Luigi Bazzoni

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Luigi Bazzoni
Born(1929-06-25)25 June 1929
Salsomaggiore Terme, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
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. Redazione (23 May 2018). "Sulle orme di Luigi Bazzoni - Nocturno.it". Nocturno (in Italian). Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  4. "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. 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. "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.