Aldo Lado (5 December 1934 – 25 November 2023) was an Italian film and television director, screenwriter and author. He was known internationally for his contributions to the

giallo In Italian cinema, (; : ; from , ) is a genre that often contains Slasher film, slasher, thriller (genre), thriller, psychological horror, psychological thriller, Sexploitation film, sexploitation, and, less frequently, supernatural, supernat ...

genre during the 1970s, through his films ''

Short Night of Glass Dolls ''Short Night of Glass Dolls'' ( Italian: ''La corta notte delle bambole di vetro'') is a 1971 giallo film directed by Aldo Lado in his directorial debut, and starring Ingrid Thulin, Jean Sorel, and Barbara Bach. Its plot follows an American ...

'' (1971) and '' Who Saw Her Die?'' (1972). Several of his films are considered

cult classics A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated v ...

Biography

Aldo Lado was born in Fiume, Italy (today Rijeka, Croatia) on 5 December 1934. Lado came up through the film industry as an

assistant director The role of an assistant director (AD) on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have ...

, notably to

Bernardo Bertolucci Bernardo Bertolucci ( ; ; 16 March 1941 – 26 November 2018) was an Italian film director and screenwriter with a career that spanned 50 years. Considered one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema, Bertolucci's work achieved inte ...

on ''The Conformist'' (1970). After writing the story for the 1971

'' The Designated Victim'', he made his directorial debut later that year with ''

.'' Lado took the job after two previous directors, Maurizio Lucidi and

Antonio Margheriti Antonio Margheriti (19 September 1930 – 4 November 2002), also known under the pseudonyms Anthony M. Dawson and Antony Daisies ("daisies" is "margherite" in Italian), was an Italians, Italian filmmaker. Margheriti worked in many different film ...

, fell through. The film was a success, and he followed it with another giallo, '' Who Saw Her Die?''. Lado's subsequent films were in a variety of genres, including drama ('' Woman Buried Alive'', '' The Cousin''), romance ('' La cosa buffa''), and horror ('' Last Stop on the Night Train''). In 1979, he directed the ''Star Wars'' cash-in '' The Humanoid'', for which he was credited under the

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

-esque pseudonym "George B. Lewis". In 1981, he directed the

Alberto Moravia Alberto Pincherle (; 28 November 1907 – 26 September 1990), known by his pseudonym Alberto Moravia ( , ), was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation and existentialism. Moravia i ...

adaptation '' La disubbidienza''. In 2013, after a 20-year hiatus, he directed the film ''Il Notturno di Chopin''. Lado published his first short story in 2016, in the anthology ''Nuovi delitti di lago''. In 2017 he published ''I film che non vedrete mai'' ('The films you will never see'), a compilation based on Lado's own unproduced screenplays. Lado died at his home in Rome on the morning of 25 November 2023, at the age of 88.

Legacy and recognition

In 2024, Vespertilio Awards founded the Aldo Lado Award. The award is given to the film that best reflects the maestro's ideas and views on cinema.

Filmography

Film

Television

Bibliography

* ''Il gigante e la bambina'', in ''Nuovi delitti di lago'', Morellini Editore, 2016, * ''Cold Case sul Lago Maggiore'', in ''Delitti di lago'', vol. 3, Morellini Editore, 2017, * ''I film che non vedrete mai'', Angera Films, 2017, * ''Un pollo da spennare'', Angera Films, 2018, * ''Hotel delle cose'', Angera Films, 2018, * ''Il mastino'', Angera Films, 2018, * ''Ombre scure sotto la Rocca di Angera'', in ''Delitti di lago'', vol. 4, Morellini Editore, 2020, * Storie di donne: ''MIRIAM,'' Edizioni Angerafilm 2020, * ''IL RIDER'', Edizioni Angerafilm 2020, * Storie di donne: ''COSTANZA'', Edizioni Angerafilm 2021, * ''Il tombarolo'' in ''Delitti di Lago 5'', Morellini Editore 2021, *''Il luccio'' in ''Delitti di Lago 7'', Morellini Editore 2023,

References

External links

* 1934 births 2023 deaths Italian film directors Italian male screenwriters People from Rijeka Giallo film directors Italian male novelists Italian male short story writers {{Italy-film-director-stub