Who do you think is the Best Italian movie Director? Name and explain why you choose that person and a brief description about them. Name a favorite movie that they directed also.

My favorite Italian movie Director is Joe D'Amato (Aristide Massaccesi) who is also known as "The Evil Ed Wood" and "The King of Sex and Gore." Who in his film carrier made over 300 films (not 100% sure).

Joe D'Amato in his carrier made over 400 films exploring every single genera possible from horror, westerns, action films and hardcore porn films later in his carrier.
Joe D'Amato died January 23, 1999 in Rome, Italy by a fatal heart attack. He used many names, but to every one he will always be known as Joe D'Amato.

My favorite Joe D'Amato flick(s), if I had to choose would probably be... Buio Omega (Beyond the Darkness), Death Smiles at Murder, Absurd, and Anthropophagus. I also like his "Black" Emanuelle series as well, featuring the beautiful Laura Gemser. But I am die-hard Horror fan so I have to but the Horror first.

Just recently I was reading one of my Italian books (Spaghetti Nightmares), that I bout off amazon.com and Joe mentioned that he disliked making Anthropophagus. I sorta already herd about him saying this in Joe D'Amato Totally Uncut part 2: The Horror Experience, but wasn't sure.

Here is the link if any one is interested in the book (also check out my review by Elliott Monroe): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-...#R3OOR1WK7E7UGC

Though I've mentioned it on many occasions on my blog, here and other places - it bears repeating. Fulci, Fulci, Fulci!
Although it may be a standard answer to that question from any number of cult film fans, he is truly I think, the best and most gifted Italian genre director of his generation. Of course, like many it was THE BEYOND and ZOMBIE which initiated me into his particular film genius, I think he has made many, many interesting films beyond those.
His 60s and 70s work in particular is quite remarkable - from the jazzy thriller ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER to the scorching, fearsome western FOUR OF THE APOCALYPSE, Fulci reveals through these works to be not only a gifted technician but also a true autuer as well, as each of his major works deal obsessively with death in a most existential and harrowing manner.
His 80s work fascinates as well . And not just the aformentioned famous horror flicks. I think some of his other, less gory horrors like MANHATTAN BABY and THE BLACK CAT are extremely underrated and possess a weird almost hallucenegenic vibe that totally unravels any rational critical approach to understanding them. This is also true of his much maligned CONAN rip CONQUEST, which is one of my very favorites of his, a bizarre nonsensical adventure yarn that more than any other 80s fantasy movie aside from the Indonesian sorcery freakout THE DEVIL'S SWORD has the uncanny feel of an actual myth or fable. And his DEVIL'S HONEY might just be the best erotic film of the 1980s and his most missed on deluxe Special Edition DVD.
I never tire of his films which can't be said of the other two of the "big three" of Italian genre giants Mario Bava and Dario Argento, great as they assuredly are. But Fulci burned the brightest, revealing through his work a tortured almost-genius that richly rewards those willing to venture into the sometimes murky world of international "trash" cinema.

Somehow Jared must have sneaked into my place and nicked my entry to this thread! :lol:
It's all I would've said.

If Argento had kept up the high mid-70s/early 80s standard, DEEP RED, TENEBRAE, etc., it would've been a different story. But... he didn't.


Jack

Joe D'Amato is the king of exploitation (along with Mattei). But he spent the 90s with tons of h/c films shot on video...
Dario Argento shot a few of the best Italian horror films.
I should also mention Umberto Lenzi who shot maybe the best giallos along with his gory flicks.

They're all great indeed, but I vote for Lucio Fulci B)

You know what the funny thing is, in the midst of the splatter-film craze of the 1980s these Italian directors were often ridiculed as hacks who merely copied the Americans - badly.

I always had a problem with this notion. Yes, they copied American films like for instance the zombie films but to make them more appealing they threw in tons more gore/action/sex/weirdness and thus made them way more interesting and entertaining.

From memory I recall how Balun did just that, ridiculed Fulci for just copying Romero's zombie flicks. Although I love DAWN OF THE DEAD I must admit I recon ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS is the better film!


Jack

I have just red a D'Amato interview in Flesh&Blood where he talks about porn mainly. He didn't like them either but "it's good business".

Michele Soavi has kept his dignity.Check his TV work, it's great and then see ARRIVEDERCI AMORE.
Ciao.

Mario Bava, Sergion Leone, Federico fellini...depends which TYPE of movie director i guess. Fellini is regarded the greatest Italian movie director but if we are talking horror directors of whatever then Mario Bava, for money, was and has steadfastly remained the greatest ever...

"the best" is not an appropriate term.
What would it mean if I said Riccardo Freda is better than Pupi Avati ? (just an example)
Or Bava is the best because he's better than those two & Antonio Margheritti?
One can't put -say- Antonioni and Visconti on the comparison and give to one of them the 1st prize and the other the 2nd. Or 2 genre directors.

Is the interview in Eng.? Could you send me copy's?

forme his last real good film was terror at the opera.
a lot of argento's films where based on child nightmares and places he stayed.
phenomena was shot in switzerland and the reason i heard he chose switzerland was because he stayed there while not well.

once the nineties started his films have not been as good.

no one remember a film he did called 5 days in milan.

there are loads of fab italian directors bava,lernzi,aergento,leone.
its hard to say is the best as they did different types of films.