Damiano Damiani (23 July 1922 - 7 March 2013) 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 Damiano 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, Friuli, 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. 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 Quien sabe?, one of the first and one of the most notable "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 Matteotti Murder.

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

• Head of a Tyrant (1959)

Director

• Lipstick (Il rossetto, 1960)
• Il sicario (1960)
• Arturo's Island (L'isola di Arturo, 1962)
• The Empty Canvas (La noia, 1963)
• The Reunion (La rimpatriata, 1963)
• La Strega in amore (1966)
• A Bullet for the General (El Chuncho, quien sabe?, 1966)
• A Complicated Girl (Una ragazza piuttosto complicata, 1967)
• The Day of the Owl (also known as Mafia and Il giorno della civetta, 1968)
• La moglie più bella (1970)
• The Case Is Closed, Forget It (L'istruttoria è chiusa: dimentichi, 1972)
• Confessions of a Police Captain (Confessioni di un Commissario di Polizia al Procuratore della Repubblica) (1971)
• Girolimoni, il mostro di Roma (1972)
• The Devil Is a Woman (Sorriso del grande tentatore, 1974)
• How to Kill a Judge (Perché si uccide un magistrato, 1974)
• A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe (Un genio, due compari, un pollo, 1975)
• Goodbye and Amen (Goodbye e amen, 1977)
• I Am Afraid (Io ho paura) (1977)
• A Man on His Knees (Un uomo in ginocchio) (1978)
• The Warning (L'Avvertimento, 1980)
• Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
• Parole e sangue (1983, TV)
• La piovra (1984, TV)
• Pizza Connection (1985)
• The Inquiry (L'inchiesta, 1986)
• Imago urbis (1987)
• Massacre Play (1989)
• Lenin: The Train (1990, TV)
• The Dark Sun (Il sole buio, 1990)
• Man of Respect (Uomo di rispetto) (1992)
• L'angelo con la pistola (1992)
• Una bambina di troppo (1994, TV)
• Ama il tuo nemico (1999, TV)
• Alex l'ariete (2000)
• Ama il tuo nemico 2 (2001, TV)
• Another World Is Possible (Un altro mondo è possibile, 2001)
• Assassini dei giorni di festa (2002)

Awards

• Golden Seashell at San Sebastian Film Festival for L'isola di Arturo (1962)
• Berlin FIPRESCI Prize - Honorable Mention, for La rimpatriata(1963)
• Silver Berlin Bear - Honorable Mention for Pizza Connection(1985)
• David di Donatello, Alitalia Award, for L'Inchiesta (1986)
• Golden Prize at Moscow Film Festival for Confessione di un commissario di polizia al procuratore della repubblica (1971)

Nominations

• Golden Berlin Bear for Pizza Connection (1985)
• Golden Berlin Bear for Il giorno della civetta (1968)
• Golden Berlin Bear for La rimpatriata (1963)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]