Film director, cinematographer, and screenwriter, often under the pseudonym E. B. Clucher.
He started in films at a very young age, serving as a war correspondent on the Eastern Front of World War II. A camera operator from 1942 on, he graduated to cinematographer In 1961, working several times with director Sergio Corbucci (including "The Shortest Day" (1962) and "Django" (1966)) and gaining a high reputation. He made his directorial debut in 1970 with the serious western "The Unholy Four," which had limited success. His next film, "They Call Me Trinity," was a slapstick parody of the Spaghetti Western phenomenon. It was an enormous hit and made superstars out of the main protagonists, Terence Hill and Bud Spencer. The three reunited the next year for the even more successful sequel "Trinity Is Still My Name!" which became, up to that point, the highest-grossing Italian movie ever and a worldwide success. Barboni never strayed from his successful formula; his subsequent films were all slapstick comedies, and almost all featured either Hill or Spencer. This collaboration produced numerous hits, but when Hill and Spencer's careers started to wane in the late 1980s, so did Barboni's. In 1994, he wanted to direct "Troublemakers," which was to be the "swan song" of the duo, but Terence Hill insisted on directing instead. The next year, he tried to revive the formula with "Sons of Trinity," which proved to be a disaster at the box office. After this disappointment, he retired.
Film director, cinematographer, and screenwriter, often under the pseudonym E. B. Clucher.
He started in films at a very young age, serving as a war correspondent on the Eastern Front of World War II. A camera operator from 1942 on, he graduated to cinematographer In 1961, working several times with director Sergio Corbucci (including "The Shortest Day" (1962) and "Django" (1966)) and gaining a high reputation. He made his directorial debut in 1970 with the serious western "The Unholy Four," which had limited success. His next film, "They Call Me Trinity," was a slapstick parody of the Spaghetti Western phenomenon. It was an enormous hit and made superstars out of the main protagonists, Terence Hill and Bud Spencer. The three reunited the next year for the even more successful sequel "Trinity Is Still My Name!" which became, up to that point, the highest-grossing Italian movie ever and a worldwide success. Barboni never strayed from his successful formula; his subsequent films were all slapstick comedies, and almost all featured either Hill or Spencer. This collaboration produced numerous hits, but when Hill and Spencer's careers started to wane in the late 1980s, so did Barboni's. In 1994, he wanted to direct "Troublemakers," which was to be the "swan song" of the duo, but Terence Hill insisted on directing instead. The next year, he tried to revive the formula with "Sons of Trinity," which proved to be a disaster at the box office. After this disappointment, he retired.
Bio by: Fritz Tauber
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