Thanks to Daniele De Gemini that has kindly invited us, Saturday 9 June we have been present to the first Cinevento De Masi, with me and Leonardo Sbrana departed in forenoon by Pisa and Federico Caddeo that it was already on the location with his troupe. This event has been realized for remembering the M°Francesco De Masi, composer of very beautiful soundtracks, author of splendid melodies, that has spaced with success in all the genre of cinema, accompanying with the its notes film as Lone Wolf McQuade, Inglorious bastard, Totò contro Maciste, Ammazzali tutti e torna solo, Concerto per pistola solista and The Big Game. Some of the artists that have worked with him or that simply they esteemed him, they was present to this event developed in Rocca Priora, near Rome. We arrive in the steep hamlet in the first afternoon and we finally knowledge Daniele. Before the beginning of the demonstration Federico also has the bright idea to include in the documentary that they are recording, also a my interview where I speak of the Francesco De Masi's soundtracks. Who knows if they will have the courage to insert indeed it in the extras of the dvd of Sette dollari sul rosso.
Finally the first protagonists arrive and we succeed in having many autographs. Later the demonstration begins immediately . To remember the Maestro and to speak of music and of cinema, great musicians and composers are alternated on the stage as Franco De Gemini, Alessandro Alessandroni and Franco Micalizzi and after two esteemed directors: Umberto Lenzi and Lamberto Bava. In these two nice and interesting meetings, different anecdotes have come out about the music and the cinema. Alessandroni, great guitarist and performer of sitar, but famous above all for his whistle present in many italian western, he has told his long artistic collaboration with the M°De Masi and a curious history tied to their soundtrack of the film Colpo maestro al servizio di sua maestà britannica. The principal theme of the film, has told Alessandroni, was created with a commune pianola, whose sound liked insomuch they decided to bring it in the recording room and to use it for that passage.
The musicians of many films of Sergio Leone have told then an unbelievable anecdote regarding Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo: the bridge that is made to explode by the Blondie and Tuco in the film, was built from the Spanish army. Once completed the construction, the captain of the army asked to Leone if you could make to explode it him. Leone consented and they put on of accord on the fact that the captain would have had to bait the explosion to a sign that would have made Leone with the handkerchief. Everything ready, but shortly after the great director distractedly, threw out the handkerchief to dry the sweat, gesture that misunderstands from the soldier that he made to explode the bridge from ninety million liras that then they had to reconstruct it.
Umberto Lenzi, has spoken instead for a lot of time of his cinema of the years '70, that also has many estimators and debtors among american directors as Joe Dante, Tim Burton and Tarantino. An example of the success of its films to the foreign countries, has told Lenzi, they are the long lines that in the american cinemas were created for a film entitled Make Them Die Slowly , that it was really Cannibal Ferox, “a film done for paying the taxes, but since it is what has made me more earn, then it is a masterpiece”. The Tuscan director (subsequently speaking to us we have discovered that he has studied in our Pisa), has remembered then the particular realism of his police movie, in comparison to the american action movies, and as often the car collisions they were real. Real insomuch that, in one of his film, he made to crash the auto driven by Maurizio Merli against an unaware car that passed of them, making overturn it two or three times, “but then we have indemnified him”, it concludes the director, “even if then the police arrived...the real one!” Another episode of “cinema-reality”, he has told us in private, it happened in what he holds his best film, Da Corleone a Brooklyn where among the character actor it used some true pickpockets that in a scene in which they had to lead Merli, they did indeed it. Lenzi has closed then speaking of his trilogy thriller Orgasmo, Paranoia and Spasmo where he is detached by the classical Argento style giallo creating some characters in which the good and the evil are melted to confuse and to surprise the spectator.
Lamberto Bava, both on the stage and subsequently with us, he is detained for a long time on the film of his father Cani arrabbiati (with our happiness). He has told the history and the vicissitudes of this film that was not completed as Mario Bava would have liked because of the failure of the producer and as him has adjust the film together with the old producer Alfred Leone now. He has added then, that after having succeeded with a lot of work in getting the rights of the film, He has reassembled the film trying to refer it as his father would have liked (Lamberto to the time was second director and he had read the screen-play), bringing some cuts and integrating lacking scenes with repertoire material of Umberto Lenzi's movie. The operation has been completed by the remaking of the soundtrack from the M°Stelvio Cipriani, that used music of repertoire to the epoch. About the scene that unites Caniarrabbiati (aka Rabid Dogs) to Reservoir Dogs, Lamberto affirms that Tarantino could not have seen the film because there was not and that at the most he would have been able to read the script. It seems us strange, the two scenes they are too much similar to be a case.
After these meetings, attend him for the sospiratissimo evening concert of the M°Micalizzi it has been the best moment to know more from near these unbelievable people (in the meantime Edda Dell'Orso has also arrived), to click photo with them and to make to be signed other autographs. It has made pleasure ascertain that the greatness of these artists is equal to their availability and liking. Not an instant of banality: the sound check of the Big Bubbling Band of Micalizzi and Alessandroni that he heated apart him with his classical guitar, have forced me to jump the supper. We could not be gone away. At 21:00 o'clock it begins the concert. An evening is foreseen with the funky-jazz of the police soundtracks of Micalizzi enriched by the exhibitions of 4 guests star: Alessandroni, De Gemini, Giacomo and Edda Dell'Orso. This way the uncontrollable Micalizzi with the marvelous session of breaths of his Band brings us with the notes to the images of the pursuits on board of the Giulia, up to reach the arrival on the stage of the first guest Alessandro Alessandroni with which it performs the everlasting theme of Lo chiamavano Trinità. Then Alessandroni performs only with voice and guitar an enhances version of the theme Lone Wolf McQuade of the M°De Masi, homaged afterwards from Micalizzi that performs other themes among which a beautiful arrangement of The Big Game. Subsequently the greatest Italian voice, Edda Dell'Orso, climb on the stage and, accompanied from the piano played by her husband Giacomo, it has ecstasize the public with Sean Sean. The last guest star to climb on the stage he has been Franco De Gemini, better known as “The man with the harmonica”. It is really the theme from C'era una volta il west, that has made all over the world it famous, it has hovered in the air. A puzzling moment: I didn't believe that a harmonica could be sound in this mode. A phenomenon. After still Micalizzi that has continued his run from the themes of Roma a mano armata to those of Il cinico, l'infame, il violento, up to in demand encore. It goes up again on the stage Alessandroni that with electric guitar and his inimitable whistle he gives us Per un pugno di dollari and Per qualche dollaro in più. Edda that again with the simple accompaniment of the piano sings Metti una sera a cena. The matador of the evening, Franco Micalizzi, close a concert that the presents will never forget.
They extinguishes the lights, people go, who remains exchanges the last words with the protagonists. Many my idols are here, but there are above all Edda, whose sweetness and gentleness compete with its cleverness. I remain for a long time to talk with her of her collaboration with Umiliani, of the composers with which she has not worked because they didn't use the vocalismis (Rota, Ortolani), of the rarely in which has sung a text, I quote her Sesso matto, and she surprises me telling that she has also sung in german on an air of the 17th century, but also in L'Età del malessere by Stefano Torossi and in another soundtrack by Nico Fidenco. She speak to me of as his lifeis changed later C'era una volta il west, a film that, I add, has been in effects a revolution to the female one thanks to the character of Claudia Cardinale and the voice of Edda.
I recover the faithful Leonardo, we go together with to greet Daniele De Gemini that the whole life we will thank for having made us live this evening. We still greet Umberto Lenzi and we start there to our Hotel. After a forenoon of trip and one afternoon as this, a pleasant room single each wait us, with a matrimonial bed with four pillows, in an isolated hotel of a silent hamlet on the tallest of the Roman hills. It is not enough, that night I won't succeed in taking sleep.
Fabio Meini (photo by Leonardo Sbrana)
















































Photos from top to bottom: (1) Franco De Gemini and Franco Micalizzi (2) Alessandro Alessandroni, Fabio Meini and Franco Micalizzi (3) On stage from left, vice mayor and mayor of Rocca Priora, Franco De Gemini, the journalist Fabio Babini, Filippo De Gemini, Franco Micalizzi, Alessandro Alessandroni (4) On stage from left, Daniele De Gemini, Lamberto Bava, Fabio Babini, Umberto Lenzi, Franco Micalizzi, Fillippo De Masi (5) Edda Dell’Orso (6) Alessandroni and Micalizzi plays Lo chiamavano Trinità (7) The Big Bubbling Band of Micalizzi (8) Alessandroni during Per qualche dollaro in più (9) Alessandroni paly and whistle Lone Wolf McQuade (10) Umberto Lenzi awarded by the mayor and Filippo De Masi (11) Lamberto Bava (12) Edda Dell’Orso sing Metti una sera a cena (13) Edda Dell’Orso and Fabio Meini (14) Edda Dell’Orso sing Sean Sean