Umberto Lenzi

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Umberto Lenzi (2008)

Umberto Lenzi (born August 6, 1931 in Massa Marittima , Grosseto province , † October 19, 2017 in Rome ) was an Italian film director and screenwriter who became known mainly for exploitation films . He also earned particular merits through his films assigned to the Poliziotteschi genre - tough Italian police films of the 1970s. He also worked as a book author.

life and career

After leaving school, Lenzi worked as a journalist for local newspapers before he learned the technical aspects of filmmaking at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia , which he was soon able to apply as an assistant director and in 1961 with his first film. Since then, Lenzi has been a reliable worker in all popular genres and made everything from crime films , spaghetti westerns and horror films to Gialli, everything that was fashionable and in demand. His versatility sets him apart from the large number of Italian genre directors. In 1973 Lenzi founded the genre of the Italian cannibal film with Il paese del sesso selvaggio . In 1976 he made Napoli violenta, one of the most impressive Italian police films, which, among other things, attracts attention for a fast-paced motorcycle ride through Naples. He later directed the controversial cannibal film Die Rache der Kannibalen (1981) and the film adaptation of the comic book Kriminal (1966). He also shot The Riddle of the Silver Crescent, the last film to be released in Germany under the label Edgar Wallace Film . In fact, however, this film was similar to the already established Italian Gialli and was not based on any material by Edgar Wallace .

Lenzi often wrote the scripts for his films together with his wife Olga Pehar .

Lenzi was one of the last important directors from the heyday of Italian genre cinema . Initially reviled on the fringes of film art and as a representative of commercial cinema, its importance was later appreciated in wide circles by film experts and fans. In 2004 Lenzi was a guest at the Venice Film Biennale, where Orgasmo (1969) was shown.

In the new millennium, Lenzi devoted himself to writing detective novels in addition to a column in the film magazine “Notturno”.

Lenzi died on October 19, 2017; he had been hospitalized in Ostia County . The cause of death is unknown.

Filmography (selection)

Director

  • 1961: Pirate Captain Mary (Le avventure di Mary Read)
  • 1962: One against seven (Duello nella Sila)
  • 1962: Robin Hood - The Lion of Sherwood (Il trionfo di Robin Hood)
  • 1962: Zorro versus Maciste - Fight of the Invincible (Zorro contro Maciste)
  • 1963: Katherina of Russia (Caterina di Russia)
  • 1963: Robin Hood in the city of death (L'invincibile cavaliere mascherato)
  • 1963: Sandokan (Sandokan, la tigre di Mompracem)
  • 1964: In the Temple of the White Elephant (Sandok, il Maciste della giungla)
  • 1964: The last of the gladiators (L'ultimo gladiatore)
  • 1964: The Pack of the Damned (I pirati della Malesia)
  • 1964: The three sergeants of Bengali (I tre sergenti del Bengala)
  • 1965: Greetings from the CIA (A 008, operazione sterminio)
  • 1965: Secret Service Hellhounds (Superseven chiama Cairo)
  • 1966: Kong-Fu's infernal cat (Le spie amano i fiori)
  • 1966: King incites 7 killers (Un milione di dollari per 7 assassini)
  • 1967: Five against Casablanca (Attentato ai tre grandi)
  • 1968: Copper Face (Tutto per tutto)
  • 1968: A colt for a hundred coffins (Una pistola per cento bare)
  • 1969: Those who go to the devil (La legione dei dannati)
  • 1969: Orgasmo
  • 1970: Paranoia (A quiet place to kill)
  • 1971: Deadly Trap (Un posto ideal per uccidere)
  • 1972: The riddle of the silver crescent moon (Sette orchidee macchiate di rosso)
  • 1972: Mondo Cannibale (Il paese del sesso selvaggio)
  • 1974: Spasmo
  • 1974: The Berserker (Milano odia: la polizia non può sparare)
  • 1975: The Viper (Roma a mano armata)
  • 1975: Labyrinth of Terror (Gatti rossi in un labirinto di vetro)
  • 1975: Flash Solo (Il giustiziere sfida la città)
  • 1976: Camorra - A bull cleans up (Napoli violenta)
  • 1976: The rascal and the bull (Il trucido e lo sbirro)
  • 1977: I am violence (Il cinico, l'infame, il violento)
  • 1978: The Toad (La banda del gobbo)
  • 1978: The great offensive (Il grande attacco)
  • 1978: Only three came through (Contro 4 bandiers)
  • 1979: From Corleone to Brooklyn (Da Corleone a Brooklyn)
  • 1979: Excuse me, are you normal? (Scusi, lei è normal?)
  • 1980: Eaten alive (Mangiati vivi)
  • 1980: Major attack by zombies (Incubo sulla città contaminata)
  • 1981: Revenge of the Cannibals (Cannibal Ferox)
  • 1982: Daughter of the Jungle (Incontro nell'ultimo paradiso)
  • 1983: He - stronger than fire and iron (La guerra del ferro - Ironmaster)
  • 1985: Hungry Scorpions (I cinque del condor)
  • 1987: Bridge to Hell (Un ponte per l'inferno)
  • 1987: Black Panther Command (Tempi di guerra)
  • 1988: Ghosthouse (La casa 3)
  • 1989: Return of the Hitcher (Paura nel buio)
  • 1989: Ghosthouse 3 - House of Lost Souls (La casa delle anime erranti)
  • 1989: Ghosthouse 4 - House of the Witches (La casa del sortilegio)
  • 1989: Gates Of Hell (Le porte dell'inferno)
  • 1990: Detective Malone - The Super Cop (Detective Malone)
  • 1990: Cop Target (Cop Target)
  • 1990: Black Zombies (Demoni 3)
  • 1991: The hunt for the golden scorpion (Caccia alla scorpione d'oro)

Assistant director

  • 1960: Hell on the Yellow River (Apocalisse sul fiume giallo) - Director: Renzo Merusi
  • 1961: The Adventures of the Skull Pirates (Il terrore dei mari) - Director: Domenico Paolella

script

  • 1968: The Son of the Black Eagle (Il figlio di Aquila Nera) - Director: Guido Malatesta

actor

  • 2015: Eaten Alive! The Rise and Fall of the Italian Cannibal Film

Web links

Commons : Umberto Lenzi  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Umberto Lenzi on MyMovies (Italian).
  2. ^ Umberto Lenzi: Morte al cinevillaggio. Coniglio editore, 2008, ISBN 978-88-6063-252-4 .
  3. ↑ Morre Umberto Lenzi, ícone do cinema policialesco italiano ( Spanish ) Istore. October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
personal data
SURNAME Lenzi, Umberto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian film director, screenwriter and novelist
DATE OF BIRTH August 6, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Massa Marittima , Grosseto, Italy
DATE OF DEATH 19th October 2017
Place of death Rome