Duccio Tessari

Writing

Duccio Tessari

Born October 11, 1926 · Genoa, Italy

Died September 6, 1994 · aged 67

Duccio Tessari was an Italian director, screenwriter and occasionally actor, considered one of the fathers of spaghetti westerns. Born in Genoa, Tessari started in the fifties as documentarist and as screenwriter of Peplum films. In 1964 he co-wrote Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars, one year later he gained an impressive commercial success and launched the Giuliano Gemma's career with A Pistol …

Known For

A Fistful of DollarsA Fistful of Dollars · 1964
A Fistful of Dollars
7.81964
MovieWestern
The Man With No Name enters the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among the three Rojo brothers and sheriff John Baxter. When a regiment of Mexican soldiers bearing gold intended to pay for new weapons is waylaid by the Rojo brothers, the stranger inserts himself into the middle of the long-simmering battle, selling false information to both sides for his own benefit.
ZorroZorro · 1975
Zorro
6.61975
MovieAdventureAction
A newly arrived governor finds his province under the control of the corrupt Colonel Huerta. To avoid assassination by Huerta, he pretends to be weak and indecisive so Huerta will believe he poses no threat. But secretly he masquerades as Zorro, and joins the monk Francisco and the beautiful aristocrat Hortensia in their fight for justice against Huerta and his soldiers.
The HeroesThe Heroes · 1973
The Heroes
5.71973
MovieComedyWar
Four soldiers and a beautiful Greek nurse, thrown together in North Africa during World War II, team up to pull off a heist of two-million pounds in boxes marked "plasma."
Safari ExpressSafari Express · 1976
Safari Express
5.11976
MovieComedy
John and Howard work in a company named Safari Express booking tourists on safaris. Their lives are turned upside down when they encounter a beautiful blonde wandering in the jungle who doesn't know who she is. They also discover uranium and what appear to be some well-mannered simians.
A Pistol for RingoA Pistol for Ringo · 1965
A Pistol for Ringo
6.21965
MovieWestern
Giuliano Gemma stars as a cool, cocky mercenary enlisted by a sheriff to infiltrate a ruthless gang of outlaws. Ennio Morricone provided the score to this early spaghetti western hit.
Kiss Kiss... Bang BangKiss Kiss... Bang Bang · 1966
Kiss Kiss... Bang Bang
7.91966
MovieAdventureComedy
Kirk Warren, a former spy, is to be executed because he tried to steal a million dollars. But he is saved by Colonel Smithson because Sir Wilcox has prepared a mission for him. Warren has to steal a secret formula in Switzerland and try to expose the real identity of Mr. X. Kirk leaves London and Alina, his girl, together with three clumsy friends to accomplish his not so secret mission. But Kirk's great love is always a million dollars and not a secret formula.
MessalinaMessalina · 1960
Messalina
5.61960
MovieDrama
Messalina was the Roman noblewoman who inveigled ageing emperor Claudio into marriage. Once ensconced on the throne, Messalina launched a reign of terror that shook the empire to its very foundations. The subject of countless film treatments, Rome's most villified empress is herein played by British actress Belinda Lee.
Don't Turn the Other CheekDon't Turn the Other Cheek · 1971
Don't Turn the Other Cheek
5.61971
MovieComedyWestern
A spaghetti western in which three adventurers team up during the Mexican Revolution. Mary O'Donnell, a radical Irish journalist, wants to foment a peasant revolt in Mexico. She enlists the help of a seedy bandit, Lozoya, by saving him from a death sentence in Utah. They meet a man calling himself Prince Dmitri Vassilovich Orlowsky, who claims to be a Russian prince, not to mention a man of the cloth. Wallach pretends to be a Mexican folk hero. The trio crosses the border, the two men seeking a cache of gold while O'Donnell pursues her revolution.

Movies

A Fistful of DollarsA Fistful of Dollars · 1964
A Fistful of Dollars
7.81964
MovieWestern
The Man With No Name enters the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among the three Rojo brothers and sheriff John Baxter. When a regiment of Mexican soldiers bearing gold intended to pay for new weapons is waylaid by the Rojo brothers, the stranger inserts himself into the middle of the long-simmering battle, selling false information to both sides for his own benefit.
ZorroZorro · 1975
Zorro
6.61975
MovieAdventureAction
A newly arrived governor finds his province under the control of the corrupt Colonel Huerta. To avoid assassination by Huerta, he pretends to be weak and indecisive so Huerta will believe he poses no threat. But secretly he masquerades as Zorro, and joins the monk Francisco and the beautiful aristocrat Hortensia in their fight for justice against Huerta and his soldiers.
The HeroesThe Heroes · 1973
The Heroes
5.71973
MovieComedyWar
Four soldiers and a beautiful Greek nurse, thrown together in North Africa during World War II, team up to pull off a heist of two-million pounds in boxes marked "plasma."
Safari ExpressSafari Express · 1976
Safari Express
5.11976
MovieComedy
John and Howard work in a company named Safari Express booking tourists on safaris. Their lives are turned upside down when they encounter a beautiful blonde wandering in the jungle who doesn't know who she is. They also discover uranium and what appear to be some well-mannered simians.
A Pistol for RingoA Pistol for Ringo · 1965
A Pistol for Ringo
6.21965
MovieWestern
Giuliano Gemma stars as a cool, cocky mercenary enlisted by a sheriff to infiltrate a ruthless gang of outlaws. Ennio Morricone provided the score to this early spaghetti western hit.
Kiss Kiss... Bang BangKiss Kiss... Bang Bang · 1966
Kiss Kiss... Bang Bang
7.91966
MovieAdventureComedy
Kirk Warren, a former spy, is to be executed because he tried to steal a million dollars. But he is saved by Colonel Smithson because Sir Wilcox has prepared a mission for him. Warren has to steal a secret formula in Switzerland and try to expose the real identity of Mr. X. Kirk leaves London and Alina, his girl, together with three clumsy friends to accomplish his not so secret mission. But Kirk's great love is always a million dollars and not a secret formula.
MessalinaMessalina · 1960
Messalina
5.61960
MovieDrama
Messalina was the Roman noblewoman who inveigled ageing emperor Claudio into marriage. Once ensconced on the throne, Messalina launched a reign of terror that shook the empire to its very foundations. The subject of countless film treatments, Rome's most villified empress is herein played by British actress Belinda Lee.
Don't Turn the Other CheekDon't Turn the Other Cheek · 1971
Don't Turn the Other Cheek
5.61971
MovieComedyWestern
A spaghetti western in which three adventurers team up during the Mexican Revolution. Mary O'Donnell, a radical Irish journalist, wants to foment a peasant revolt in Mexico. She enlists the help of a seedy bandit, Lozoya, by saving him from a death sentence in Utah. They meet a man calling himself Prince Dmitri Vassilovich Orlowsky, who claims to be a Russian prince, not to mention a man of the cloth. Wallach pretends to be a Mexican folk hero. The trio crosses the border, the two men seeking a cache of gold while O'Donnell pursues her revolution.
Tony ArzentaTony Arzenta · 1973
Tony Arzenta
6.21973
MovieActionCrime
A mob hitman wants to retire, but his bosses don't think that's a good idea. Complications - and many bloody shootouts - ensue.
The Revenge of HerculesThe Revenge of Hercules · 1960
The Revenge of Hercules
5.31960
MovieActionAdventure
A warrior returning home to his country must battle giant bats, three-headed dogs and a vicious dragon to save his wife, and his people, from the machinations of an evil ruler.
PuzzlePuzzle · 1974
Puzzle
5.81974
MovieThrillerCrime
In London, A man who has amnesia attempts to uncover the truth about his identity. A menacing individual accuses him of betrayal, and soon more pieces of his puzzling past begin to fall in place.
Love, the Italian WayLove, the Italian Way · 1960
Love, the Italian Way
4.41960
MovieComedy
A group of passengers traveling around the Mediterranean on a luxury liner enjoy various adventures and become romantically involved with each other.
The Return of RingoThe Return of Ringo · 1965
The Return of Ringo
6.41965
MovieWestern
Once again billed as Montgomery Wood, Giuliano Gemma plays a civil war soldier who returns to his family land to find his family decimated, his property taken over by a family of Mexican bandits and his fiancee about to marry the Mexican gangster behind all this. Bent on revenge, he goes undercover disguised as a Mexican and discovers he has a daughter!
Alive or Preferably DeadAlive or Preferably Dead · 1969
Alive or Preferably Dead
6.51969
MovieActionComedy
Two brothers, Monty and Ted, will inherit $300,000 if they manage to live together for six months.
The Last Days of PompeiiThe Last Days of Pompeii · 1959
The Last Days of Pompeii
6.31959
MovieAdventureHistory
Glaucus, a demobilized centurion returns home to Pompeii to find his father murdered by a gang of black-hooded Christian robbers that terrorizes the city and he decides to investigate the matter while the nearby volcano threatens to erupt.
Beyond JusticeBeyond Justice · 1992
Beyond Justice
3.81992
MovieAdventureDrama
A woman's ex-husband, who is the son of an Arab chieftain, kidnaps their teenage son and brings him back to Morocco, where the boy is to be made the leader of the tribe. The child's mother hires a mercenary to get her son and bring him back to her.
Romulus and RemusRomulus and Remus · 1961
Romulus and Remus
5.21961
MovieAdventure
Twin brothers were raised by wolves, revolt against tyranny in pre-Roman Italy and then come to a parting of the ways as they lead their people toward the founding of a new city, the founders of Rome.
The Wonders of AladdinThe Wonders of Aladdin · 1961
The Wonders of Aladdin
5.21961
MovieAdventureFantasy
Young Aladdin has a series of wild adventures after he discovers a magic lamp containing a genie.
My Son, the HeroMy Son, the Hero · 1962
My Son, the Hero
5.91962
MovieAdventureFantasy
Krios, the youngest of the Titans, may be the least strong of the seven brothers whose strength comes from their mother, earth-goddess Gaia, but is by far the smartest, and thus their natural leader. He arrives on Crete, the kingdom of the mighty king Minos, impresses him as gladiator, gains his trust, falls in love with a mortal girl and discovers both Minos's human sacrifice-cult and a foreign conspiracy to seize power with a hidden army.
Balearic CaperBalearic Caper · 1966
Balearic Caper
4.81966
MovieAdventureThriller
A scepter is stolen, and it's hunted for by various groups of international robbers and spies, for various reasons - in a parody of 007 movies.
Three Tough GuysThree Tough Guys · 1974
Three Tough Guys
5.11974
MovieCrimeAction
Isaac Hayes plays as Lee in his feature film debut, as Father Charlie and himself solve a bank robbery mystery that stretches across the city. After Lee is removed from the force due to $1,000,000 being stolen from the bank Father Charlie helps him to gain revenge for the loss of one of his friends.
Hercules in the Haunted WorldHercules in the Haunted World · 1961
Hercules in the Haunted World
6.61961
MovieAdventureHorror
Upon his return from battle in the previous film, the great warrior Hercules learns that his lover, Daianara, has lost her senses. Acording of the oracle Medea, Dianara's only hope is the Stone of Forgetfulness which lies deep in the realm of Hades. Hercules, with two companions, Theseus and Telemachus, embarks on a dangerous quest for the stone, while he is unaware that Dianara's guardian, King Lico, is the one responsible for her condition and plots to have the girl for himself as his bride upon her revival.
Hercules and the Captive WomenHercules and the Captive Women · 1961
Hercules and the Captive Women
4.31961
MovieAdventureFantasy
King Androcles of Thebes commands a ship in search of a threat to Greece, predicted by an atmospheric oracle. Hercules is part of the crew, but the strongman falls overboard in a thick fog. Washed ashore, he saves a young Ismene from Proteus, an evil, shape-shifting creature. Ismene takes Hercules to Atlantis, where he discovers that her mother, Queen Antinea, has captured Androcles. Hercules schemes to rescue him and thwart Antinea's dream of world conquest.
A Train for DurangoA Train for Durango · 1968
A Train for Durango
5.21968
MovieComedyWestern
Two buddy adventurers witness a train-robbery and are then hunting the robbed gold and they also robbed Helen.

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