Eugenio Ercolani

﻿ The birth and rise of popular Italian cinema since the early 1950s can be attributed purely to necessity. The vast number of genres, sub-genres, currents and crossovers and the way they have overlapped, died out or replaced each other has been an attempt, in postwar years, to contain the invasion of U.S. product while satisfying the demands the American industry had created in Italy. The author explores one of the most multi-faceted and contradictory industries cinema has ever known through the careers of those most closely associated with it. His recorded interviews were conducted with directors and actors both well-known and upcoming.

Interviews with Genre and Exploitation Directors Who Debuted in the 1950s and 1960s

Darkening the Italian Screen

Steve Mason

Tom Betts

Welcome Pardners' to the second issue of The Spaghetti Western Digest! Two hundred forty-five pages of delicious Spaghetti western content. In this issue, we look at the good, the bad, and the genre's obscure films. We have also included new interviews with Italian film experts Daniel Camargo, Roberto Curti, Kevin Grant, and the fabled director Sergio Martino! The contributors to this issue include some of the genres best writers, including Tom Betts, Dennis Capicik, Eugenio Ercolani, Steve Fenton, Rene Hogguer, Steve Mason, Tony Nash, and Van Roberts! Michael Hauss edits the Spaghetti Western Digest. So, for A Fistful of Dollars, issue #2 can be yours, Amigos!

Issue # 2

The Spaghetti Western Digest

Marcus Stiglegger

In the fading atmosphere of the New Hollywood era, William Friedkin - the wunderkind director with an Academy Award for his cop drama, The French Connection (1971) who then scored an even bigger success with The Exorcist (1973) - began work on what would prove to be the most controversial film of his career: Cruising (1980). In the process he established a template for a sub-genre, the serial killer thriller, that would thrive long after his film had left theatres, having caused widespread offence among the very audience he'd hoped to appeal to, via a campaign mobilised by the counter-culture press. As such, Cruising can be read as a bitter farewell to the seventies and its cinema and industry. This Devil's Advocate dives deep into the phenomenon that is Cruising, examining its creative context and its protagonists, as well as examining its ongoing popularity as it turns 40 in 2020.

Eugenio Ercolani

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