Shooting Kinski: Pier Luigi Santi

Getting the opportunity to shoot Nastassja Kinski in some of the most striking and extreme close ups of her career in both L'Alba and Il Segreto, Pier Luigi Santi certainly delivered remarkably well on what were two obviously scaled by and intimate productions.
Santi had ironically just worked for Nastassja's father Klaus on his one film as a director, 1989's Paganini (a film which at one point Nastassja was rumored to be attached to), which gives L'Alba and Il Segreto a certain distinction in Nastassja's filmography.
Santi began his career as an assistant cameraman in the early sixties before graduating to cinematographer in the early seventies with director Bitto Albertini. Working sporadically in Italian film throughout the next two decades, Santi is probably best known for shooting lovely Gloria Guida in 1976's Au-Pair Girl as well as his work for Klaus in Paganini.
Santi's work with Nastassja is quite stunning, even in the poor quality copies I have, and viewing the films today he seems to have been a perfect choice for them.
Pier Luigi Santi's last feature was 2006 The Roots Of Evil and i have unfortunately been unable to find out any other biographical information on him.

#23: L'Alba (Dawn)

Francesco Maselli's A'Alba (Dawn) is a fascinating two character driven piece that I unfortunately can't offer a proper review to as I don't have an English language friendly version of it. I can however say that it is one of the most striking films starring Nastassja that I have seen as it is literally a production obsessed by her face. Featuring in nearly ever shot of its slim eighty minute running time, Nastassja's face is shot in some of the longest and most loving close ups of her career. It's as if Maselli had seen the famed close up of her in Paris, Texas and decided to make a feature around it.
The Roman born Maselli had been making movies since the forties in Italy and he shot both L'Alba and Il Segreto with Nastassja around his sixtieth birthday. He is still active to this day as he just recently co-directed a feature (Civico Zero) starring another one of cinema's most beautiful women, namely Ornella Muti.
I will offer up a proper review of this visually haunting film one day if I can get my hands on an English subtitled print. My apologies but I hope these exclusive screen shots from it will suffice for now.