“I became the assistant to Citto Maselli in the 60s, and we were making screen-tests for a film being shot in the mythical producer Franco Cristaldi’s studios, Vides. They were making a comedy – musical, Per amore… per magia, and the intended director was Duccio Tessari. He was a very elegant person, and would always wear a red flower in his eyelet (it was a carnation), and happy, with the ready wit of all Ligurians. I was much younger then, about 25 years old, and the encounter with Tessari, a celebrity, hit me a lot. When, some years later, he called me to write this film [La morte risale a iera sera] for him it was like realizing a dream.
I wrote the film in 1970 and, while I was writing it, a tv series that I wrote, CORALBA, came out on Canale Uno and was a huge success. I worked very well with Tessari, but what really sticks in my mind was the character of Duca Lamberti, a tormented man made thirsty for justice, ready to sacrifice his life and career in order to obtain some kind of justice. We stayed faithful to Scerbanenco’s book, the only real change being to the character of Livia Ussaro, who we changed into being a journalist. When I recently saw the film on DVD, I found the change effective, because it allows a series of conversations and exchanges of dialogue with Duca to be much more intense and interesting.
Luca Lamberti was played by Frank Wolff and, even if we weren’t friends, I remember the encounter I had with him. I thought that it would be good to meet the character, in the form of the actor who embodied him. But his end was much more tragic than anything that was contained in my story.“
Full interview is here