50.000 Sterline Per Tradire! (Masquerade)

Thanks to the generosity of Marisa Mell fan Gerald S. from Krefeld, Germany this absolute wonderful lobby card set can be posted on the blog! I had never seen a complete set before of the Italian version of the movie "Masquerade". Grazie mille amico!

"New York chiama Superdrago"

During the height of the James Bond craze Marisa Mell could not escape becoming part of an Italian James Bond movie clone called "New York chiama Superdrago" . The film premiered on February 17 1966 and is now regarded als one of the so many movies trying to cash in on the spy wave of that era! Although having had in recent years several DVD releases the film is still not widely known among the general public and is probably best remembered from an episode of the cult classic television series "Mystery Science Theatre 3000" just like its counterpart "Danger: Diabolik!". Nevertheless these lobby cards are a real gem from an era long gone! And they really deliver what they should do namely giving the impression when you saw them in the cinema lobby that you are going to see a good action packed movie with spies, beautiful women, mad scientists and an über-criminal organisation gaining for world domination. Sadly the movie did not deliver that at all but is instead a real bore from start till finish, only highlighted by Marisa Mell's presence!

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Thanx again to Gerald S. from Krefeld, Germany for letting me use this wonderfull complete set of lobby cards! You are really spoiling me, my friend!

La Diabolica Spia

Sometimes other Marisa Mell-fans ask me what my favorite movie poster is of a Marisa Mell movie. Well there are several movie posters that are in my top 10 like the mega posters for "Una Sull'Altra", both versions, the black one and the green one, where Marisa Mell and co-star Elza Martinelli are both depicted in stunning art work and very life like or the giallo version of the movie poster for the excellent "La Encadenada" with another beautiful rendition of Marisa Mell in a vortex of fear. But when you ask me what is in my opinion the best set of movie posters and lobby cards then it has to be the Italian locadine of the 1966 cold war spy movie "City of Fear". This set of movie posters and lobby cards has it all. Stunning art work of Marisa Mell on two of the three movie posters, vibrant colors, action scenes, vintage cars and in the vein of the James Bond craze from that moment a mega gun with a silencer. Can you ask for more? Although the movie was shot in black and white the lobby cards are all re-colored in lively colors almost all depicting a beautiful Marisa Mell as she appeared in the movie! Simply the best set!

Masquerade (100th Entry)

Last monday, July 27th, the Marisa Mell Blog celebrated its 1st anniversary. Today the blog got its 100th entry. Whew, I never thought to reach this number after only 52 weeks, almost two entries every week! And as they say: "The best is yet to come!" For this special occassion, I thought to enter something new for this blog! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it! So without further delay "curtains open"!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

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)