Toth Database - Cinema
Sergio Leone
Rome, 3 April 1929 – 30 April 1989
Son of Roberto Roberti (stage name Marie Lamb) a filmmaker and actor originally from Torella dei Lombardi (province of Avellino), considered one of the pioneers of Italian silent cinema, and Bice Waleran (stage name Edvige Valcarenghi), a Roman actress, born from milanese family of remote origins.
Sergio Leone film began working in the environment already at the age of eighteen. He had a small part as an extra in Bicycle Thieves Vittorio De Sica (is one of German priests surprised by rain). Subsequently, lion will begin to take an interest like puplum, based on heroic deeds and epic of Roman soldiers and Greek is both emperors. The first significant work saw him as the second unit Director or Manager assistance (uncredited) in some major Hollywood production filmed Cinecittà studios in Rome, during the so-called Hollywood on the Tiber: those include Quo Vadis by Mervyn Le Roy and especially the colossal Ben-Hur. He had a chance to make his debut as a Director with the Colossus of Rhodes.
Sergio Leone was one of the early pioneers of western, giving rise to a new film genre. Sergio Leone was accused of plagiarism by Akira Kurosawa film Yojimbo, Kurosawa won the case and obtaining exclusive distribution rights of compensation for a pungo dollars in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. All the film soundtracks of lion was maintained by Ennio Morricone, in 1967 Leo travels the western: there was a time in the west, movie shot in Monument Valley, in Italy and in Spain, the film was like a long, violent and almost dreamlike meditation upon the mythology of the West. The subject also collaborated on two great directors, Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento;the latter at the time, it was still completely unknown. The screenplay was written by Sergio Donati, along with Sergio Leone. Before the theatrical release, however, the film was retouched and amended by the managers of the firm; in fact it is more shortened by about 165 minutes. The film was rediscovered and appreciated until years later, with the Director's cut that lasts approximately 175 minutes. Today the film is considered, along with the good, the bad and the uglyand once upon a time in America, among the best of the Director, and is one of the cornerstones of the western genre. In 1971 Lion walked Down his head, a film on a midrange budget starring James Coburn and Rod Steiger, in the film Lion manifests the reflections on humanity and politics, in the same period he collaborated with Damiano Damiani in the movie A genius, two partners and a dupe.
Later his production company Rafran produced the cat by Luigi Comencini and Giuliano Montaldo Toy. Sergio Leone after refusing to direct the Godfather, he produced the film by Carlo Verdone: A Beautiful Sack, and White, red and green. The Director was a close friend of Charles's father: Mario Verdone, critic and as a father Lion helped Carlo in achieving its two movies. From the second half of the sixties to the eighties Sergio Leone worked for about ten years in his own project epic, this time focused on the friendship between two Jewish gangsters in New York; Once upon a time in America.
The replacement of the work caused a flop in the US market. In 1986 Sergio Leone finds herself a new working with friend Carlo Verdone, this in the making of the film too strong with Valenzuela, Mario Brega and Alberto Sordi. Lion wrote the subject and the screenplay with Valenzuela and Rodolfo Sonego. When he died on 20 April 1989 of a heart attack, the Director was working on a project that was supposed to cover the siege of Leningrad during World War II. The movie was supposed to narrate the dramatic war in Russia, a love story between an American journalist and a Russian girl, a message of peace between the two superpowers. Quentin Tarantin's has established the first modern filmmaker Sergio Leone posts – which influenced many directors.
Filmography – Director
1961/ The Colossus of Rhodes
1964/ A fistful of dollars
1965/ For a few dollars more
1966/ The good, the bad and the ugly
1968/ There was a time in the West
1971/ Your head down
1984/ Once upon a time in America
Assistant Director
1946/ Rigoletto
1948/ Bicycle thief
1948/ The legend of Faust
1949/ Fabiola
1949/ The trovatore
1949/ The Power of Destiny
1950/ Taxi di notte, directed by Carmine Gallone
1950/ Voting
1950/ Brigadier Musolino
1952/ The Three Privates
1952/ Jolanda the daughter of the black corsair
1952/ The madman Marechiaro
1953/ Man, the Beast and Virtue
1953/ The Whites
1953/ Phryne, courtesan of the East
1954/ Betrayed
1954/ That's life
1955/ Thief
1956/ Allows me, Dad!
1957/ The master
1958/ Aphrodite, Goddess of love, directed by Mario Bonnard
1959/ The law blames me
1959/ Son of the Red course
1962/ Sadoma and Gomorrah
The second unit Director
1951/ Quo vadis
1956/ Helen of Troy
1959/ Ben-Hur
1962/ Sodom and Gomorrah
Screenwriter
1958/ Aphrodite, Goddess of loveand
1959/ In the sign of Rome
1959/ The last days of Pompeii
1961/ Theseven challenges, directed by Primo Zeglio
1961/ The Colossus of Rhodes
1961/ Romulus and Remus
1963/ The green flags of Allah, directed by Giacomo and Guido Zurli
1964/ A fistful of dollars
1965/ For a few dollars more
1966/ The good, the bad and the ugly
1968/ There was a time in the west
1971/ Your head down
1984/ Once upon a time in America
1986/ Too strong
Actor
1941/ The mouth on the road, by Roberto Roberti
1948/ Bicycle thief, directed by Vittorio de Sica
1951/ Milan Billionaire, directed by Marcello Marchesi and Vittorio Metz
1952/ The throngs of Marechiaro, by Roberto Roberti
1954/ They stole a tram, directed by Aldo Fabrizi
1965/ For a few dollars more, directed by Sergio Leone
Executive producer
1973/ My name and none of Tonino Valeri
1975/ A genius, two cronies, a chicken, Damiano Damiani
1977/ The cat, by Luigi Comencini
1979/ The Toy, Giuliano Montaldo
1986/ Too strong, by Carlo Verdone