I just wanted to say thank you for the fantastic job you guys did on
the
Aldo Sambrell article. It's sad for many of older fans to see these
actors now ride into the sunset without them getting the send off they
deserve. Many out of the public eye for nearly 30 - 40 years now are
unknown to anyone under 40 and yet they are missing a heritage and a group
of actors who dominated films in the 60s and 70s. The character actors in
the Spaghetti western genre appear over an over in the genre and to the
fans they are as recognizable and loved as the stars of the films
themselves. It was always great to see a film and see the names Fernando
Sancho, Aldos Sambrell, Victor Israel, Lorenzo Robledo, Luigi Pistilli and
Mario Brega among others. They brought talent to the screen mIssing in
today's film industry.
Thanks again for a great article and a great job for a great
magazine.
Viva Cinema Retro, Viva Aldo Sambrell,
Tom Betts
Editor Westerns...
All'Italiana!
RETRO RESPONDS:
Tom, many thanks for your kind words....they are much appreciated. It's actually our columnist John Exshaw who gets all the credit for writing such a heartfelt and personal tribute to his friend. Your observations ring true that younger generations of film-goers will probably have little appreciation for the work of the many supporting actors who brought so much to movies of the past. Although there are many fine movies being made today, one thing that is lacking is the reliable stock companies of familiar character actors. Where are the Walter Brennans, Jack Elams and Arthur O'Connells of today? Chances are anyone who resembled them wouldn't get past the studio gates. By the way, although Aldo 's name was commonly spelled "Sambrell" in movie credits, his actual last name was spelled "Sanbrell"...go figure. In any event, he was a great talent who will be missed. By the way, we checked out your blog about Italian Westerns and can highly recommend it to readers. Click here to access. - Lee Pfeiffer