Post by petrolino on Oct 19, 2017 17:30:31 GMT
Umberto Lenzi has died at the age of 86. He was born on August 6th, 1931 in Massa Marittima in Tuscany, Italy. Lenzi initially studied law but became a journalist. Writing was always a major part of his life. He was a poet, novelist and prolific screenwriter who often engaged in rigorous social and political discourse. The technical aspects of filmmaking also captured his vivid imagination, skills he developed at the Experimental Center Of Cinematography. He was an accomplished editor, and like his dear friend Lucio Fulci, he earned a reputation as one of Italy's greatest technicians while working in an industry blessed with adventurous technicians; coincidentally, both men were said to be raving lunatics by many of those who worked with them, but lunatics with a great sense of humour. Lenzi was an important film pioneer who famously attached cameras to anything he could attach a camera to. Throughout his career in cinema, he constantly experimented with the marriage between sound, image and music, seeking to push back against accepted working parameters, societal indifference and narrative norms.
Lenzi was a filmmaker who created wave upon wave of curios and classics in the peplum, fumetti, giallo, poliziotteschi, cannibale, spaghetti western and macaroni combat subgenres. I've been exploring his work ever since I first saw one of his movies as a teenager - I was spellbound. I knew through first-hand reports that Lenzi's health had been deteriorating for some time, and that he was becoming less mobile, but, I'm still a little shocked, and deeply saddened to hear the news of his passing. He will be greatly missed. The man is, was, and always will be, a cinema legend.
"For the most part, those who worked in Italian exploitation filmmaking during its '70s/'80s heyday weren't huge names to anyone outside of a circle of staunch genre admirers. Sure, you had Mario Bava, Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento - bona fide auteurs whose brands rang out within larger collections of cult film fans. But Sergio(s) Martino and Corbucci, Antonio Margheriti, and Enzo Castellari were writer/directors who better exemplified the blue collar nature of the nation's cheap thrill factory. Most of the directors who maintained legitimate careers were the very definition of "workmen", jumping genres and chasing trends, just so they could manage a respectable level of employability, all while honing their craft with each jangly, moody, hyper-violent picture. However, none were as committed to upholding Italy's image as the shlock capital of the world quite like Umberto Lenzi, who minted era-specific masterworks in nearly every subclassification of the Italo-explo scene. Following a brief stint studying law before immersing himself in film at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografica (where he shot shorts based on the writings of Pasolini), Lenzi cut his teeth working in the Greek film industry, completing one still unreleased picture (Vacanze ad Atene ['58])."
- Jacob Knight, 'Farewell Umberto Lenzi, King Of Italo-Exploitation'
- Jacob Knight, 'Farewell Umberto Lenzi, King Of Italo-Exploitation'
"The history of Italian crime films is deeply connected to that of their nation, even since the very first examples of the genre. After the restrictions and escapist dreams of the Fascist period, the immediate post-war scenario is that of a country in ruins. Neorealism makes no discounts: bandits, pimps, black market dealers make their appearance in films which recount what was happening in the country, without sweetening the pill. That’s the case with Tombolo paradiso nero (Tombolo, 1947, Giorgio Ferroni), Manù il contrabbandiere (1947, Lucio De Caro) or Alberto Lattuada’s Il bandito (The Bandit, 1946) and Senza pietà (Without Pity, 1948), which can be all considered part of the so-called “Black Neorealism.” Even in Riso amaro (Bitter Rice, 1949, Giuseppe De Santis), where neorealist elements combine with others taken from various sources, such as popular magazines, several sequences –such as the final shootout in the butcher-shop, with quarters of veal and lifestock hanging from the ceiling, lit in an Expressionist manner– are the stuff of pure film noir."
- Roberto Curti, Off Screen
'Inspired in equal measure by Don Siegel’s sturdy individualism and Jean-Pierre Melville’s criminal existentialism, Italian ("poliziotteschi") crime flicks borrowed stylistic elements from both sides of the Atlantic to forge a unique and homegrown cinematic identity. Often accused by high-brow critics of “fascism” (spaghetti westerns had been on the contrary blamed, by the same critics, for being too simplistically leftist), the genre simply did not match the idealized image middle class intellectuals had of the proletariat. “Almost Human” (1974) by Umberto Lenzi, one of the highest peaks of the genre, depicts in mean details the violent degradation of downtown Milan, a simmering urban pot literally ready to explode. Haunted by an implacably menacing score by Ennio Morricone, the film revolves around a small-time, psychotic criminal, Giulio Bianchi, who gets in over his head when he decides to kidnap the daughter of a rich man. The film captures the ugly face of crime whose features have no room for the romanticism of outlaws. Tomas Milian’s leading performance is shocking — his character knows no ethical restraints, and expresses a ferocious determination to enjoy the wealth from which he’s been deprived.'
- Excerpt from a Statement issued by the Celluloid Liberation Front, IndieWire
'As well as the horror genre, Umberto Lenzi was also known for making spaghetti westerns, Eurospy films, war movies, and crime thrillers. While he switched cinematic categories, his movies were all easily identified as his own by a surreal and often absurd approach to filmmaking -- in the best way possible. His work became hugely influential, and his zombie picture 'Nightmare City' is said to have been one of the main influences in Robert Rodriguez’ 'Planet Terror' (2007). Although according to another director/fan, Quentin Tarantino, Lenzi apparently didn't consider his walking dead as "zombies," instead referring to them as “infected people." His other notable scary movies include 'Make Them Die Slowly', 'Eaten Alive!', 'Seven Blood Stained Orchids', and 'Eyeball'."
'As well as the horror genre, Umberto Lenzi was also known for making spaghetti westerns, Eurospy films, war movies, and crime thrillers. While he switched cinematic categories, his movies were all easily identified as his own by a surreal and often absurd approach to filmmaking -- in the best way possible. His work became hugely influential, and his zombie picture 'Nightmare City' is said to have been one of the main influences in Robert Rodriguez’ 'Planet Terror' (2007). Although according to another director/fan, Quentin Tarantino, Lenzi apparently didn't consider his walking dead as "zombies," instead referring to them as “infected people." His other notable scary movies include 'Make Them Die Slowly', 'Eaten Alive!', 'Seven Blood Stained Orchids', and 'Eyeball'."
- George Stark, SyFy Wire
Umberto Lenzi, Carroll Baker & Jean-Louis Trintignant filming 'So Sweet, So Perverse'
'Seven Blood-Stained Orchids' - Riz Ortolani
Lenzi was a filmmaker who created wave upon wave of curios and classics in the peplum, fumetti, giallo, poliziotteschi, cannibale, spaghetti western and macaroni combat subgenres. I've been exploring his work ever since I first saw one of his movies as a teenager - I was spellbound. I knew through first-hand reports that Lenzi's health had been deteriorating for some time, and that he was becoming less mobile, but, I'm still a little shocked, and deeply saddened to hear the news of his passing. He will be greatly missed. The man is, was, and always will be, a cinema legend.
Thanks for the movies, Mr Lenzi - you inspired many people through your work.
"Yes, other journalists have claimed that my movies like Paranoia, A Quiet Place To Kill and So Sweet, So Perverse have influenced American movies… maybe, but these three movies starring Carroll Baker – and Spasmo, which I made later – are intelligent exploitations of human craziness, because we have the situation of a protagonist who is not good but is not all bad… the innocent and guilty people are the same, because for me in those movies the important thing was to demonstrate that the human mind is capable of both good and evil, you understand?"
- Umberto Lenzi at the House Of Freudstein
'Spasmo (Spasmo ... Spasmo ...)' - Ennio Morricone
Umberto Lenzi Rest in Peace