Sergio Donati
Sergio Donati ( born April 13, 1933, Rome ) is an Italian screenwriter and writer.
Biography
First literary experience gained Donati as the author of several quite successful detective novels (L' altra faccua della Luna, Il sepolcro di carta, Mr Sharkey torna a casa ). The early sixties, he decided - despite several offers ( among other things to the then unknown Sergio Leone have had interest in the film rights of Mr Sharkey torna a casa ) - to hang the letter to the nail and moved from Rome to Milan. There he worked for several years as a copywriter in a large advertising agency and had his first experience as a producer of TV commercials.
This activity enabled Donati access to the world of the film, where he first worked as a so called script doctor revised screenplays of other writers. An initial offer of Sergio Leone with him the script for his first spaghetti western, A Fistful of Dollars to leave, he refused, however. After the film, contrary to expectations, was a great commercial success and Leone was the possibility of a sequel, the director again turned to Donati. This time Donati agreed and developed the first draft for a few dollars more. Although the screenplay for large parts come from him, he was - not mentioned in the credits of the film - for contractual reasons. The situation is similar with the third Leone Western, Bad and the Ugly. Some of the key scenes, such as the idea of the soldier chorus, which drowned out the cries of pain of the tortured soldiers are from Donati's spring. Nevertheless, the working relationship held with the sometimes difficult Leone to continue.
Only when Leones movie play me the song of death, which was originally based on a treatment by Leone, Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento, and Todesmelodie Donati was renamed as the official screenwriter. The international success of Leone's films allowed Donati collaboration with other renowned directors such as Michael Anderson, John Irvin and John Guillermin. One of the highlights of Donati's career was a long collaboration with the Hollywood legend Billy Wilder, which, however, never came out of the project status.
About Leone learned Donati screenwriter Luciano Vincenzoni know. Their relationship was initially characterized by competition. But gradually a fruitful collaboration developed. Many later of Donati's work, for example, Anderson Orca - The Killer Whale ( 1977) and Bonnie e Clyde all'italiana (1982, directed by Steno ) were the product of this collaboration.