Antonio Margheriti

Antonio Margheriti (19 September 1930 – 4 November 2002), also known under the pseudonyms Anthony M. Dawson and Antony Daisies[1][2] ("daisies" is "margherite" in Italian), was an Italian filmmaker.[3] Margheriti worked in many different genres in the Italian film industry, and was known for his sometimes derivative but often stylish and entertaining science fiction, sword and sandal, horror/giallo, Eurospy, Spaghetti Western, Vietnam War and action movies that were released to a wide international audience.[4] He died in 2002.[5]

Antonio Margheriti
Margheriti in 1953
Born(1930-09-19)19 September 1930
Died4 November 2002(2002-11-04) (aged 72)
Monterosi, Italy
Other namesAnthony M. Dawson
Antony Daisies
Occupation(s)Film director
screenwriter

Early life and career edit

Antonio Margheriti was born in Rome on 19 September 1930.[1] Margheriti was the son of a railroad engineer and began his film career in 1950 working with Mario Serandrei.[1][2] He then began making short documentaries beginning with Vecchia Roma in 1953.[2] In 1954, Margheriti was credited with special effects in films such as Pino Mercanti's I cinque dell'Adamello and La notte che la terra tremo.[2] By 1955 he was credited in screenplays such as Classe di ferro.[2]

Directing edit

Margheriti grew up reading science fiction comics, and when he was offered the film Space-Men, he signed on as director.[2] He followed up this film with Battle of the Worlds starring actor Claude Rains,[2] which was in turn followed by The Golden Arrow with Tab Hunter and some more peplum-style films such as The Fall of Rome and Giants of Rome.[2] Other genres tackled in the 1960s included horror—Castle of Blood, The Long Hair of Death and The Virgin of Nuremberg and the Eurospy films: Bob Fleming... Mission Casablanca and Operazione Goldman.[2][6][7]

Margheriti then returned to science fiction with his Gamma I series, originally filmed for the Italian television series Fantascienza but afterwards released theatrically.[8] Margheriti followed these films with some westerns, including Take a Hard Ride and And God Said to Cain.[8][9]

In the 1980s, Margheriti created films following the success of Platoon[10] and Raiders of the Lost Ark, such as The Last Hunter and Hunters of the Golden Cobra, which both starred David Warbeck.[8] Warbeck also starred in Tiger Joe, a film overshadowed by tragedy when Margheriti's long time cinematographer, Riccardo Pallottini, died in a plane crash while attempting to get the film's last shot.[8]

He delved into the genre of films inspired by The Wild Geese with Code Name: Wild Geese and Commando Leopard starring Lewis Collins as well as Conan the Barbarian (1982) with Yor, the Hunter from the Future, which was shot in Turkey and was picked up by Columbia Pictures for an American release to 1400 theaters.[11]

Margheriti died on 4 November 2002.[5]

Style edit

Margheriti's specialty in films was low budget efforts that fell into genres such as action and science fiction.[1] To make films in short amounts of time, Margheriti applied techniques such as shooting with several cameras simultaneously, allowing him to record master shots, close-ups, and more.[2] This often led him to light films very carefully, and allowed him to create several films per year.[2]

Partial filmography edit

Note: The films listed as N/A are not necessarily chronological.
TitleYearCredited asNotesRef(s)
DirectorScreenwriterScreen story writerOther
Space-Men1960YesYes[12][2][13]
Battle of the Worlds1961Yes[14]
The Golden Arrow1962Yes[15]
The Fall of Rome1963YesYes[16]
The Virgin of NurembergYesYes[16]
Castle of Blood1964Yes[17]
Devil of the Desert Against the Son of HerculesYes[18]
Hercules, Prisoner of EvilYes[19]
Giants of RomeYes[20][21]
The Long Hair of DeathYesYes[22]
Wild, Wild Planet1966Yes[23][24]
Lightning BoltYes[25]
The Young, the Evil and the Savage1968YesYes[26][27]
The Unnaturals1969YesYesYesYesProducer[28]
And God Said to Cain1970YesYes[29]
Web of the Spider1971YesYes[30]
Treasure Island1972Yes[31][32]
Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye1973YesYes[33]
Rudeness1975YesYes[34]
Death Rage1976Yes[35]
Yor, the Hunter from the Future1983YesYes[36]
Code Name: Wild Geese1984YesYes[37][38]
Jungle Raiders1985Yes[39][40]
PresentimentoYesYes[41]
Classe di ferroYesYes[42]
Gambe d'oro1958YesYes[43]
Promesse di marinaioYesYes[44]
Roulotte e rouletteYesYes[45]
SolitudineYes[46]
Il pelo nel mondoYes[47]
War of the PlanetsYes[48]
Bob Fleming... Mission CasablancaYes[49]
Joe l'implacabileYes[50]
Io ti amoYesYesYes[51]
VengeanceYesYes[52]
Mr. SuperinvisibleYes[53]
Finalmente le mille e una notteYesYes[54]
Novelle galeotte d'amore dal DecameroneYesYesYes[55]
Mr. Hercules Against KarateYesYes[56]
The Stranger and the GunfighterYesYes[57]
Manone il ladroneYesYesYes[58]
Fantasma en el OesteYesYesYes[59]
Cannibal Apocalypse1980Yes[60]
The Last HunterYes[61]
Car CrashYes[62]
Hunters of the Golden CobraYes[63]
Tiger JoeYes[64]
Tornado: The Last BloodYes[65]
The Ark of the Sun GodYes[66]
Commando LeopardYes[67]
The CommanderYes[68]
it:Alien degli abissi (Alien from the Deep[69])1989Yes[70]
IndioYes[71]
Indio 2 - La rivoltaYes[72]

Legacy edit

In the documentary on the Image DVD release of his film Cannibal Apocalypse, Margheriti proudly mentioned that it was Quentin Tarantino's favorite among his films. In Tarantino's film Inglourious Basterds, Eli Roth's character Donny Donowitz uses "Antonio Margheriti" as an alias in an undercover operation at the cinema screening of Stolz der Nation.[73][74][75][better source needed] There is also a reference in Tarantino's film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In said film, Leonardo DiCaprio portrays the fictional actor Rick Dalton, who goes to Italy in 1969 to film Spaghetti Westerns, including one spy thriller directed by Margheriti titled Operazione Dyn-o-mite.[76]

References edit

Footnotes edit

  1. ^ a b c d Fischer 2011, p. 422.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Fischer 2011, p. 423.
  3. ^ "Antonio Margheriti". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2007. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007.
  4. ^ Roberto Chiavini; Gian Filippo Pizzo; Michele Tetro (2003). Il grande cinema di fantascienza: aspettando il monolito nero (1902–1967) [The great science fiction cinema: waiting for the black monolith (1902–1967)] (in Italian). Volume 2 di Il grande cinema di fantascienza, Collana gli Album. Gremese. p. 159. ISBN 8884402662.
  5. ^ a b Paul 2005, p. 171.
  6. ^ Fischer 2011, p. 424.
  7. ^ Paul 2005, p. 163.
  8. ^ a b c d Fischer 2011, p. 425.
  9. ^ Paul 2005, p. 164.
  10. ^ Paul 2005, p. 165.
  11. ^ Fischer 2011, p. 426.
  12. ^ "Space Men". Archivio del cinema Italiano (in Italian). Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  13. ^ "Assignment: Outer Space". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  14. ^ "Battle of the Worlds". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  15. ^ Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 67.
  16. ^ a b Curti 2015, p. 97.
  17. ^ Curti 2015, p. 109.
  18. ^ Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 47.
  19. ^ Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 91.
  20. ^ Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 63.
  21. ^ Kinnard & Crnkovich 2017, p. 64.
  22. ^ Curti 2015, p. 124.
  23. ^ "I criminali della Galassia (1965)" (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  24. ^ "The Wild, Wild Planet". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  25. ^ "Lightning Bolt". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  26. ^ "The Young, the Evil and the Savage". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  27. ^ "Nude... si muore (1967)" (in Italian). Archviodelcinemaitaliano.it. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  28. ^ Curti 2015, p. 194.
  29. ^ "Satan der Rache". Filmportal.de (in German). Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  30. ^ Curti 2017, p. 37.
  31. ^ "L'isola del tesoro (1973)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  32. ^ "Die Schatzinsel" (in German). Filmportal.de. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  33. ^ Curti 2017, p. 93.
  34. ^ Curti 2013, p. 145.
  35. ^ Curti 2013, p. 172.
  36. ^ Curti 2016, p. 177.
  37. ^ "Geheimcode Wildgänse". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  38. ^ Newman, Kim (1985). "Geheimcode Wildganse". Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 52, no. 612. London: British Film Institute. pp. 85–86.
  39. ^ "La leggenda del rubino malese (1985)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  40. ^ Curti 2019, p. 103.
  41. ^ "Presentimento (1956)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  42. ^ "Classe di ferro (1957)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  43. ^ "Gambe d'oro (1958)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  44. ^ "Promesse di marinaio (1958)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  45. ^ "Roulotte e roulette (1959)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  46. ^ "Solitudine (1961)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  47. ^ "'Il pelo nel mondo (1964)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  48. ^ "I diafanoidi vengono da Marte (1965)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  49. ^ "A 077: sfida ai killers (1966)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  50. ^ "Joe l'implacabile (1967)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  51. ^ "Io ti amo (1968)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  52. ^ "Joko, invoca Dio e muori (1968))". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  53. ^ "L'inafferrabile invincibile Mr. Invisibile (1970)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  54. ^ "Finalmente le mille e una notte (1972)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  55. ^ "Novelle galeotte d'amore dal Decamerone (1972)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  56. ^ "Ming, ragazzi! (1973)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  57. ^ "El Kárate, el Colt y el impostor [Là dove non batte il sole] (1974)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  58. ^ "Manone il ladrone (1974)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  59. ^ "Fantasma en el Oeste [Whisky e fantasmi] (1974)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  60. ^ "Apocalypse domani (1980)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  61. ^ "L'ultimo cacciatore (1980)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  62. ^ "Car Crash (1981)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  63. ^ "I cacciatori del cobra d'oro (1982)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  64. ^ "Fuga dall'arcipelago maledetto (1982)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  65. ^ "Tornado (1983)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  66. ^ "I sopravvissuti della città morta (1984)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  67. ^ "Commando Leopard (1986)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  68. ^ "Der Commander [Il triangolo della paura] (1988)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  69. ^ "Alien from the Deep (1989)". 9 June 2003.
  70. ^ "Alien degli abissi (1989)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  71. ^ "Indio (1989)". Archivio del cinema Italiano]. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  72. ^ Indio 2 - La rivolta (1991), Archivio del cinema Italiano
  73. ^ Goldweber, David Elroy (2015). Claws & Saucers: Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Film 1902–1982: A Complete Guide. Lulu Press, Inc. p. 279. ISBN 9781312288034.[permanent dead link]
  74. ^ Fabris, Angela (2018). Kaleidoskop Literatur: Zur Ästhetik literarischer Texte von Dante bis zur Gegenwart. Festschrift für Cornelia Klettke zum 60. Geburtstag (in German). Frank & Timme GmbH. p. 712. ISBN 9783732905034.
  75. ^ "Margheriti!". YouTube. 27 May 2011. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  76. ^ Sharf, Zack (26 July 2019). "'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood': Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds' Easter Egg Explained". IndieWire. Retrieved 2 August 2021.

Sources edit

  • Curti, Roberto (2013). Italian Crime Filmography, 1968–1980. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786469765.
  • Curti, Roberto (2015). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1957-1969. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476619897.
  • Curti, Roberto (2016). Diabolika: Supercriminals, Superheroes and the Comic Book Universe in Italian Cinema. Midnight Marquee Press. ISBN 978-1-936168-60-6.
  • Curti, Roberto (2017). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1970–1979. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476629605.
  • Curti, Roberto (2019). Italian Gothic Horror Films, 1980-1989. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476672434.
  • Fischer, Dennis (2011). Science Fiction Film Directors, 1895-1998. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786485055.
  • Grant, Kevin (2011). Any Gun Can Play. Fab Press. ISBN 9781903254615.
  • Kinnard, Roy; Crnkovich, Tony (2017). Italian Sword and Sandal Films, 1908-1990. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476662916.
  • Paul, Louis (2005). Italian Horror Film Directors. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-8749-3.

External links edit