Franco Micalizzi (born 21 December 1939 in Rome) is an Italian composer and conductor, best known for his scores in

Poliziotteschi ''Poliziotteschi'' (; : ''poliziottesco'') constitute a subgenre of crime and action films that emerged in Italy in the late 1960s and reached the height of their popularity in the 1970s. They are also known as ''polizieschi all'italiana'', ''I ...

films. His first success was for the musical score of the

Spaghetti Western The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

They Call Me Trinity ''They Call Me Trinity'' () is a 1970 spaghetti Western comedy film written and directed by Enzo Barboni (under the pseudonym of E.B. Clucher) and produced by Italo Zingarelli. The film stars the duo of Terence Hill and Bud Spencer as half-brot ...

'', in 1970. He had previously collaborated on composing with Roberto Pregadio the famous whistled western score for the 1969 film ''

The Forgotten Pistolero ''The Forgotten Pistolero'' ( Italian: ''Il pistolero dell'Ave Maria'', lit. "The Gunman of Hail Mary") is a 1969 Italian Spaghetti Western film co-written and directed by Ferdinando Baldi. The film is a western adaptation of the Greek myth of O ...

'' (original: ''Il Pistolero dell'Ave Maria''). His main theme for the 1976 poliziottesco film ''

A Special Cop in Action ''Special Cop in Action'' () is a 1976 Italian ''poliziottesco'' film directed by Marino Girolami, here credited as Franco Martinelli. The film is the final chapter in the Girolami's Commissioner Betti Trilogy, after ''Violent Rome'' and '' Violen ...

'' was used in the soundtrack of

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

's ''

Death Proof ''Death Proof'' is a 2007 American slasher film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Kurt Russell as a Stunt performer, stuntman who murders young women with modified cars he says are "death-proof". Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito ...

''. His other scores include '' The Last Snows of Spring'', '' Beyond the Door'' and '' The Last Hunter''. He often worked with

Umberto Lenzi Umberto Lenzi (6 August 1931 – 19 October 2017) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and novelist. A fan of film since young age, Lenzi studied at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia and made his first film in 1958 which went unre ...

, scoring his movies ''

Syndicate Sadists ''Syndicate Sadists'' (, or ''"The Executioner Challenges the City"''), also released under the titles ''Rambo's Revenge'' and ''Final Payment'', is a 1975 '' poliziotteschi'' film directed by Umberto Lenzi. It stars Joseph Cotten and Tomas Mili ...

'', '' Rome Armed to the Teeth'', ''

Violent Naples ''Violent Naples'' () is a 1976 ''poliziottesco'' film directed by Umberto Lenzi. It starred Maurizio Merli, John Saxon and Barry Sullivan, and was the first sequel to ''Violent Rome'' and the second entry into the ''Commissioner Betti'' Trilogy. ...

'', ''

The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist ''The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist'' () is an Italian '' poliziotteschi'' film directed in 1977 by Umberto Lenzi and third entry into the Tanzi/Moretto/Monnezza shared universe as well as serving as a direct sequel to '' The Tough Ones''. The film ...

'', '' Brothers Till We Die'', ''

The Greatest Battle ''The Greatest Battle'' (, also released as ''The Biggest Battle'' and ''Battle Force'') is a 1978 Euro War film co-written and directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring an all-star ensemble cast, including Giuliano Gemma, Helmut Berger, Stacy Keach ...

'', '' From Corleone to Brooklyn'', '' Black Demons'' and '' Mean Tricks''. In 1984 he founded the group "The Micalizzi Family" with his sons Cristiano and Alessandro. His piece "The Puzzle" appears in the soundtrack of ''

Curb Your Enthusiasm ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', also known colloquially simply as ''Curb'', is an American television comedy of manners created by Larry David that premiered on HBO with an hour-long special in October 17, 1999, followed by 12 seasons broadcast from Oc ...

'' and a slow tempo excerpt of it, rearranged for clarinet and bassoon, is often used in the series as the "stare" theme.

Selected filmography

References

External links

*
Franco Micalizzi
at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

The Micalizzi family
at

1939 births Italian film score composers Italian male film score composers Living people Spaghetti Western composers Composers from Rome {{Italy-music-bio-stub