Sergio Martino

Talented, prolific and versatile writer/director 'Sergio Martino' (qv) has made a vast array of often solid and enjoyable films in such diverse genres as horror, comedy, Western and science-fiction in a career that spans over 40 years.Martino was born on July 19, 1938, in Rome, Italy. His grandfather was noted director 'Gennaro Righelli' (qv). Sergio began his cinematic career in his early 20s as an assistant to his writer/producer brother 'Luciano Martino' (qv) and handled second unit director chores on 'Mario Bava' (qv)'s _The Whip and the Body (1963)_ (qv), and made his directorial debut in 1969 with the mondo documentary _Wages of Sin (1969)_ (qv). He really hit his stride in the early 1970s with several superior giallo murder mystery thrillers that usually starred popular actress 'Edwige Fenech' (qv) (who was married to Martino's brother Luciano at the time): _The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (1971)_ (qv), _All the Colors of the Dark (1972)_ (qv), _The Case of the Scorpion's Tail (1971)_ (qv) and _Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972)_ (qv). Martino subsequently collaborated with Fenech on a handful of other projects, including the bubbly sex comedies _Sex with a Smile (1976)_ (qv) and _Cream Horn (1981)_ (qv). Other people Sergio has frequently worked with are actors 'George Hilton' (qv), 'Ivan Rassimov' (qv) and 'Claudio Cassinelli' (qv) and screenwriter 'Ernesto Gastaldi' (qv). Sergio's other worthwhile movies are the gritty spaghetti western _An den Galgen, Hombre (1970)_ (qv), the terrifically trashy _Torso (1973)_ (qv), the rousing crime thriller _Milano trema: la polizia vuole giustizia (1973)_ (qv), the entertaining action/adventure romp _Die weiße Göttin der Kannibalen (1978)_ (qv), the fun "The Island of Dr. Moreau" rip-off _Screamers (1979)_ (qv) and the funky post-nuke sci-fi/action opus _2019: After the Fall of New York (1983)_ (qv). He has also directed various made-for-TV features and episodes of TV shows for Italian television.::woodyanders (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous)