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Italian Film Director Antonio Margheriti aka Anthony Dawson Is Dead at 72
Sadly Father Geek is here to report the death of yet another giant of the the Drive-In Theater Screen... Director Anthony Dawson Died Monday in Rome. Dawson co-directed both "Andy Warhol's Frankenstein" and "Andy Warhol's Dracula". Both were long running hits on Drive-In and College Campus screens. Frankenstein was seen many places in the 3-D format.
Dawson, who's real name was Antonio Margheriti was widely know for graphic gore-fests like "Cannibal Apocalypse", but he filled Drive-Ins during the Dusk of that era by turning out films like Barbara Steele's CASTLE OF BLOOD, ASSIGNMENT OUTER SPACE, WILD WILD PLANET, MR. SUPERINVISIBLE, and WAR OF THE PLANETS. When he wasn't Directing he was busy writing pop faves like "Yor, the Hunter from the Future" in 1982. He also created alot of his own Special Effects shots, and FX Makeup. He wasn't always locked into the Horror-Science Fiction-Fantasy genres. In the mid 70's he gave us a few Westerns like Jim Brown's TAKE A HARD RIDE and the Kung Fu Cowboy epic THE STRANGER AND THE GUNFIGHTER starring Lee Van Cleef and Lieh Lo who died this past weekend. I took Harry in his youth to everyone of the above named flicks multible times in those days of $1.50 carload prices at Austin's giant 4 screen Drive-Ins. We would caravan to them many times in 2 or more cars, set up lawn chairs, breakout coolers of brew, and party hardy through 3 or more films. It was an era I miss badly, lots of fun times. Annnnnnnnd Dawson was one of its major directors... one of the reasons it was SOOOOOOOOO much fun!
Here's what the Rome Office of The Associated Press had to say...
When he wasn't Directing he was busy writing pop faves like "Yor, the Hunter from the Future" in 1982. He also created alot of his own Special Effects shots, and FX Makeup. He wasn't always locked into the Horror-Science Fiction-Fantasy genres. In the mid 70's he gave us a few Westerns like Jim Brown's TAKE A HARD RIDE and the Kung Fu Cowboy epic THE STRANGER AND THE GUNFIGHTER starring Lee Van Cleef and Lieh Lo who died this past weekend. I took Harry in his youth to everyone of the above named flicks multible times in those days of $1.50 carload prices at Austin's giant 4 screen Drive-Ins. We would caravan to them many times in 2 or more cars, set up lawn chairs, breakout coolers of brew, and party hardy through 3 or more films. It was an era I miss badly, lots of fun times. Annnnnnnnd Dawson was one of its major directors... one of the reasons it was SOOOOOOOOO much fun!
Here's what the Rome Office of The Associated Press had to say...
Here's what the Rome Office of The Associated Press had to say...
Prolific Italian film director Antonio Margheriti, who sometimes
used the name Anthony M. Dawson and who specialized in making science
fiction, horror and adventure movies, has died. He was 72.
Margheriti died Monday of a heart attack in Monterosi, near Rome, said the
town's parish priest, the Rev. Leonardo Sterpa.
Born in Rome on Sept. 19, 1930, Margheriti started his film career in the
1960s, directing science fiction films such "Space Men," and "The Battle of
the Worlds."
He later moved into the horror genre, with "The Virgin of Nuremberg," which
was released in 1965 in the United States with the title "Horror Castle" and
carrying the name Dawson as its director.
It was common at the time for Italian directors and actors to use more
American-sounding names than their own to try to broaden their appeal.
In a career that spanned four decades and more than 50 films, Margheriti's
work was often filled with blood and gore.
In one such movie, the 1980 "Cannibal Apocalypse," two Vietnam war veterans
bring home a contagious virus that turns people into cannibals when bitten.
Margheriti also made some lower-budget imitations of Hollywood blockbusters,
such as "Killer Fish," in 1979 and "Hunters of the Golden Cobra," in 1982.
Their themes were similar to Steven Spielberg's "Jaws," and "Raiders of the
Lost Ark," respectively.
Just Click Here To See A Huge List of DAWSON'S Works
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this is getting ridiculous
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KILLER FISH (1978) - From the opening blasts at the factory (to the tune of a disco pop song) to the climactic piranha attacks in the Amazon river, the film was magnificent. I also loved the dream cast: Lee Majors, Karen Black, James Franciscus, Margaux Hemingway, Gary Collins, Marisa Berenson. I want the Remastered Director's Cut of this classic on DVD.
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Paul Morrissey directed both FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN and BLOOD FOR DRACULA (aka: ANDY WARHOL'S).
Margheriti just happened to give a few pointers, but he hardly directed the entire films. I recall him saying this in an interview.
I just watched his WEB OF THE SPIDER last night.. Klaus Kinski as Edgar Allen Poe.. good stuff. -
Is it just me, or does this guy sound like he had one of the all time great jobs? He got to make movies - sure, they're weren't masterpieces, but c'mon, masterpieces take a lot of work. Now Castle of Blood, on the other hand.... Seriously, directing these movies had to be a ball. "More blood!" "Hmmm, this scene isn't fitting well together, if only there were something..... I've got it! Tits!" In fact - "I've got it! Tits!" would make a very good epitaph. For anyone.
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I was much surprised years after seeing a vietnam war film "The Last Hunter" when doing a film project on Italian cinema masquerading as US films that this was an Italian film.
Starred all the usual suspects like David Warbeck, Tisa Farrow, Bobby Rhodes, Margit Evelyn Newton and John Steiner which had I known it at the time was a big tip off. As a film, it wasn't bad.
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http://www.yorsworld.com/yorsworld.mp3
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One of my favorite expolitaion thrillers! Great crime/horror/adventure genre combo, with a killer cast (Lee Majors, Karen Black, and James Franciscus are terrific here!), cool/gory piranha effects, a groovy 70's disco 'James Bondian' score, and a some excellent plotting and characterization. I actually enjoy it as much, if not more so than Dante's PIRANHA!
A WS sp. ed. DVD needs to be relased NOW!
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