Renzo Musumeci Greco - THE PERFORMANCE YEAR, 1939-1983

The performance year, 1939-1983
Enzo succeeds in happily marrying his fencing abilities with the world of Show Business. He is successful by offering his precious services to hundreds of films, theatrical and television works, and he teaches all of the Italian and foreign cinema actors to fence. In just a few years, he becomes the most qualified Master of Weapons of the European cinema, that has valued his particular abilities not only for the realization of spectacular individual duels, but also for the technical direction of the battle scenes and of every type of fight. On this argument Enzo Musumeci Greco has a solid preparation. His specific culture allows him to give important advice and suggestions especially with regard to every type of weapon and every era. We owe it to him if spectacular films in Italy have managed to reach such a high technical standard and to compete and often beat the most acclaimed colossals of the Hollywood cinema. The same American producers have urged him to go to the United States but he wanted his glorious family tradition, of which he was the only representative and heir, to stay in Italy. Right from the beginning it has been a crescendo of works, films, successes that have lead him to become a witness of the most important 50 years of the History of Performance. Enzo found himself to be the leading character of a serial in four parts, a different era is represented in each part.

FIRST PART - The years of reconstruction (1938-1949)
It is here that Enzo meets the Masters Alessandro Blasetti, Carmine Gallone, Goffredo Alessandrini that with their grandiose and monumental style are considered the major representatives of a cinema partly "sponsored" by the regime. Scenes of masses, tales of great dramatic force hit the imagination of the public pre and post war: The adventure of Salvator Rosa, The Queen of Navarra, Caravaggio and many other films full of duels launch Enzo into the stardom of Cinecittà, taking him to collaborate with Mastrocinque, Matarazzo, Guazzoni, Campogalliani and making heroes of Gino Cervi, Amedeo Nazzari, etc.

SECOND PART - The golden years (1949-1961)
The golden years of Cinecittà are in full bloom, it becomes known as Hollywood on the Tiber. Times are calmer and enthusiasm drives the producers. Enzo gets Tyrone Power to handle the sword in The Prince of Foxes and Burt Lancaster in The Corsair of Isola Verde. He cooperates with Jean Renoir in The Golden Carriage, Howard Hawks, Mario Soldati, Bragaglia, Lattuada. He teaches Errol Flynn, Gina Lollobrigida and Gassman the tricks of the trade, he works with Pontecorvo, Riccardo Freda, he makes Charlton Heston great by preparing him for months and months in Ben-Hur by fitting out the naval battle in Cinecittà's swimming pool, he makes a hero of him in El Cid with Sofia Loren and they invite him to attend the Today Show in the USA.

THIRD PART - Colossal and spaghetti (1961-1970)
He flits from the colossal Cleopatra (flop or work of art?) to The Fall of the Roman Empire, to the genre "peplum" with Steve Reeves, to Josè Ferrer in Cyrano of Abel Gance, from Vittorio Cottafavi and Pietro Francisci, Mario Bava, Steno, to extra-fencing digressions, such as the various intrigues of pseudo James Bond, to some spaghetti western directed by a Tinto Brass in a non erotic version. The small screen takes him on to celebrate with him the success of the "episode" with the various Majano, Falqui, D'Anza, Bolchi, Mattoli, Blasi. After Captain Fracassa and Treasure Island it is the turn of Scaramouche, The Black Arrow, Les Miserables, The mill of the Po etc.

FOURTH PART - The last fires (1971 - 1983)
He witnesses the agony of the great Italian cinema, and collaborates in The desert of the Tartars an opera by Valerio Zurlini, the great misunderstood master, to The Innocent, another opera to revalue by Luchino Visconti. He passes for Losey's Don Giovanni and he is a witness yet again of the final agony of Peplum, with The incredible Hercules by Luigi Cozzi, with Lou Ferrigno, already a performer of the more fortunate, but always the incredible Hulk. He finds again the senior Gino Cervi in the Maigret version, but the small screen prepares itself to convert to the "light" genre. Cinecittà is in full crisis, the safe shelter is the theatre with Enriquez, Bene, Lavia, Mauri, Modugno and Kemp.