The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most of these Westerns were produced and directed by Italians.
Francesco Benenato, known as Franco Franchi, was an Italian actor, comedian and singer.
Mario Brega was an Italian character actor. His heavy build meant that he regularly portrayed a thug in his films, particularly earlier in his career in westerns. Later in his career, however, he featured in numerous Italian comedy films. Brega stood at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and well over 250 pounds (110 kg) at his heaviest but after the 1960s slimmed down significantly.
Francesco "Ciccio" Ingrassia was an Italian actor, comedian and film director.
Sergio Corbucci was an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed both very violent Spaghetti Westerns and bloodless Bud Spencer and Terence Hill action comedies.
Gerlando "Lando" Buzzanca was an Italian stage, film, and television actor whose career spanned 65 years.
Valeria Moriconi was an Italian actress who appeared both in movies and on stage.
Walter Annicchiarico, known as Walter Chiari[ˈvalter ˈkjaːri], was an Italian stage and screen actor, mostly in comedy roles.
Labbra serrate is a 1942 Italian drama film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Annette Bach.
Corpse for the Lady is a 1964 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Sylva Koscina.
James Tont operazione D.U.E. or The Wacky World of James Tont is a 1966 French/Italian international co-production spy film spoof based on James Bond's Thunderball and featuring elements predating the release of You Only Live Twice. Directed by Bruno Corbucci, the Eurospy spy-fi comedy adventure is the sequel to James Tont operazione U.N.O. (1965) with Lando Buzzanca repeating his role as 00 Agent James Tont, a satire of James Bond and Loris Gizzi as the black monocle wearing supervillain spoof of Emilio Largo.
Franco and Ciccio were a comic comedy duo formed by Italian actors Franco Franchi (1928–1992) and Ciccio Ingrassia (1922–2003), particularly popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Their collaboration began in 1954 in the theatre field, and ended with Franchi's death in 1992. The two made their cinema debuts in 1960 with the film Appuntamento a Ischia. They remained active until 1984 when their last film together, Kaos, was shot, although there were some interruptions in 1973 and from 1975 to 1980.
Mario Castellani was an Italian comic actor, best known as the sidekick of famous comic actor Antonio De Curtis (Totò). He appeared with the latter in all his major movies, as well as many of Totò's theatre productions.
The musicarello is a film subgenre which emerged in Italy and which is characterised by the presence in main roles of young singers, already famous among their peers, and their new record album. In the films there are almost always tender and chaste love stories accompanied by the desire to have fun and dance without thoughts. Musicarelli reflect the desire and need for emancipation of young Italians, highlighting some generational frictions. The genre began in the late 1950s, and had its peak of production in the 1960s.
I Viceré is a 2007 Italian historical drama film directed by Roberto Faenza. It is based on the novel with the same name written by Federico De Roberto. For his performance Lando Buzzanca won the Globo d'oro for best actor. The film also won four David di Donatello awards and two Silver Ribbons.
La calandria is a 1972 Italian comedy film directed by Pasquale Festa Campanile. It is based upon the Renaissance play La calandria by Bernardo Dovizi, itself based on Plautus' Menaechmi and Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron.
Il sindacalista is a 1972 Italian comedy film directed by Luciano Salce.
The Blonde in the Blue Movie is a 1971 Italian comedy film directed by Steno.
Giovanni Grimaldi was an Italian screenwriter, journalist and film director. He was sometimes credited as Gianni Grimaldi.
Gino Buzzanca was an Italian film actor.
