNESTO: In Italy no writers were under contract. I wrote for many
different producers.
 
HENRY: Where did the projects come from?  What genres did you prefer?
 
ERNESTO: I like all commercial genres.
 
HENRY: With THE HORRIBLE DR. HITCHCOCK you started using the pseudonym
Julian Barry on certain films.  Why?
 
ERNESTO: Italian producers preferred to pretend your movies were
American.
 
HENRY: In 1965 you did uncredited script work on BUFFALO BILL,
starring Gordon Scott.  Was that your first western?
 
ERNESTO: The first Italian western was COWBOY'S STORY by (19 year old)
Peppo Sacchi, in 1953. I was on the set as visitor. BUFFALO BILL
wasn't a real Italian western.
 
HENRY: Were you a fan of westerns as a boy?
 
ERNESTO: No, but I liked them.
 
HENRY: Who were your favorite cowboy actors growing up?
 
ERNESTO: Gary Cooper.
 
HENRY: What western writers or filmmakers influenced you?
 
ERNESTO: Nobody.
 
 HENRY: It was another year and fourteen movies – a lot of spy
thrillers among them – before you made another western, and it was the
excellent ARIZONA COLT.  You established that perfect balance of
western adventure and humor that would be seen in much of your western
work.  Was ARIZONA COLT your idea, or was it brought to you?
 
ERNESTO: Duccio Tessari (A PISTOL FOR RINGO) invented the humorous
western; Sergio Leone followed and I too.
 
HENRY: Giuliano Gemma had made the RINGO films and several other
westerns by then.  Did you write ARIZONA COLT with him in mind, or was
he cast after it was written?
 
Colt and his sidekick, Whiskey
 
 Fernando Sancho as Gordo
 
ERNESTO: I knew, while I was writing the script, that Giuliano Gemma
would be Arizona Colt.
 
HENRY: You have written five movies that Giuliano Gemma starred in.
Which was your favorite?
 
ERNESTO: I think I GIORNI DELL’IRA (DAY OF ANGER) by Tonino Valerii.
 
HENRY: Did you write any westerns, and then try to sell them, or did
you write on assignment?
 
ERNESTO: I wrote almost always on assignment.
 
HENRY: In 1966 you co-wrote $1,000 ON THE BLACK, creating the hugely
popular character of ‘Sartana’ for Gianni Garko.  You would write
several more ‘Sartana’ movies for Garko.  Why do you think the
character became so popular?
 
ERNESTO: The name ‘Sartana’ had a big success; I don't know why. Many
different actors acted ‘Sartana’!
 
HENRY: How did you like Garko?
 
ERNESTO: Garko has been a very good ‘Sartana’.
 
HENRY: You were writing movies that you knew would be translated into
many languages.  Did that knowledge affect your approach to the
writing?  Did you try to tell the stories more visually?
 
ERNESTO: When I write I think just to the story, no cares about actors
or other conditions.
 
HENRY: There are often five or six writers credited on Italian films.
Why were there so many?
 
ERNESTO: I wrote my scripts alone, rarely with one friend. Many names
you see in credits are fake, to justify coproductions.
 
HENRY: In 1967 you wrote a ‘Django’ film, $10,000 FOR A MASSACRE, and
your first western for Lee Van Cleef, DAY OF ANGER.  Lee was now a big
international star.  Did that change anything in your writing?  Did
stars try to tell you how to write for them?
 
ERNESTO: No. As I (said before), when I write I think just to the
story.
 
HENRY: In 1967 you earned a degree in economics.  Why did you decide
to go back to school, and why did you choose economics?
 
ERNESTO: I started economics studies in Torino in 1953, well before I
imagined writing movies. Then I interrupted them for years. In 1965
the Roman University, where I shifted (to) in 1955, asked me to finish
or renounce forever. I finished, passing 20 tests in few months.
 
HENRY: Did you spend time on the sets of films you were writing?
 
ERNESTO: I almost never went to sets. Too much to write in those
periods!
 
HENRY: Were you asked to make script changes during production?
 
ERNESTO: Yes, but really few times.
 
HENRY: I have spoken to several European Western stars who complained
that many producers were dishonest.  Did you ever have trouble getting
paid for your work?
 
ERNESTO: Once.  Screenwriters were the first people to be paid.
 
HENRY: In 1968 you made the first of your seven films with George
Hilton, with ONE MORE TO HELL, also known as FULL HOUSE FOR THE
DEVIL.  You must have had a good relationship.
 
Title card from FULL HOUSE FOR THE DEVIL
 
ERNESTO: George Hilton is one of my good friends.
 
HENRY: In 1970 you made ARIZONA COLT RETURNS, with Anthony Steffen
taking Gemma’s role.  How well do you think he did, and why did it
take four years to do a COLT sequel?
 
ERNESTO: The second COLT wasn't a real sequel. The title had been
decided by the producer, not by me.
 
HENRY: Did you have favorite directors and favorite actors?
 
ERNESTO: Favorite directors: Tonino Valerii (MY NAME IS NOBODY; DAY OF
ANGER; A REASON TO LIVE, A REASON TO DIE; THE PRICE OF POWER),  Sergio
Martino (ARIZONA COLT RETURNS; $10,000 FOR A MASSACRE; VENGEANCE IS
MINE), and Sergio Leone. Favorite actors: Tony Quinn (note: in 1988
Gastaldi wrote STRADIVARI, starring Anthony Quinn as the violin-
maker), Henry Fonda, Lee Van Cleef, Alan Collins (note: his real name
is Luciano Pigozzi.  Known as the ‘Italian Peter Lorre,’ he appeared
in IT CAN BE DONE, AMIGO, and nearly a dozen gialli written by
Gastaldi).

 mettono pace nell'animo.
 
Scusa però Ernesto, fammi capire: notte da leoni con gli amici di una 
vita, e tu pensi a Clapos?
 
Qualche problemino mi sa che ce l'hai anche tu sai... Con affetto, eh.
 
 
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