Domenico Massimo Pupillo (1922 – 12 December 1999) was an Italian film director.

Life and career

Puplillo was born in

Rodi Garganico Rodi Garganico (; Garganico: ) is a town and commune in the province of Foggia, Apulia, south-eastern Italy. Located on a promontory east of the Lago di Varano, it is part of the Gargano National Park and of the Mountain Community of Gargan ...

, Apulia in 1922. He started his career in film through his acquaintance

Fernandel Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin (8 May 1903 – 26 February 1971), better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born near Marseille, France, to Désirée Bedouin and Denis Contandin, originating in Perosa Argentina, an Occitan ...

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionable ...

's assistant. He claims to have made over 250 short films before the release of his film '' Gli amichi dell'Isola'', a feature film set in

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label= Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, af ...

with unprofessional actors. After directing ''

Terror-Creatures from the Grave ''Terror-Creatures from the Grave'' ( it, 5 tombe per un medium) is a 1965 horror film directed by Domenico Massimo Pupillo. The film was an international co-production between Italy and the United States through M.B.S. Cinematografica, G.I.A. Ci ...

'', he went on two direct two more horror films in a row: ''

Bloody Pit of Horror ''Bloody Pit of Horror'' ( it, Il Boia Scarlatto) is a 1965 gothic horror film. The film, set in Italy, was directed by Domenico Massimo Pupillo and stars Mickey Hargitay, Walter Brandi, Luisa Baratto and Rita Klein. It tells the story of a gr ...

'' and ''

La vendetta di Lady Morgan ''La vendetta di Lady Morgan'' () is a 1965 Italian horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transg ...

''. After making these horror films, Pupillo stated that he originally made them to get out of making documentary films and enter the commercial film market. After making ''La vendetta di Lady Morgan'' he declared he was finished with making horror films with his following directorial work becoming scarce. His follow-ups included the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

''Django Kills Softly'' released in 1967 and the

mondo film Mondo films are a subgenre of exploitation films and documentary films. Many mondo films are made in a way to resemble a pseudo-documentary and usually depicting sensational topics, scenes, or situations. Common traits of mondo films include po ...

'' Love: The Great Unknown''. Pupillo also wrote a few mondo films prior to directing including ''

Primitive Love ''Primitive Love'' is the ninth studio album and second English-language record by the Miami Sound Machine, released in August 1985, by Epic Records. A 2CD remastered version of the album was scheduled for March 31, 2017 by Vibe on Records, ...

'' and '' Sweden: Heaven and Hell'' which were both directed by

Luigi Scattini Luigi Scattini (17 May 1927 – 12 July 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Scattini graduated in law, then he began his career as a journalist and a film critic for several weekly magazines such as ''Gente'' and '' Oggi''. ...

and '' Taboos of the World'' by

Romolo Marcellini Romolo Marcellini (6 October 1910 – 3 June 1999) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 22 films between 1937 and 1969. Selected filmography * ''Stadium'' (1934) * ''Sentinels of Bronze'' (1937) * '' Special Correspond ...

. Pupillo later described himself as "disgusted" by the type of cinema he was making and primarily worked in television during the 1970s. His last feature film was ''Sa Jana'' which was shot in Sardinia. Pupillo died in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Life and career

Partial filmography

Notes and references

Notes

References

Sources

External links