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Luigi Cozzi (born 7 September 1947) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. At a young age, Cozzi became a fan of
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
and began his career as an overseas correspondent for Western film magazines. After directing his first film '' The Tunnel Under the World'', Cozzi befriended director
Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. His influential work in the horror film, horror and giallo genres during the 1970s and 1980s has led him to being referred to as the "Master of the ...
and began working with him in film and television as well as directing his own features including ''
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
'' as well as continuing work with Argento. In the 2010s, he returned to directing with the film ''Blood on Méliès' Moon''.


Biography


Early life

Luigi Cozzi was born in
Busto Arsizio Busto Arsizio (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the south-easternmost part of the province of Varese, in the Italy, Italian region of Lombardy, north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is mainly based on industry and commerce. It is the ...
in Italy on 7 September 1947. At a young age, Cozzi made films in
8mm 8 mm may refer to: Film technology *8 mm film, a motion picture film format ** Super 8 film ** Single-8 film * 8 mm video format, three related videocassette formats Firearms * 8 mm caliber, firearmm cartridges ** 7.92×57mm Mauser, designated 8 ...
and grew up wanting to be a film director. Cozzi was also a great fan of
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
, and worked as an overseas correspondent for Western film magazines such as ''
Famous Monsters of Filmland ''Famous Monsters of Filmland'' is an American film genre, genre-specific List of film periodicals, film magazine, started in 1958 by publisher James Warren (publisher), James Warren and editor Forrest J Ackerman. ''Famous Monsters of Filmland ...
'' and ''
Photon A photon () is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. Photons are massless particles that can ...
''. Cozzi's first film '' The Tunnel Under the World'' was described by Cozzi as "shot very quickly on a ridiculously low budget." The film features a martian and a vampire. He befriended director
Dario Argento Dario Argento (; born 7 September 1940) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and producer. His influential work in the horror film, horror and giallo genres during the 1970s and 1980s has led him to being referred to as the "Master of the ...
and began working on his screenplay for ''
Four Flies on Grey Velvet ''Four Flies on Grey Velvet'' () is a 1971 ''giallo'' film written and directed by Dario Argento. The film concerns Roberto Tobias ( Michael Brandon), who accidentally kills a man and is then tormented by someone who witnessed the event. The film ...
'', as well as working as an assistant on the film.


1970s

Following work on ''Four Flies'', Cozzi moved to Rome where he worked as a journalist. He continued work with Argento on his film ''
The Five Days ''The Five Days'' (; also known as ''The Five Days of Milan'') is a 1973 comedy-drama film directed by Dario Argento. The film is set during the Five Days of Milan in 1848. Plot The film is set in Milan during the Five Days of Milan, an ant ...
'' and began working in television, writing two episodes ("Eyewitness" and "Neighbor") and directing "Neighbor" for the '' Door into Darkness'' television series. His next film made was what Cozzi described as an Argento-styled thriller titled ''
The Killer Must Kill Again ''The Killer Must Kill Again'' () is a 1975 Italian giallo film directed by Luigi Cozzi. Cozzi originally wanted to call the film ''Il Ragno'' (''The Spider'') but it was changed to ''The Killer Must Kill Again'' by the producers. It is based on ...
''. Cozzi's next film project was ''Take All of Me'' which he considered his best film. The film is a non-genre film which involves a love story between the failed pianist Richard and the young girl Stella. Cozzi has since attempted to develop new non-science fiction films including ''The Locomotive'' and ''Freshmen'' but could not get funding for them. After the success of ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'', Cozzi found investors who were willing to fund a larger-scale science fiction film, and began working on a film initially called ''Empire of the Stars'' which was later released as ''
Starcrash ''Starcrash'' () is a 1978 space opera film directed and co-written by Luigi Cozzi, and starring Marjoe Gortner, Caroline Munro, David Hasselhoff, Joe Spinell and Christopher Plummer. Widely regarded as a "cash-in" on the unprecedented succe ...
''. Cozzi felt he did not have the budget to compete with ''Star Wars'' and decided to give the film a "deliberately crazy look". The film was plagued with production problems ranging from food poisoning on the set and a communist worker revolt which led to the films master copy being held for ransom by Italian activists. Cozzi was about to do a sequel to the film titled ''Star Riders'' which would have a $12 million budget from
Cannon Films The Cannon Group, Inc. was an American group of companies, including Cannon Films, which produced films from 1967 to 1994. The extensive group also owned, amongst others, a large international cinema chain and a video film company that investe ...
with actors
Klaus Kinski Klaus Kinski (, born Klaus Günter Karl Nakszynski 18 October 1926 – 23 November 1991) was a German actor. Equally renowned for his intense performance style and notorious for his volatile personality, he appeared in over 130 film roles in a ...
,
Nancy Kwan Nancy Kwan Ka-shen (; born May 19, 1939) is a Chinese-American actress whose career benefited from Hollywood's casting of more Asian roles in the 1960s, especially in comedies. She was considered an Eastern sex symbol in the 1960s. Biography ...
and
Jack Rabin Jack M. Rabin (January 3, 1945 – November 13, 2006) was an American public administration scholar. Biography Early life and education Rabin received a B.A. in government (1965) and a M.A. in government (1967) from the University of Miami ...
. The sequel never went into production. Cozzi began expressing his frustration with the Italian film industry, stating in an interview in ''
Cinefantastique ''Cinefantastique'' is an American horror, fantasy, and science fiction film magazine. History The magazine originally started as a mimeographed fanzine in 1967, then relaunched as a glossy, offset printed quarterly in 1970 by publisher/ ed ...
'' that "What can I do? In Italy, when you bring a script to a producer, the first question he asks is not 'What is your film like?' but 'What film is your film like?' That's the way it is in Italy. We can only make ''
Zombi 2 ''Zombi 2'' is a 1979 English-language Italian zombie film directed by Lucio Fulci. It was adapted from an original screenplay by Dardano Sacchetti to serve as a sequel to George A. Romero's '' Dawn of the Dead'' (1978), which was released ...
'', never ''Zombi I''." Cozzi went on to direct ''
The Humanoid A humanoid is any non-human entity that resembles a human. Humanoid(s) may also refer to: * Humanoid robot, a robot resembling the human body in shape Music * Humanoid (musician), Brian Dougans (born 1965), Scottish musician and composer * ''H ...
'' starring
Richard Kiel Richard Dawson Kiel (September 13, 1939 – September 10, 2014) was an American actor. Standing tall and often referred to as "the Gentle Giant", he was known for portraying Jaws in '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977) and '' Moonraker'' (197 ...
, taking over for
Aldo Lado 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 genre during the 1970s, through his films ''Short Night of Gl ...
. The film is credited to George B. Lewis and was not released in the United States after
American International Productions American International Pictures, LLC (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution comp ...
turned down the finished film. Cozzi began working on a new film titled ''
Alien Contamination ''Contamination'' (a.k.a. ''Alien Contamination'', ''Toxic Spawn'' or ''Larvae'') is a 1980 science fiction-horror film directed by Luigi Cozzi, produced by Claudio Mancini and Karl Spiehs, and starring Ian McCulloch, Louise Marleau, and Marino M ...
'' which producers agreed to finance on the condition that the film would resemble '' Alien''. After another Italian film titled ''Alien 2 on Earth'' was released, the producers took a title from the uncompleted
Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including Commedia all'italiana, comedies and spagh ...
film ''Contamination: Atomic Project'' and applied the word "Contamination" to the title. The film was shot in eight weeks on a budget of $800,000. Cozzi also oversaw the release of an edited version of the
kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...
film ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...
'' in 1977, which among other changes feature colorization using colored gels, footage of the
bombing of Hiroshima On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, during World War II. The aerial bombings killed between 150,000 and 246,000 people, most of whom were civili ...
and a synthesizer music soundtrack. The film, dubbed "Cozzilla" by fans, has been regarded as "a real oddity in the long and often bizarre history of the Godzilla franchise" and later fans stating "the Cozzi cut is now the stuff of legend, an ambitious but woefully misguided attempt to update a film that had already been compromised and really didn't need this sort of mugging".


1980s to present

Cozzi began working at writing novels, writing thrillers including ''Killer Instinct'' and ''Fear Hotel'' and the science fiction novel ''Time Parallels'' and the horror novel ''Cthulu Night''. He was later offered by
Menahem Golan Menahem Golan (; May 31, 1929 – August 8, 2014, originally Menachem Globus) was an Israelis, Israeli film producer, screenwriter, and director. He co-owned The Cannon Group with his cousin Yoram Globus. Cannon specialized in producing low-to-mid ...
to do an updated version of the story of Hercules on the condition that he could re-write the script in three weeks. Cozzi accepted and developed ''
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...
'', which drew inspiration from ''Clash of the Titans''. Cozzi's film includes large amounts of stop-motion animation. Cozzi worked on a sequel that had actor
Lou Ferrigno Louis Jude Ferrigno Sr. (; born November 9, 1951) is an American actor and retired professional bodybuilder. He won an IFBB Mr. America title and two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles, and appeared in the documentary film '' Pumping Iron'' ...
reprise his role, but found the actor only available for three weeks which led to Cozzi padding the film with footage from the first film. Cozzi continued working with Argento, working on the special effects scenes in his film ''
Phenomena A phenomenon ( phenomena), sometimes spelled phaenomenon, is an observable Event (philosophy), event. The term came into its modern Philosophy, philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be ...
''. He created the scene involving the insects attacking a school by filming smashed coffee grounds in a water tank. He followed this work with television series ''Giallo'' working again with Argento and
Lamberto Bava Lamberto Bava (born 3 April 1944) is an Italian film director. Born in Rome, Italy, Rome, Bava began working as an assistant director for his director father Mario Bava. Lamberto co-directed the 1979 television film ''La Venere d'Ille'' with his f ...
. Cozzi was offered to direct the film ''
Witchery Witchery is a Swedish blackened thrash/speed metal band formed by former members of Satanic Slaughter in 1997. The current lineup consists of guitarists Patrik Jensen and Rickard "Rille" Rimfält, bassist Sharlee D'Angelo, vocalist Angus Norde ...
'', which the initial director Claudio Lattanzi left during pre-production. Cozzi entered and left two weeks into pre-production, finding the story "too predictable and banal". Other later work included directing and writing '' Paganini Horror''. The film stars
Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes," and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. Pleas ...
and is based on the legend of a famous violinist being in league with the devil. Cozzi also wrote the script for ''
Sinbad of the Seven Seas ''Sinbad of the Seven Seas'' is a 1989 Italian fantasy film produced and directed by Enzo G. Castellari from a story by Luigi Cozzi, revolving around the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor. Sinbad must recover five magical stones to free the city o ...
'' which was directed by Enzo G. Castellari, but completed by Cozzi. Among his later work is ''The Black Cat'' starring
Caroline Munro Caroline Jane Munro ( ; born 16 January 1949)McFarlane, Brian (28 February 2014). ''The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition''. Oxford University Press. p. 538; is an English actress, model and singer known for her many appearances in ...
, who is visited by a witch. Cozzi played himself in the film ''Sick-o-pathics'' and also developed documentaries on Dario Argento. Cozzi later made two documentaries on the films of Dario Argento, and for years co-owned and managed Argento's retail movie memorabilia store in Italy, Profondo Rosso. A new film made by Cozzi titled ''Blood on Méliès' Moon'' was announced at the Italian Horror Fest in
Nettuno Nettuno is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Lazio region of central Italy, south of Rome. A resort city and agricultural center on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it has a population of approximately 50,000. Economy It has a ...
in July 2014. Cozzi explained his return to film making was due to modern technology making it easier to make a film. Cozzi stated that it was similar to when he "decided to become a publisher, until then, to publish a book you had to print at least one or two thousand copies. That meant a lot of money and often your storehouses were full of unsold copies. After the advent of digital, you could print even only thirty copies of a book and so I decided to start publishing books and novels." The title of the film came from Cozzi when working for Cannon in the 1980s which had a different plot. The film had its world premiere at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.


Style

Most of Cozzi's films become "increasingly silly and strange" as their plot goes on.


Filmography


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * * * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cozzi, Luigi 1947 births Living people People from Busto Arsizio Italian television directors Italian horror film directors Giallo film directors