Italy’s less lauded directors
 

Less lauded meaning thsoe who weren’t recognized with the various awards festivals like Fellini or Pasolini.

So, I’m been going through more Italian films lately (last 3 years) and I’ve mostly going through the Spaghetti Westerns, Giallo, Poliziotechi (spelling?) and horror films between 1960-1989. I plan to mix some peplum in this next year.

Outside of the top 3 (Argento, Bava and Fulci) which directors do you think deserves recognition among them?

I’ve seen some Martino (Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh is great), a few Corbucci, and Sollima. Lamberts Bava. Margheriti.
I plan on getting into Lenzi next year.
Are there any others I might be forgetting that anyone feels is also worthy of consideration? Any I might be forgetting?

Michele Soavi

I just thought about him after I posted. I’ve heard his name tossed around here. (The Church and Dellamore Dellamorte especially)

And Stage Fright!


Also C. Mastrocinque made a couple of horror films that I like.

Aldo Lado
Massimo Dallamano
Elio Petri
Luciano Ercoli
Enzo Castellari
Luigi Bazzoni
Ricardo Freida
Antonio Bido
Duccio Tessari
Francesco Barilli

Re: Italy’s less lauded directors
 

Anybody seen Sabata by Gianfranco Parolini? He was very active in the spaghetti western and peplum scenes.

Good list. I’ve seen a few from Petri and one from Dallamino (What have you Done to Solange?) so far and completely forgot them.

The others I haven’t heard of, yet, except Castellari (May have seen a few of his but I’d have to look again)and Bazzoni, who I know I haven’t seen anything from yet.
I’ll look up the rest. Thanks 👍

!

Totally forgot about Sabata. I even had plans to watch it at one point and just forgot about it.

Re: Italy’s less lauded directors
 

https://i.postimg.cc/mkJ491hS/marco.jpg


Marco Ferreri


His films are a mine field, and the bad ones are extremely bad. But stuff like La Grade Bouffe and Dillinger is Dead are classics. At least classics for people like me.


And it can't be understated how great Corbucci's "The Great Silence" is. I sometimes think it might be my favorite of all the spaghetti westerns. Yes, maybe even those by Leone.


Maybe

I struggled with The Great Silence, but i do owe it a rewatch at some point.
Most of it is because I struggle with Spaghetti westerns in general, although there have been some diamonds (Duck you Sucker, The Big Gundown) in the rough (various Sartana films).

Not that I’m writing the genre off completely.
There’s still many I need to get around to watching (Django, My Name is Nobody, A Bullet for the General). I aim to remedy that soon.

Ferreri is a director I’m not familiar with, so I’ll have to look him up and see which of his films are readily available.
Thanks. 👍

Re: Italy’s less lauded directors
 

Most of the ones I could suggest have already been said, but no one has mentioned Pupi Avati. I've only seen two of his films, but the other one is great (The House with Laughing Windows), and the other is good (Zeder).

Avati also has The Arcane Sorcerer which is also alright

Ooh, that’s an interesting one. I’ve heard of The House with Laughing Windows, didn’t remember the directors name.
Thanks. 👍

I liked it more than most people did. I was pretty boted with the Sartana series, though. The peplums are a little more interesting because of the political intrigue.


But I swear if ONE MORE ROMAN puts poison in wine!

I should also add Sci Fi to the list. Like Starcrash (I’m going to rewatch this since it’s been ages and ages) and 1990: The Bronx Warriors

I think most of the examples I could think of have been named. I will mention I was listening to the (now defunct?) Daughters of Darkness podcast, and they had a three or four part series where they were going over arthouse giallo (which was basically giallo that didn't necessarily conform to the tropes of the genre. Think All the Colors of the Dark and Death Laid an Egg (the latter I still have never seen, but have heard the name often)).


They list off and talked about a lot of movies in those episodes, so if you're looking to do some type of deep dive, I'd offer up getting a list of movies from those episodes as a recommendation.

I'd offer up The New Barbarians, but Castellari has already been mentioned.
She (1985) (Avi Nesher) hasn't been mentioned.


And I'll also say Tinto Brass (I've only seen The Howl), but he's a tad bit more well known, but is known for doing some interesting stuff for a decade or so there.

Re: Italy’s less lauded directors
 

Even the great ones aren't mentioned much. Fellini is always discussed because of the flamboyance. Some movies might be known, but I never hear their names. I constantly hear Dario Argento.
De Sica and Visconti are ignored. Ettore Scola, Petri, Olmi, Dino Risi, Marco Bellocchio, Pasolini, Mario Monicelli, Pontecorvo, Alberto Lattuada, Francesco Maselli, Marco Vicario, Robert Rosselini, Luciano Emmer, Mauro Bolognini, Bertolucci, Cesare Zavattini (known as their best writer)

Picking this back up, that’s a lot of names here I have added to my watch list, but haven’t gotten to many of them yet.
Those who I have delved I to quite a bit lately are, so far, Sergio Martino and Umberto Lenzi, along with a few from Damiani. This week, I’m delving into some Poliziotteschi from De Leo on Criterion before they go away.

Re: Italy’s less lauded directors
 

Olmi Olmi Olmi