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Gianfranco Parolini

Gianfranco Parolini

Writer, director, actor, editor and producer · Died April 26, 2018, aged 93 · Rome, Italy

Gianfranco Parolini (20 February 1925 in Rome, Italy – 26 April 2018 in Rome, Italy) was an Italian film director. He is often credited as Frank Kramer. Among his films are The Sabata Trilogy, several sword and sandal films, most of the Kommissar X films and a number of Spaghetti Westerns. He claimed to have written over 100 thriller novels before becoming an assistant to Giuseppe D'Amato. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 20, 1925
Died
April 26, 2018 (aged 93)
From
Rome, Italy
Works as
Writer, director, actor, editor and producer
Titles
18 on Motif · 42 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 21% in 30 days

What are Gianfranco Parolini's films like?

Across their 16 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 12th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
38%
Bonds
24%
Power
24%
Survival
9%
Self
2%
Society
1%
Ideas
1%
Justice9 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 8

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 10 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 11 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 14 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Thrilling
10
Absurd
5
Romantic
3
Joyful
3
Other
7

How their films linger

Fun12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Gianfranco Parolini's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 18 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Gianfranco Parolini's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

42 credits, 18 with a Motif page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • If You Meet Frank Kramer... (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)

    Actor

  • Die X-Männer schlagen zurück (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)

    as Mad Director

  • Western all'italiana (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)

    Actor

  • Tears in the Rain(1988)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Secret of the Incas' Empire (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1987)

    Director · as Prof. Alexis Xristopoulos (as John Francis Scott)

  • Caligula's Slaves(1984)

    Producer · Writer · as Senator Lucius (as John Francis Littlewords)

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century(1977)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • God's Gun(1976)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • We Are No Angels(1975)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • This Time I'll Make You Rich (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1974)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Sotto a chi tocca! (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Writer

  • Return of Sabata(1971)

    Director · Editor · Writer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Adiós, Sabata(1970)

    Director · Editor · Story · Writer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Sabata(1969)

    Director · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Island of Lost Girls (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1969)

    Screenplay

  • Five for Hell(1969)

    Director · Editor · Writer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • If You Meet Sartana Pray for Your Death(1968)

    Director · Screenplay · as Gambler

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Kill, Panther, Kill! (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1968)

    Director · Screenplay · as Smoky

  • Kill Me Gently (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • The Three Fantastic Supermen (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1967)

    Director · Writer

  • Sette donne per una strage (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • The Tall Women(1966)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • So Darling, So Deadly (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1966)

    Director · Screenplay · as Rex

  • Kommissar X - Jagd auf Unbekannt(1966)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Mission to Caracas (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1965)

    Writer

  • Left Handed Johnny West (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1965)

    Director · Story

  • 3 Avengers (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1964)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Mission to Hell(1964)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Ten Gladiators (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1963)

    Director · Writer · as Livius Verus

  • The Old Testament (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1963)

    Director · Screenplay

  • 79 A.D. (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Director · Writer

  • The Fury of Hercules (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1962)

    Director · Story

  • Sansone(1961)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Goliath Against the Giants(1961)

    Co-Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Conqueror of Maracaibo(1961)

    Art Direction · Writer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Quanto sei bella Roma (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1959)

    Screenplay · Story

  • The Warrior and the Slave Girl (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1958)

    First Assistant Director · Screenplay

  • Mata Hari's Daughter (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1954)

    First Assistant Director

  • Francis the Smuggler (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1953)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Eran trecento (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1952)

    Second Assistant Director

  • The Little World of Don Camillo(1952)

    Script Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Flowers of St. Francis(1950)

    Script Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 41 titles from 1950 to 2018.

Highest rated

Sabata (1969)

Midcredits 72nd

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting9 of 41: 3 only acting, 6 with another roleDirecting28 of 41: 4 only directing, 24 with another role · typical Midcredits score18thWriting29 of 41: 3 only writing, 26 with another role · typical Midcredits score18thProducing3 of 41: 0 only producing, 3 with another roleEditing3 of 41: 0 only editing, 3 with another roleOther crew6 of 41: 4 only other crew, 2 with another role

41 titles, 27 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 23 of them.

By decade

1950s7 · crew1960s22 · 4 acting · 22 crew1970s7 · crew1980s2 · 2 acting · 2 crew2000s1 · acting2010s2 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Gianfranco Parolini's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 24th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 28th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

28thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

12thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

37thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 18 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned2
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · actor, writer, producer

Caligula's Slaves (1984)

76th percentile spread · 73% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer

Sabata (1969)

Midcredits 72nd · 64% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 38/100 and the plot and story 35/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Gianfranco Parolini work with?

People who share at least 2 of Gianfranco Parolini's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sandro Mancori shares the most, 7.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers