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# 81 JULY 18 , 2016
# 81 juLY 18 , 2016
read more about #Italian Cinema
ITALIAN CINEMA:
BUD SPENCER
By Edoardo Peretti
After ending his sport career, for a period Carlo emigrates to South America
where he works for Italian and American
companies. But his impressive physique
attracts the attention of the Italian cinema, which calls him as an extra in several films: he is a jealous and abusive
boyfriend in the famous Mario Monicelli's "Un eroe dei nostri tempi" (A Hero of
Our Times), one of the best comedies of
Alberto Sordi's early career.
Last June 27 Bud Spencer passed away.
Carlo Pedersoli, better known as Bud
Spencer, was a man of many lives, and
an absolute protagonist of the history of
Italian cinema, especially the more popular. Born in Naples in 1929, his first
life, before arriving on the big screen, is
that of swimmer: in the fifties he wins 11
Italian championships in the 100 meter
freestyle (in addition to five silvers and
two bronzes) and participates to two
Olympic Games. He also is in the water
polo Italian national team, where he wins
an edition of the Mediterranean Games.
Meanwhile, in the early sixties, Carlo
works as a musician and lyricist; the decisive event takes place in 1967, when
he accepts - apparently with reluctance
and after initially refusing - to participate
in the Western "Dio perdona … io no!"
(God forgives ... I don't!). On the set Carlo meets Mario Girotti; two protagonists
are recommended, as was already happening to several stars of the Italian popular productions of the time (especially westerns and horror), to Americanize
their names, in order to enhance their
international attractiveness. This is how
and when Carlo Pedersoli and Mario Girotti become Bud Spencer and Terence
Hill. The name Bud Spencer is a tribute
to the American culture; Bud in honor of
the famous beer, and Spencer in honor
of the great actor Spencer Tracy.
Bud and Terence work very well together,
also as a contrast between the Terence's
slender body and Bud's imposing one.
The two then begin a partnership that
dominates for at least 15 years the popular Italian cinema, and is also exported abroad, particularly in Germany and
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