Damiano Damiani


Damiano Damiani was an Italian screenwriter, film director, actor and writer. Poet and director Pier Paolo Pasolini referred to him as "a bitter moralist hungry for old purity", while film critic Paolo Mereghetti said that his style made him "the most American of Italian directors".
In 1946, Damiani became part of the so-called Group of Venice with Fernando Carcupino, Hugo Pratt and Dino Battaglia.

Life and career

Born in Pasiano di Pordenone, Italy, Damiani studied at the Accademia di Brera in Milan, then made his début in 1947 with the documentary La banda d'Affari. After a few years as a screenwriter, he directed his first feature film in 1960, Il rossetto.
Before his career as a big screenwriter, Damiani was first a comic cartoonist in association with the "Group of Venice". Focused on the comic Asso di Picche the comic featured a masked vigilante who fights crime all over the globe and is in charge of the crime stopping organization, "Band of Panthers".
A smaller publication to which he also contributed through illustration was Mike Lazy, producing two volumes in Albo Dinamite by Edizioni Il Carro in Milan. Then individually producing his own gangster comic, Pat la Rocca. Two books were published in the collection Collana Gialli Film, also by Edizioni Il Carro. A third comic was scheduled and advertised for release, but never materialised.
Continuing his work in the comic industry, Damiani wrote scripts for the photo comic strip Arizona Kid published in Mondadori magazines such as Avventuroso Film and Bolero Film. Moving on to work on the launch of a similar magazine, Sogno, alongside editor Luciano Pedrocchi, he also later worked as a screenwriter for an adventure comic I Tre Boyscouts. Later in his career, Damiani did some illustration work for the crime noir comic, Hogart il Giustiziere, which was reprinted and published under the title Bogart il Giusitiziere.
His 1962 film, Arturo's Island, won the Golden Shell at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. The 1960s were Damiani's "golden decade"; he was praised by critics and his films were box office successes.
In 1966, he directed A Bullet for the General, one of the first political spaghetti Westerns. In 1968, with The Day of the Owl, he started a series of films in which social criticism, often related to the connections between politics and crime, was mixed with spectacular plots. His 1971 film Confessions of a Police Captain won the Golden Prize at the 7th Moscow International Film Festival.
In 1973 Damiani débuted as an actor, playing Giovanni Amendola in Florestano Vancini's The Assassination of Matteotti. He was known to cult horror film fans for directing Amityville II: The Possession in 1982 for Dino De Laurentiis.
In 1984, he directed one of the most famous Italian television series, La piovra, a description of the contemporary Italian Mafia and its involvement in politics. His last feature film was Assassini dei giorni di festa, directed in 2002.

Death

Damiani died on 7 March 2013, at his home in Rome, from respiratory failure; he was 90 years old.

Filmography

Screenwriter

The Mysteries of Paris Herod the Great

Director

Lipstick Blood Feud aka Il sicario Arturo's Island The Empty Canvas The Reunion The Witch in Love A Bullet for the General The Day of the Owl also known as Mafia A Complicated Girl The Most Beautiful Wife Confessions of a Police Captain The Case Is Closed, Forget It The Assassin of Rome The Devil Is a Woman How to Kill a Judge A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe Goodbye and Amen I Am Afraid A Man on His Knees The Warning Amityville II: The Possession Parole e sangue La piovra Pizza Connection The Inquiry Imago urbis Massacre Play Lenin...The Train The Dark Sun Man of Respect Angel with a Gun Una bambina di troppo Ama il tuo nemico Alex l'ariete Ama il tuo nemico 2 Another World Is Possible
  • ''Assassini dei giorni di festa''

Actor

7 Bullets for Gringo - Journalist with Gen. Elías The Case Is Closed, Forget It - Vanzi's lawyer The Assassination of Matteotti - Giovanni AmendolaHow to Kill a Judge - Giacomo Solaris' Attorney

Awards

Nominations