Fernando Di Leo (11 January 1932 – 1 December 2003)[1] was an Italian film director and script writer. He made 17 films as a director and about 50 scripts from 1964 to 1985.[2]

Fernando Di Leo
Born(1932-01-11)11 January 1932
Died1 December 2003(2003-12-01) (aged 71)
Rome, Italy
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter

Biography

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Fernando Di Leo was born on 11 January 1932 in San Ferdinando di Puglia.[2] After briefly working in a Rome 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).[3] Following this Di Leo wrote several scripts for Westerns, often uncredited.[3] This included work on A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.[3] 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.[3]

Di Leo was a fan of film noir and wanted to make an Italian version of these films.[3] 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.[3] In Di Leo's version, the setting is moved to a contemporary Rome and has elements of contemporary spy films.[3] Di Leo worked with Guerrini again on the film Gangsters '70 which did not do well in the box office.[3] 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, A Wrong Way to Love and Seduction.[3] From 1969 to 1976, di Leo was able to produce many of his own works with his production company Duania cineproduzioni 70.[2] 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.[3]

Di Leo would make a giallo film with Slaughter Hotel starring Klaus Kinski and Margaret Lee.[3] Following this Di Leo worked on Caliber 9 and The Italian Connection which were both inspired by the writing of Scerbanenco.[3] He followed up this film Il Boss, a film which got Di Leo in trouble with politicians and authorities due to the films display connections between the mafia and the Italy's major party Democrazia Cristiana.[3] Di Leo followed this up with Shoot First, Die Later in 1974.[3] Di Leo worked through the latter half of the 1970's directing Mister Scarface, Kidnap Syndicate, and Nick the Sting.[4] 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.[4] Di Leo's last film produced by his company Duania cineproduzioni 70 was Rulers of the City in 1976.[4] He continued with a few more films after with the film noir Blood and Diamonds, the erotic drama To Be Twenty - both in 1978, and Madness in 1980.[4]

Di Leo worked in television in the 1980's, 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.[4] Di Leo also made The Violent Breed and his last film Killer vs. Killers towards the mid-1980's.[4] Killer vs. Killers wasn't released theatrically in Italy and only surfaced 20 years later on DVD.[5]

Di Leo died in December 2003.[5]

Select filmography

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Title Year Credited as Notes Ref(s)
Director Screenwriter Story author Other
Gli eroi di ieri, oggi, domani 1963 Yes Yes [6][7]
A Fistful of Dollars 1964 Yes Uncredited. [8]
The Return of Ringo 1965 Yes Yes Yes Assistant director [9][10][11]
For a Few Dollars More Yes Yes Yes Uncredited as screenwriter. Also 2nd assistant director [12]
Kiss Kiss...Bang Bang 1966 Yes Yes [13][14]
Massacre Time Yes Yes [15][16]
Seven Guns for the MacGregors Yes [17][18]
Johnny Yuma Yes [19][20]
Navajo Joe Yes [21][22]
Up the MacGregors! 1967 Yes Yes [23][24]
Long Days of Vengeance Yes [25][26]
The Ruthless Four 1968 Yes Yes [27][28][29]
Beyond the Law Yes [30]
Gangsters '70 Yes Yes [31]
Naked Violence 1969 Yes Yes [32]
Slaughter Hotel 1971 Yes Yes [3]
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

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  1. ^ "Fernando Di Leo - filmportal.de". filmportal.de (in German). Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Curti 2013, p. 292.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Curti 2013, p. 293.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Curti 2013, p. 294.
  5. ^ a b Curti 2013, p. 295.
  6. ^ Curti 2016, p. 293.
  7. ^ "Gli eroi di ieri, oggi, domani (1963)" (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.com. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  8. ^ Curti 2016, p. 192.
  9. ^ "Cast and Crew". A Pistol for Ringo / The Return of Ringo (Booklet). Arrow Video. 2018. p. 5. AV137 / FCD1710.
  10. ^ Hughes 2006, p. 29.
  11. ^ Hughes 2006, p. 36.
  12. ^ Curti 2016, p. 193.
  13. ^ "Kiss kiss... bang bang" (in Italian). Archvio del cinema italiano. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  14. ^ Erickson, Hal. "Kiss Kiss...Bang Bang". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  15. ^ Howarth 2015, p. 106.
  16. ^ Firsching, Robert. "Massacre Time". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ Grant 2011, p. 443.
  19. ^ Grant 2011, p. 442.
  20. ^ "Johnny Yuma (1966)" (in Italian). Archiviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  21. ^ Hughes 2006, p. 81.
  22. ^ Hughes 2006, p. 92.
  23. ^ "7 donne per i Mac Gregor (1967)" (in Italian). Archiviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  24. ^ "Up the MacGregors". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  25. ^ "Lunghi giorni della vendetta (1967)" (in Italian). Archiviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  26. ^ Grant 2011, p. 446.
  27. ^ "Das Gold von Sam Cooper". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  28. ^ "Ognuno per sé" (in French). Bifi.fr. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  29. ^ "Ognuno per sé (1968)" (in Italian). Archvio del Cinema Italiano. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  30. ^ "Die letzte Rechnung zahlst du selbst". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  31. ^ Curti 2013, p. 23.
  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. ^ a b 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

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