RIP Dino De Laurentiis

Phony Scott

Link

Dino De Laurentiis, the Italian producer of nearly 150 films, including the likes of Barbarella, Flash Gordon and 1976's King Kong, has died.
To say that the man was a legend in his own lifetime is almost unfair bearing in mind his startling body of work. He worked on an incredible array of projects, straddling virtually every conceivable genre, from 1976's Deathwish to 1992's Red Dragon, taking in Waterloo, Army Of Darkness, Serpico and U-571 along the way.
The son of an Italian pastamaker, Dino worked his way up from humble propman to box-office producer of American smashes such as 2001's Hannibal at the age of 83.
He worked with a huge number of industry legends, from Fellini (in La Strada) to David Lynch (Dune), over the course of his working career, eventually winning lifetime achievement awards at the Venice Film Festival in 2003, as well as the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 2001.

He's survived by wife Martha and their four grandchildren.
Alastair Plumb

RIP. He made a lot of great films along with a lot more awful rubbish. I'll always remember him for this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh8KVG8j68I

mike65

Just saw this on the Guardian, the end of an earhole (as Kenny Everett would say), Dino De Horrendous lived by the saying 'never mind the quality feel the witdth' King Kong (1976) is probably the ultimate bad Dino movie - loud, brash, stupid and (whisper it) quite good fun. Though Flash Gordon, above is also trash quality!

He made a hell of a lot of films and some were very good it must be said - La Strada, Serpico, Bitter Rice, Blue Velvet, The Shootist, Manhunter. At a time when everyone got sucked towards Hollywood he kept Europe in the game.

Phony Scott

mike65 wrote: »

Blue Velvet

Didn't realise he had any envolvement in this

humanji

The thing is, even the bad stuff is enjoyable. I might torment my friends by subjecting them to a De Laurentiis marathon.

Tomohawk

Legend. RIP.

Sad Professor

Phony Scott wrote: »

Didn't realise he had any envolvement in this

Yep, Lynch directed Dune for De Laurentiis, and afterwards Lynch brought him the script for Blue Velvet and Dino told him that if kept the budget small and took a pay cut he could have complete artistic control. However, he refused to give him contractual final cut as he was afraid of other directors wanting the same, so he shook Lynch's hand and promised he wouldn't interfere. And apart from picking up the bill, it would seem he left Lynch to his own devices. If not for De Laurentiis that film probably wouldn't have been made

KTRIC

RIP

delbertgrady

Dino's dead, but... Gordon's ALIVE?!

johnny_ultimate

I was never too familiar with the man, but his name popped up a hell of a lot before a load of great/good/bad/indifferent movies. Anyone who had a hand in the glorious cheese fest that is Flash Gordon is alright with me. RIP to a recognisable name, even if I was never quite sure what he did.

Duggy747

Oh well, at least he got to live to a bloody good age. His King Kong still cracks me up on the naff factor but, dammit, I always seems to be entertained by it when I know I shouldn't. :pac:

RIP, Dino & cheers for the movies. (Even those godawful ones )

pixelburp

RIP

For me he'll always be the one who was behind that most glorious of sci-fi messes - Dune. It was flawed, muddled, made a mishmash of the source material & barely made any sense, but goddamnit - it was fantastic and I still hold it close to my heart. Dune the movie was true "Space Opera", and was like watching something between a dream and a bad acid trip. Would love it if the fabled "4 hour cut" turned up.

Anyway, shame to hear the man has passed, it really is true to say that they just don't make Hollywood moguls like him anymore.