Monday, March 20, 2023

23, l'année de Marisa Mell

 Yes, I know I pilfered Serge Gainsbourg's oeuvre for the title of this blog post but it really does feel as if 2023 will be the year where Marisa Mell will finally get her long overdue recognition... at least in her native Austria as there is a ton happening there right now.

Best known as Eva Kant in Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik (1968), she also featured in scores of International productions as well as playing in Das Rätsel der roten Orchidee/Secret of the Red Orchid (1962) and Das Rätsel des silbernen Halbmonds/Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972). She was one of the most stunning women of her time and yet her (ultimately tragic) life story had somewhat faded into oblivion. 

Singer/Actress/Author Erika Pluhar wrote a beautiful German language book, Marisa, about their friendship and Mirko Di Wallenberg kept the flame alive on his blog, but other than that there was very little.

Not any more though....

Marisa Mell, Museum Graz



















Mell's home town Graz honours her from March 16 - August 27, 2023 with the exhibition Magic Marisa in the Graz Museum.

Marisa Mell












Parallel to this exhibition, the Film Archiv Austria in Vienna presents a retrospective of thirteen of her films that cover the various stages of her career from March 30 - April 23, 2023.

It's not yet gone live but there should also be an accompanying Digitorial available online soon.

Marisa Mell, Feuerblume















A new documentary for Austrian State television station ORF, Feuerblume: Die zwei Leben der Marisa Mell, will also soon be released.
















Die Feuerblume - Marisa Mell is also the title of a biography by André Schneider that has just been released. The book is a revised edition of a previous work that has long been out of print. 

Like all the other projects here, it is a German language production though it does appear to contain 140 rare and often even previously unpublished photos and one can always hope that at some stage this as well as the documentary will be translated and available in an English friendly version for an International audience.

I am also hoping that for the exhibition and retrospective there will be a chance to get a hold of a catalog.

Either way, it's great to see such a renewed emphasis on a previously under appreciated star. 

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