Happy birthday to John Landis, "the craftsman of cinema"

John Landis turns 75 today, August 3rd. Born in Chicago in 1950, he is the director of many cult films, including the legendary "The Blues Brothers" (starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroid ). The director first came into contact with the world of cinema as a teenager when he began working as a mailman for the famous film production company 20th Century Fox.

This experience and his long apprenticeship allowed him to meet many important figures, such as Alfred Hitchcock , about whom he collected a rich series of anecdotes. For some time he lived in Spain and appeared as an extra in Italian westerns filmed in Almeria, including "Cipolla colt" by Enzo G. Castellari.

He began his career as a production assistant. He made his directorial debut with the film “Slok” (1973), in which he also played the lead role, followed a few years later by “Laugh to Laugh” (1977). In 1978 he achieved great success with his “Animal House” . The film anticipated the director's great passion for soul music.

In the 1980s, Landis directed other successful films, including “Trading Places” (where he reunited with Dan Aykroyd) and “Coming to America,” both of which featured the comedic talents of Eddie Murphy.

Throughout his career, the director has often ranged from comedy to horror, sometimes combining the two styles, as in “The Last Bite” and “An American Wolf in London”.

John Landis, Italy Venice Film Festival 2017 (Ansa)