DAMIANI, DAMIANO

(1922-)

Screenwriter and director. After studying painting at the Brera Academy, Damiani made documentaries and worked as a screenwriter before directing his first feature film,Il rossetto(Lipstick, 1960), a tense and very effective police thriller, which he quickly followed withIl sicario(The Hit Man, 1960). He subsequently scripted and directed several fine literary adaptations, includingL'isola di Arturo(Arturo'sIsland, 1961), from a novel by Elsa Morante, andLa noia(The Empty Canvas, 1962), before dabbling in most of the major genres, with comedies such asLa rimpatriata(The Reunion, 1963) andspaghetti Westernssuch asQuien sabe?(A Bullet for the General, 1967).Forays into the gothic, as inLa strega in amore(The Witch in Love, 1966), and a strong affinity with American cinema eventually led to his directingAmityville II:The Possession(1982) in the United States.

Although his production continued to be varied, he became best known for taut police and Mafia thrillers such asConfessioni di un commissario di polizia al procuratore della repubblica(Confessions of a Police Captain, 1971) andUn uomo in ginocchio(A Man on His Knees, 1978), and especially for the first series of the enormously popular television miniseries on the Mafia,La piovra(1983). Subsequent films, such as the historical dramaQuel treno per Pietrogrado(Lenin:The Train, 1992) andL'angelo con la pistola(Angel with a Gun, 1992), were also done for television. In the early 1970s Damiani also distinguished himself as an actor, playing a significant supporting role inFlorestano Vancini's historical dramaIl delitto Matteotti(The Assassination of Matteotti, 1973).