Italy has always been the party animal of world cinema, and this director embraced the lifestyle—the animale da festa. However, I never imagined the depth of discoveries to be had with Vivarelli and his career. This man was an invisible cinematic giant, unknown but linked to so many milestones in Italian B-movies.
For instance, this is the man who wrote Django, the ultimate spaghetti western. It’s confirmed that Vivarelli even named the film after the jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt. Additionally, Vivarelli co-wrote the story to Emmanuelle in America, one of the most extreme Italian erotic genre movies ever made, whose snuff film factory finale inspired Cronenberg’s Videodrome. This guy is one of the biggies, and I never knew it.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. All our rowdy friends from the Italian horror crowd are coming over. Infamous grindhouse filmmaker Umberto Lenzi speaks about seeing a musical number Vivarelli filmed with singer Gina. He describes the scene as if she was in a cloud of naked trees, calling it beautiful.
“This man was an invisible cinematic giant, unknown but linked to so many milestones in Italian B-movies.”
Lenzi also points out that genre filmmakers like Vivarelli, who could sell abroad, helped producers make enough profit to finance films by renowned directors like Antonioni. It’s also a surreal joy to see Fulci, the most violent director of the 20th century, portrayed as the king of rock ‘n’ roll, Italian style.
We also get Sergio Corbucci footage, with the revelation that all Corbucci had for Django when Vivarelli came aboard was the image of a cowboy dragging a coffin—nothing else. There’s even something for the Pupi Avati fans out there, whoever they may be.
Several interviews with Vivarelli’s family members reveal the downsides of having such a live wire for a parent. It gets juicy—much juicier than your typical filmmaker bio. Anyone will find themselves fascinated by a director who literally lived a B-movie in the flesh.
In short, Life As A B-Movie: Piero Vivarelli is an endless feast for hardcore Italian film fans, but it’s also a fantastic introduction for newcomers to the wonderful world of Italian genre filmmaking. Maybe this will not be a 10 for you, but it’s a big fat 10 for me—Italian strength.
"…an endless feast for hardcore Italian film fans but also a great introduction for the untouched..."
