L'Italo-Americano

as an industry, boldly ven- tured into producing West- ern films: between 1965 and 1975, Italy produced over 500 such films, later brand- ed as Spaghetti Westerns. O f c o u r s e , C ' e r a u n a V o l t a a R o m a i s a l s o inspired by the familial and a r t i s t i c h i s t o r y o f m y father, Antonio de Teffé von Hoonholtz. A Roman actor of Prussian descent, he starred in twenty-seven Italian Western films in the 6 0 s a n d 7 0 s , u n d e r t h e stage name Anthony Stef- fen. He set a record! Some of his films include Django the Bastard, A Man Called Django, A Few Dollars for Django, Sabata the Killer, Seven Dollars on the Red, N o R o o m t o D i e , A p o c a - l y p s e J o e , A T r a i n f o r Durango, and Shango, to name a few. Your father, though, came from a different a r t i s t i c b a c k g r o u n d , theater. How much of him is in the main char- acter of your book, and how much of it is your own creation? Not only did my father come from a completely dif- ferent background, the the- a t e r , b u t h e w a s a l s o a n aristocrat, a true Roman, and the son of a Brazilian ambassador. This is quite the opposite of the rugged American frontier cowboy. No one believed he could fit into the Western film genre, including his agent. Howev- er, after the international s u c c e s s o f S e r g i o Leone's For a Fistful of Dol- lars, every production in R o m e w a n t e d t o m a k e a Western. Repeatedly reject- ed for his refined appear- ance, academic acting style, and dandy mannerisms, my father, on my mother's sug- g e s t i o n , h a d a b l a c k a n d white photo taken of him dressed as a rugged gun - slinger. He sent it to all the production houses in Rome, i n t r o d u c i n g h i m s e l f a s a mysterious American actor, Anthony Steffen, temporari- ly in Rome and exclusively r e p r e s e n t e d b y T o n y a Lemons. The Roman pro- duction houses, intrigued w a s n ' t s o m e t h i n g I h a d planned. I was collaborating with a renowned film pro- ducer on a Western movie, for which I had written the script. However, the pan- demic put our project on hold. It felt like months of effort had gone to waste, but then something clicked within me. I began writing non-stop for a year and a half, crafting a story that dynamically and metaphori- cally represented the world I inherited. C'era una Volta a Roma is what I'd dare to c a l l a p i e c e o f m y h e a r t transferred onto paper. In the quiet of that unique his- t o r i c a l p e r i o d , w h e n c i r - c u m s t a n c e s f o r c e d u s a l l into introspection, I real- ized I held a piece of untold Italian cultural history. It was the era when Italians, by such an imposing name a n d c h i s e l e d , m a s c u l i n e looks, all wanted to meet him. Thus began a legend, leading to 27 Western films! However, I'd like to clarify t h a t C ' e r a u n a V o l t a a R o m a i s n o t a b i o g r a p h y but, rather, a transformed reality tale. You're a director and w r i t e r , w o r k i n g w i t h various creative medi- u m s . W h y d i d y o u c h o o s e t o p r e s e n t t h e story of C'era una Volta a R o m a a s a l i t e r a r y work rather than a visu- al piece? R e a d e r s o f t e n t e l l m e t h a t , w h i l e r e a d i n g t h e b o o k , t h e y f e l t l i k e t h e y w e r e w a t c h i n g a m o v i e . M a n y a r e e n c o u r a g i n g a film adaptation. Indeed, the book reads like a film. My agent and I will be seeking the right production house come September, one that w i l l f a i t h f u l l y a d a p t t h e novel without alterations. T h e b o o k i s e s s e n t i a l l y a r e a d y - m a d e f i l m s c r i p t . Writing offers unparalleled f r e e d o m c o m p a r e d t o directing: I wrote the novel a s i f I w a s w a t c h i n g a n d editing a film in my heart and mind. A n d f i n a l l y , w h e r e can we find your book, and will it be translated into English? Currently, thanks to my p u b l i s h e r R e a d a c t i o n Editrice Roma, the book is available in all major Italian bookstores, including Mon- d a d o r i , U b i k , F e l t r i n e l l i , and of course, Amazon. It can be ordered anywhere, even in the US. As for the English translation, we've already begun: C'era una V o l t a a R o m a w i l l b e r e l e a s e d i n E n g l i s h n e x t year. I'm still deciding on the English dialect to use f o r c e r t a i n p a s s a g e s i n Roman slang in some chap- t e r s . A n y s u g g e s t i o n s ? W h i c h A m e r i c a n d i a l e c t closely mirrors the psychol- o g y a n d c r e a t i v i t y o f o u r capital's language? I believe only an Italian-American c a n t e l l m e ! I ' m o p e n t o ideas and can be reached at manuel.deteffe@me.com. a c t o r , a R u s s i a n a c t i n g guru, a Jewish documen- t a r y f i l m m a k e r , a n d a n elderly breadstick entrepre- n e u r w i t h o n e l a s t g r a n d dream: to turn his secret manuscript into a film, No Dollars for Django. Your narrative brings together personal mem- o r i e s , y o u r f a t h e r ' s illustrious career, and a pivotal moment in our nation's cinematic and cultural history. Could you shed light on your c r e a t i v e j o u r n e y a n d the inspiration behind this novel? I can tell you that this wasn't a book I thought I w o u l d w r i t e , b u t r a t h e r s o m e t h i n g t h a t s p o n t a - neously emerged during the first Covid-19 shelter-in- p l a c e o r d e r i n I t a l y . I t THURSDAY, AUGUST 10, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano T h e ' 6 0 s D o l c e Vita era is a time w e o f t e n r e m i - nisce about and s t i l l d r e a m o f today. It was a period in our cultural history that made us unique, yet closely con- n e c t e d t o t h e g l a m o r o u s w o r l d o f H o l l y w o o d . W e had Cinecittà, after all. It's w i t h i n t h i s c a p t i v a t i n g backdrop that Manuel de T e f f é , a R o m a n w r i t e r , d i r e c t o r , a n d s o n t o S p a g h e t t i W e s t e r n i c o n A n t o n i o d e T e f f é v o n H o o n h o l t z , b e t t e r known as Anthony Steffen, grew up. His debut novel, C' era una Volta a Roma p u b l i s h e d b y R e a d a c t i o n Editrice Roma, delves into this world, which for him is steeped in fond memories and personal sentiments. I n o u r i n t e r v i e w w i t h Manuel we naturally discuss his book, but also the cre- ative journey that brought it to life. For him, this novel is not just a literary debut but also a deeply personal and touching tribute to his par- ents. Beyond the gripping narrative and multifaceted characterizations, readers also get to relive the golden years of Rome's cinematic era. As Manuel himself puts i t , R o m e , b a c k t h e n , w a s "the most beautiful, imagi- native, and elegant Rome Italy has ever known." M a n u e l , c o u l d y o u d e l v e i n t o t h e n o v e l ' s plot for us? We are in Rome in 1965, d u r i n g t h e h e i g h t o f t h e D o l c e V i t a a n d a m i d s t protests against the Viet- n a m W a r . S e r g i o Leone's For a Fistful of Dol- lars has just achieved global success and introduced an explosive genre: the Italian Western.The Roman film w o r l d i s b u z z i n g w i t h excitement, and the public r e l a t i o n s m a n a g e r o f t h e H i l t o n H o t e l i s t r y i n g t o p e r s u a d e h e r m a n t o e m b r a c e t h i s n e w t r e n d . C ' e r a u n a V o l t a a Roma tells the story of an aristocratic Shakespearean FRANCESCA BEZZONE History, memories and dreams: Manuel de Teffé presents C'era una Volta a Roma The cover of Manuele de Teffé's first novel, C'era una Volta a Roma (Photo courtesy of Manuel de Teffé) LIFE PEOPLE REVIEWS ADVICE TRADITIONS

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