Omega Rising: Remembering Joe D'Amato Page #2

---

which is another film I wrote with a

small budget in mind.

There wasn't much money, so I set the story

in one location, this big abandoned theatre.

The film is nice, it works very

well, especially thanks to Michele

who did a better job than what I

would have ever done.

I was more talented with actors but he had a

great visual sense and a good taste in music.

The film even won a prize at Avoriaz Film

Festival and its mostly thanks to Michele.

One day he asked me if I wanted to

work on a film as a script supervisor.

That was the time of Caligula:

The Untold Story,

where I met many people that became

important in my career.

For example David Brandon, a

wonderful Irish actor with whom

I became friends and later cast as

the protagonist in Stagefright.

Stagefright arrived just like that.

I had already become as assistant to Dario Argento

and I had done other things with Aristide as an AD.

I had also already directed a

couple of music videos

which I immediately brought to

Aristide for his opinion.

One useless cloudy morning Aristide

calls me and asks me

if I want to direct a horror film.

Are you sure you want to put the

responsibility of a film in my hands?

Yes, come over and we can talk.

So we started working on the project, which began with a

completely different story from what became the film.

We would have these long brain-storming

sessions in which we talked about

how this film was supposed to be, I

would explain what I had in mind...

That was the period in which

Filmirage was born.

There were young directors, one American, Deran

Sarafian and Fabrizio Laurenti for example.

He was the first to create a reality

for which to nurture young talent.

Aristide's school was more

than essential to me.

He was the first one to put an Arriflex in

my hands and say shoot, shoot, just shoot

He would suggest shots or do a

scene with a stuntman

and ask me to be the extra camera.

It was a very

stimulating atmosphere.

So Stagefright was born in a beautiful

delirium of emotions and feelings.

Then Montefiori came on-board with a

script he had written for me.

This was very fortunate because the script was

suitable for me and perfect for Aristide's wallet.

The location, an abandoned theatre,

kind of a hanger

which was supposed to be in America

and was perfect for me

and allowed me to have all the time

necessary to elaborate the scenes

not having had much experience...

my knowledge was mostly theory

even if I had done various films as an AD and I had been

able to work in various roles: as a grip, an operator...

this saved me because to direct you

need to know how to do everybody's job

so not to get ripped off when it

comes to time and costs.

It was an expensive

film for Aristide.

He would usually do films

in three weeks

he had given me four and we

ended up needing six

but he was very, very happy

with the footage.

The film was photographed

by Renato Tafuri

who did a wonderful job.

A lovely photographer that contributed

to the fortune of this small film,

which later won a prize at Avoriaz and opened

my career internationally with Terry Gilliam.

Let's start by saying that for me

Aristide Massaccesi was our Roger Corman.

In the sense that Aristide, on one

side was a great professional.

A wonderful DOP. Then on the other he was

a completely crazy producer, like Corman.

Our meeting occurred in occasion of Goblin, known

as Troll 2, my first experience in the States.

Aristide had created a

strange situation:

he had a truck full cf cameras and electrical equipment

with which he toured America working with various

crew members of the independent

American film industry.

Money arrived from independent American

producers or from Italian production companies

like the ones I had worked with: Filmexport, Franco Gaudenzis

Flora Film, all of whom made films for the American market.

The astuteness of Aristide was if I have to do films that

imitate the American's it's better for me to shoot them there.

One might think it would be very

expensive but actually it wasn't.

If you go and shoot in the province, like me in Utah,

working without involving the unions and do a small film

it costs as much as going to the

Philippines to shoot.

Of course it takes courage but

he had plenty of it.

He was extremely creative.

All the scripts that came in, me and Rosella

would discuss them with him. He was great.

While he was around this style of cinema could

exist, with his departure this cinema died with him.

Aristide Massaccesi, real name of Joe D'Amato, was

a father figure for me, as he was for many others.

Filmirage was his factory and he launched many

artists. He called me the visionary because

I had some crazy ideas

which he loved.

My relationship with him was incredible and

that kind of relationships between writer

and producer, sadly,

doesn't exist anymore.

He always knew what we were talking about, he knew how to

truly read a script, which may seem like a silly thing...

...but now producers don't read scripts

and don't know how to read them.

He was very creative and for me it

was like a school, an academy.

Aristide made me write completely

different stories...

he would tell me write a horror,

write an erotic film

- like Eleven Days, Eleven Nights which

was the first erotic comedy in my career.

Write me a pseudo-Rambo, write me a a Vietnam movie,

a fantasy film. we would always be changing genre.

He would tell me that every five pages something

had to happen, if not it doesn't work.

Plus I would laugh a lot around him. He was filled

with irony and would always have a joke ready

but he was never vulgar. I really to

underline this because

I've read in books about him or

viewed interviews online...

people speak well about him but are

also saying he was crude or vulgar.

I never heard him say a bad word, or curse. A man

of simple tastes, clean and always a gentlemen.

Something that still moves me every

time I think about him.

A wonderful thing he told me that I will never forget:

never cut your wings, alluding to creativity.

Every time I would have to write something

I would ask how much the budget was

and he would answer you write and don't worry

about anything. Don't set any limits, just fly.

I can only be grateful and say thank you for the

relationship and friendship I had with him.

The basis of our collaboration was

of reciprocal respect

and his capacity to make me laugh.

I found him, in an ambiguous

environment like the one of cinema

where there is a lot of

pretentiousness, a very simple person.

Direct while speaking and especially good natured.

Very generous, that was his biggest trait.

Our partnership developed in a way

that was not consistent.

Until 1971, I was only an actor and

I had never written anything.

After having met him I

started writing.

I wrote for many production

companies, not only for him

but with him I would

have the most fun.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes