Luigi Bazzoni

Luigi Bazzoni
Born(1929-06-25)25 June 1929
Died1 March 2012(2012-03-01) (aged 82)
Salsomaggiore Terme, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
Notable work
RelativesCamillo Bazzoni (brother)
Vittorio Storaro (cousin)

Luigi Bazzoni (25 June 1929 - 1 March 2012)[1] was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known internationally to horror film fans for directing three well-regarded gialli: The Possessed (1965), The Fifth Cord (1971) and Footprints on the Moon (1975).[2][3] He was also the cousin of noted cinematographer of Vittorio Storaro, and was one of his earliest notable collaborators.[4]

Early life

Bazzoni was born in Salsomaggiore Terme in June 1929. He was the elder brother to film director and cinematographer Camillo Bazzoni, and a cousin of the Academy Award-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro.[5]

He began his filmmaking career as an assistant director to Mauro Bolognini on several films between 1960 and 1964.[5]

Career

Bazzoni directed several short films, and his debut Di Domenica received a Special Mention at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival.[6][7] His feature film debut was the 1965 psychological thriller The Possessed, which earned high critical marks.[8][9] He gained further attention for two offbeat Spaghetti Westerns, Man, Pride and Vengeance (1968) with Franco Nero and Klaus Kinski, and Brothers Blue (1973) with Jack Palance.[5][10]

Bazzoni subsequently directed two well-regarded gialli, The Fifth Cord (1971) and Footprints on the Moon (1975). The former was praised by critic Marina Antunes as an "entertaining, occasionally awe-inspiring package that stands the test of time as a fine example of the giallo genre."[11] Both films are also noted for the cinematography by Bazzoni’s cousin Vittorio Storaro.[4]

Though both were commercially successful, Bazzoni never directed another feature film, and subsequently focused on documentaries. He contributed to the multi-part series Roma Imago Urbis.[3][12] His final film credit was as a screenwriter on the 2005 crime drama Raul: Straight to Kill.

Death

Bazzoni died on March 1, 2012 at the age of 82, in his hometown of Salsomaggiore Terme.[13]

Filmography

Feature films

Year Title Director Writer Notes
1965 The Possessed Yes Yes Co-director with Franco Rossellini[14]
1968 Man, Pride and Vengeance Yes Yes
1971 The Fifth Cord Yes Yes
1973 Brothers Blue Yes Yes
1975 Footprints on the Moon Yes Yes
2005 Raul: Straight to Kill No Yes

Short films

Year Title Director Writer Notes
1963 Di domenica Yes No [7]
Un delitto Yes No
1966 Sortilegio Yes No
Sirtaki Yes No

Television

Year Title Director Writer Notes
1994-95 Roma Imago Urbis: Parte I - Il mito Yes No 6-part documentary series[3]

References

  1. ^ Francesco Barilli, "In Nero", Nocturno Cinema N. 116, Aprile 2012, p. 4.
  2. ^ "THE MASTERS OF ITALIAN EXPLOITATION: LUIGI BAZZONI – Spectacle Theater". 17 February 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Redazione (23 May 2018). "Sulle orme di Luigi Bazzoni - Nocturno.it". Nocturno (in Italian). Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b "The Fifth Cord". Screen Slate. Retrieved 7 March 2026. Director Luigi Bazzoni made five films, three lensed by his cousin Vittorio Storaro, whose intoxicating photography is the partnership's true legacy.
  5. ^ a b c Marco Giusti. Dizionario del western all'italiana. Mondadori, 2007. ISBN 88-04-57277-9.
  6. ^ Bianco e nero , Volume 24. Centro sperimentale di cinematografia., 1963.
  7. ^ a b "Festival de Cannes - Festival de cinéma international depuis plus de 78 ans". Festival de Cannes (in French). 4 March 2026. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  8. ^ "But a Dream within a Dream: Luigi Bazzoni's 'The Possessed', PopMatters". PopMatters. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  9. ^ Dean, Remy (29 January 2019). "THE POSSESSED (1965) • Frame Rated". Frame Rated. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  10. ^ Weisser, Thomas (11 March 2014). Spaghetti Westerns--the Good, the Bad and the Violent: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Filmography of 558 Eurowesterns and Their Personnel, 1961-1977. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-1169-3.
  11. ^ Antunes, Marina. "THE FIFTH CORD – Review by Marina Antunes". Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Roma Imago Urbis". Minerva Pictures International. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
  13. ^ Barilli, Francesco (April 2012). "In Nero". Nocturno Cinema (116): 4.
  14. ^ "Cast and crew". The Possessed (booklet). Arrow Video. 2018. p. 5. FCD1850 / AV183.