Paolo Solvay obituary

Further to my RIP post for Paolo Solvay, here’s a translated version of one that appeared in the Italian press:

To the general public, the name of Luigi Batzella may have been obscure, but those who attended cinemas in the sixties and seventies, devouring genre films, will almost certainly have come across one of the many films made by this obscure Sardinian director, often under the pseudonmy Paolo Solvay. Batzella died yesterday after a serious illness at his home in San Sperate, where he’d lived since withdrawing from cinema.

He was a poor artist, in the noble sense of the term, but he had a distinct personality: he was a king of the low budget, able to shoot a film in two weeks, able to incorporate footage from previous films made either by himself or his colleagues, which gained him the reputation of being an Italian Ed Wood. He entered the world of cinema by chance, having studied at the Conservatory of Cagliari in Rome before leaving to seek his fortune and ending up becoming involved in the effervescent industry around Cinecitta.

He began as an actor, before moving to directing, where he became known for his ability to tell stories and, most particularly, for being able to make a film quickly. He made thirteen titles in a decade, Tre franchi di pietà a Anche per Django le carogne hanno un prezzo, Le colt erano il suo Dio, Confessioni segrete di un convento di clausura, Lo strano ricatto di una ragazza per bene, Kaput Lager, Nuda per satana and especially The Beast in Heat, a stracult masterpiece.

Unfortunately, an illness forced him to retire from the set at the age of just 55 years old, but he remains one of the most prolific, eccentric and imagintive makers of Italian B-Movies.

About Matt Blake 890 Articles
The WildEye is a blog dedicated to the wild world of Italian cinema (and, ok, sometimes I digress into discussing films from other countries as well). Peplums, comedies, dramas, spaghetti westerns... they're all covered here.

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