Bio

Erico Menczer was born in Fiume (Rijeka, today Croatia) on May 8, 1926. His visual and artistic creativity led him early on to an interest in cinema and photography (he first stole his father's camera at the age of 8). With the end of WW2, having escaped fascist and nazi persecution, his family exiled from Tito's regime to Italy in 1945. Erico Menczer first attended university in Padua and then lived in Genoa, where he started his film career.

In 1951 he moved to Rome where the Cinecitta' studios were the center of the European film industry, and began his activity as cameraman with director of photography Gianni di Venanzo. This collaboration lasted until 1960, giving rise to movies with directors such as Carlo Lizzani ("Achtung banditi", "Cronache di poveri amanti"), Mario Monicelli ("Big Deal in Madonna Street," academy award nomination for best foreign-language film), Michelangelo Antonioni ("Le amiche", "Il grido"), Mario Camerini, Alberto Lattuada, Dino Risi, Francesco Maselli, Francesco Rosi, Aglauco Casadio, and Federico Fellini.

In 1960 Erico Menczer became director of photography and has since made more than 100 movies. He has worked with many directors, among whom Luciano Salce ("Il federale", "La voglia matta", "Il sindacalista", "Fantozzi" - top grossing film in Italy for several years), Carlo Lizzani ("L'oro di Roma", La vita agra"), Marco Bellocchio ("Sbatti il mostro in prima pagina"), Franco Prosperi ("Tecnica di un omicidio"), Dario Argento ("Il gatto a nove code"), Lucio Fulci ("White fang", "Operazione S. Pietro"), Giuliano Montaldo ("Gli intoccabili"), Alberto De Martino ("Holocaust 2000"), Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Dino Risi, Vittorio De Sisti, Nino Manfredi, Giorgio Bontempi, Tinto Brass, and Pupi Avati.

In his long career Erico Menczer has also contributed to many TV series for Italian public (RAI) and private (Fininvest) networks, and for American public television (Mark Twain's "Innocents abroad"). The documentary film "Piccola arena Casartelli" directed by Aglauco Casadio won the "Leone d'Oro" (Golden Lion) award at the Venice Film Festival.

Erico Menczer began painting in 1982. His favorite technique was acrylic. His paintings and photographs were exhibited in Rome in 1985, 1993, 1998, and 1999. He also taught cinematography, photography and other visual arts at several film schools in Rome in the 1980's and 1990's.

Erico Menczer was awarded a production grant by the Italian Ministry of Performing Arts for directing a film from his own script, "Tonino", but the project did not materialize. He also wrote short stories and poetry in his blog, and two novels, "Tutto ebbe inizio..." and "Facciamo finta di niente". His memoir "Una vita messa a fuoco" was published in early 2012. He died in Rome a few weeks later, on March 10, 2012.