Devil’s right and left hand: here’s how one of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill’s best movies came to be
Although director Giuseppe Colizzi dreamed and realized the Bud Spencer-Terence Hill pairing, it was EB Clucher (originally Enzo Barboni – editor) who first realized their untapped potential. He did all of this by emphasizing the difference between them, but in a humorous way. From Levente Király’s new book, The Unbeatable Couple, we can also learn how one of the legendary Italian couple’s best films was made, The Devil’s Right and Left Hand. At that time, producer Italo Zingarelli had read carefully every script, including the lines of this movie, and he liked it right away.
“I think it’s very important to say that Enzo Barboni is a wonderful person with a unique sense of humour. In the end, we can’t say that the script embodies the West, but it approaches it with irony, and my father read it through the lens of irony. He’s an absolute pacifist, and because this story isn’t full of challenges after all. He’s always up for a challenge, anyway. he really likes it.”
– the producer’s daughter, Sandra Zingarelli, notes. Right and Left Hand of the Devil was Franco Micalizzi’s first opportunity to write the soundtrack. For a long time, the script lay in the drawer of the producer, passed from hand to h and but no one bothered to touch it, because the fight was bloodless, the scene was more humorous than violent.
“It seems scary, because on the other side there is Sergio Leone, who has quite a few bloody movies. Then, producer Italo Zingarelli had the courage and desire to do just that. Maybe he understood – because he’s smart, but I don’t know and I don’t think he knew – that it would turn out to be such a hit movie. And I know him, he came to me to do it. I said ok, let’s do it. A door opened for me then, and I am grateful for the opportunity. I believe if the train comes, you should get on it. And here is a very interesting train: the real Orient Express.
said the composer of the work.
Barboni gave the script to Zingarelli, who was signed to Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, whom he had previously filmed.
“They were just looking for a new story, but the one they were thinking of at the time somehow didn’t convince them, and my father later brought the story to Zingarelli. This is a great coincidence, hence the magic of the movie. The team was assembled in a very short time, many factors came together in a very fortunate way. They were there, they didn’t like the previous script, and Zingarelli is a very intuitive person who can exploit the potential of this story. My father saw this script, which had been rejected by many producers before him, and immediately agreed. If he had spent a little more time on the previous film, then Zingarelli wouldn’t have been available and neither would the actors, as they could have picked up another movie by then.”
Marco Tullio Barboni, the director’s son recalls. What’s especially interesting is that during filming, English had to be used throughout, and since the Italian actors were not very good at foreign languages, they had to attend English lessons every day.