''il Serpente di Fuoco'', 1967, movie poster painting by Renato Casaro

by Movie World Posters

Title

''il Serpente di Fuoco'', 1967, movie poster painting by Renato Casaro

Artist

Movie World Posters

Medium

Painting - Movie Posters

Description

Base painting of the vintage movie poster for ''il Serpente di Fuoco'', " (translated as "The Fire Serpent") is a 1971 Italian-American horror film directed by Luigi Petrini and Massimo Dallamano, also known as "The Sweet Sound of Death." It stars Peter Fonda and Susan Strasberg in the leading roles.

The film is a psychological thriller that revolves around a young woman named Laura, played by Susan Strasberg, who is tormented by hallucinations and disturbing visions following a traumatic event. Peter Fonda portrays David, a mysterious stranger who becomes entangled in Laura's life and may hold the key to unlocking the secrets of her troubled past.

As Laura's hallucinations escalate in intensity, she begins to question her sanity and the nature of reality. David, with his enigmatic demeanor and cryptic messages, offers her both solace and confusion, leading her on a journey of self-discovery and terror.

"Il Serpente di Fuoco" explores themes of trauma, guilt, and the power of the mind to shape one's perception of reality. The film's atmospheric cinematography and haunting score create a sense of unease and suspense, drawing viewers into Laura's nightmarish world.

Peter Fonda delivers a compelling performance as David, infusing the character with a sense of mystery and danger that keeps audiences guessing about his true intentions. Susan Strasberg is equally captivating as Laura, conveying her character's vulnerability and inner turmoil with depth and authenticity.

Despite its relatively obscure status, "Il Serpente di Fuoco" has garnered a cult following among fans of psychological horror for its atmospheric visuals, thought-provoking themes, and memorable performances. While not widely recognized compared to other films starring Peter Fonda, it remains a noteworthy entry in the genre and a unique exploration of the human psyche.

Base art is the poster artwork after the text has been digitally removed.

About the artist:

Born in 1935 in Treviso, Italy, Renato Casaro painted posters for many of the world's leading producers and directors. He was exceptionally skilled at his accurate portrayals of actors and his unique use of color and composition. As a result, he was in demand by many of the major film studios, for which he created about 2,000 posters.

In October 2021, "The New York Times" stated that during the six decades of his career, "Casaro's hand-drawn art has hooked movie audiences around the world since the 1950s. Tarantino and Stallone are big fans." His artwork has graced numerous Italian and American posters along with many from Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

His career began when, realizing that besides loving going to see movies, he had a natural knack for drawing and painting. He was offered a job when he was 17 by the owner of Garibaldi Cinema in Treviso, Italy, to paint billboards in exchange for free admission. A year later, he moved to Rome to work as an apprentice for Favalli Studio, a leading film advertising agency.

In 1956, he opened his own art studio at the age of only 21. Within a few years, he drew the attention of film producer Dino De Laurentis. Then in 1965, another producer, Sergio Leone, engaged him to design posters for many of his films, including his early westerns starring Clint Eastwood. In Leone's film, "Once Upon a Time in America" (1984), he gave Casaro's artwork recognition in the movie's end-credits.

In 1968, Casaro began working with Cineriz, an Italian media company involved primarily in producing and distributing films. He was among the first artists to use a manual airbrush for his works, beginning in 1975. This new technique helped revolutionize poster art, which had until then relied on a more impressionistic style with traditional brushwork.

In 1982 De Laurentis commissioned Casaro to paint posters for films featuring a new actor, one who he felt was destined for fame: Arnold Schwarzenegger. He then painted the posters for the "Conan" trilogy, the breakthrough films for Schwarzenegger, who was mostly known as a champion bodybuilder. However, De Laurentis wanted Casaro to focus on the actor's face, not his impressive physique. "Dino wanted to launch him," Mr. Casaro said. "He knew that Schwarzenegger would explode as an actor."

That same year, another major star, Sylvester Stallone, said he loved how Casaro had depicted him in the film poster depicting the troubled Vietnam vet, "Rambo" (1982). "Stallone said that I had entered into his soul," Casaro said.

He continued painting and designing film posters throughout the following decades. In 1987, director Bernardo Bertolucci hired him to design the poster for "The Sheltering Sky." Beginning in 1989, he began using a new style for many of his posters, that of interpreting actors and scenes inspired by masters from the 16th century.

He continued designing posters until recently. In 2018, director Quentin Tarantino commissioned him to produce the artwork for "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

Looking back at his poster styles, Casaro said, "The important thing was to capture the essential: that moment, that glance, that attitude, that movement that says everything and condenses the entire story. That's the hard part."

He currently lives in Andalucia, Spain, where he still paints. However, he largely stopped doing posters in 1998, as he preferred creating hand-painted or manually airbrushed images over the digital and photoshopped renderings that had become the industry standard.

In 2017, the book "Renato Casaro: The art of movie painting" was published, showcasing a large selection of his works and describing the evolution of film art from its early years to the present. And in 2020, a documentary film about his life was released, titled, "The Last Movie Painter".

Search "Casaro" to see other works.

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November 1st, 2022

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