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Sunday, May 31, 2009

Trailer From Hell - "Danger: Diabolik!"

"Trailers From Hell" showcases classic-era movie "Previews of Coming Attractions" with particular emphasis on the lurid, the extreme and the outrageous. This one is for the movie "Danger: Diabolik!" by director Mario Bava with John Phillip Law as "Diabolik" and Marisa Mell as "Eva Kant". The reviewer is writer and director Edgar Wright, known for his movie "Shaun of the Dead" in 2004. Notice how he pronounces the word "Diabolik" sounding as "Diabolique". Well, now we have a third way of saying the name of the dark Italian fumetti hero! Does anyone have another pronounciation of it?

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

"Ich möchte eine Möwe sein!" - Elisabeth von Österreich - Austria Wochenschau 1972

Starting on February 4th, 1972, the Austrian Wochenschau, had an item regarding the production of the newest documentary about the life of the Austrian Empress Elisabeth von Österreich, played by Marisa Mell. The Austrian Wochenschau was an promotion vehicle of the Austrian government, started after World War II, to promote the Austrian way of life in all its facets, covering almost everything from culture, sports, politics.... This pseudo news show ran each day in the Austrian local cinema's during one week before the main feature. The items had a duration from 30 seconds to several minutes depending on the importance of the subject and the available items during that week. Free translation (voice-over): "She (Marisa Mell) is convinced about her role: (Marisa Mell in her own voice): In this television play, she (Elisabeth von Österreich) will be portrayed for once like it should be, meaning, how she was in real life! (The director of the movie): The title of the film will probably be: "Elisabeth von Österreich - Ich möchte eine Möwe sein!" a documentary about the life of the Austrian Empress. (Voice-over): The Graz born actress Marisa Mell is regarded as one of the leading world actresses. So it is not strange that the paparazzi went beserk when Marisa Mell in this scene was crowned Empress of Hungary.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Ein Mann im schönsten Alter

Richard Mertens (Karl Michael Vogler) is a mann in the best years of his life. He has achieved everything that he ever wanted. He is the editor-in-chief for a well known magazine, is very good looking and lives the life of the well to do. His inner life and his material wealth are completely in balance. He is loved... and not only by his wife. Not! Behind the façade of cultivated wealth, reality looks very grimm. Mertens has only respect for his very noble and always understanding wife, and more than often he is jealous of her because Lucy (Françoise Prevost) doesn't depend on him. She was born and raised rich. She can have every object of luxury she wants and she does not understand why her husband has fought every step of his career to get where he is now. The natural self-assurance of Lucy stands between the couple. How different is the relation between Mertens and his colleague Eva (Pascale Audret) from Accounting. Richard is in love with her as only a man of his age can. He dreams of re-doing his life again with her at his side. Eva has the courage to dream that such a life can be possible. She is not interested in money, wealth or power. She only wants to have a normal decent life with him. And that troubles him. He thinks that he has to gain more wealth and power if he wants to keep Eva in his life. To achieve this goal, Mertens goes to court and sues his publisher and friend Alfred von Xanten (Hans Coninenberg) over patent rights. Mertens is so sure that he is going to win that he looses all perspective of reality and in the end... humanity. But misfortune hits very hard when one day on his way to the trial, his car is broken into and the papers proving his rights are stolen. What was a sure win is now turning into a loss. His whole life is turning up side down. People are avoiding him and what he feared the most, loosing the love of Eva, finally happened. Although Eva doesn't love him anymore, she is willing to testify in court that she has seen the papers before they were stolen. The court accepts and grants Mertens all the patent rights of his friend the publisher making him a very wealthy mann. Mertens is now the equal to his wife Lucy but being able to love the women of his life Eva he has lost. The only company he has is Brigitte (Marisa Mell), a women working in a local bar and expert in helping lost causes, she stays with him. They know that they are not in love but they are helping each other in difficult times at a price. (Illustrierte Film-Bühne n° 6705)