Thursday, 2 January 2025

3 January: Sergio Leone

Born on this date in 1929 was Sergio Leone, Italian film director, producer and screenwriter associated with the "Spaghetti Western" genre. 10 things you might not know about him:

  1. He was born in Rome, and was the son of a director (Roberto Roberti, A.K.A. Vincenzo Leone) and an actress (Bice Valerian).

  2. He went to university to study law, but dropped out in favour of a career in the film industry.

  3. The first film he worked on was Bicycle Thieves in 1948, as an assistant to Vittorio De Sica. In 1959, director Mario Bonnard fell ill during the production of The Last Days of Pompeii and Leone was asked to step in and complete the film.

  4. From 1964 he frequently worked with composer Ennio Morricone. The two were classmates at school.

  5. He would ask Morricone to compose the music before filming started, so the Music could be played to the actors to help enhance their performance.

  6. Leone couldn’t speak English and always relied on a translator when talking to American actors. He was, however, fluent in French and if an actor could speak French they could communicate in that language.

  7. He almost directed Flash Gordon (1980), being a fan of the comic strip, but turned it down because the script wasn’t faithful to the comic. He was also in the running to direct The Godfather but turned that down as well because he was already working on a gangster story.

  8. His favourite actor was Henry Fonda. Fonda was offered a role in every one of Leone's early Westerns. They worked together finally in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and Fonda would later say this was his favourite role.

  9. His final film was Once Upon a Time in America (1984).

  10. He died at the age of 60 from a heart attack.



Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)


Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.


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