On December 15th 2011, one of Germany's most beloved actors "Walter Giller" died at age 84 due to lung cancer related complications. Walter Giller is regarded as one of the post WOII titans in German cinema and television with more than 137 credits in this field to his name next to his other works in theatre, on radio and other media platforms. More than 55 years he was married to another German grande dame in movie and television making the actress "Nadia Tiller". Walter Giller died surrounded by his close family in a retirement home. Fans of Marisa Mell will remember him as "Woody Johnson" in the 1964 movie "Der Letzte Ritt nach Santa Cruz" where he portrayed a rather cowardly man who had to face the bandits on the run. On this very rare behind the scene picture from 1963 we see from left to right: Thomas Fritsch, Marisa Mell, Walter Giller, Marianne Koch and Mario Adorf! Marianne Koch would one year later become "Marisol" in Sergio Leone's über cult classic "A Fistfull of Dollars" with Clint Eastwood. Mario Adorf would meet Marisa Mell again four years later in the Italian comedy "Le Dolci Signori" with Ursula Andress. Although this picture is a happy behind the scene setting it is a rather revealing picture when you look at the body language of the actors. First you see three groups of people: on the left you have Thomas Fritsch standing alone, then you have Marisa Mell and Walter Giller close together standing higher than the other actors and finally the third group of Marianne Koch and Mario Adorf. When you look deeper into the picture you can see clearly that Marisa Mell and Walter Giller are lovers at the moment of the production of this movie! Although he was married to Nadia Tiller at the time he clearly is in love with her and most of all she is also with him. The love affair is being kept secret to the public at large but the insiders know it very well and the body language reveals it! How??? First they are standing together as a couple a little higher? Secondly they are standing very close to each other, Walter Giller is touching with his right arm the left breast of Marisa Mell which is a very intimate gesture that she would not have accepted if it were otherwise. Compare that posture with the other couple on the picture Marianne Koch and Mario Adorf who are also standing very close but keep each to themselves as they are not lovers but good friends. Marianne Koch has even the tumbs of her hands in the pocktes of her trousers which means that she protects her personality like when people make a fist around their thumbs with their fingers. Another giveaway that Marisa Mell and Walter Giller are lovers is the fact that they deliberately touch each other with their legs in an intimate way. Walter bends his right leg to touch the wall, but Marisa Mell crosses her right leg over her left leg being able to touch Walter's which is not an innocent gesture! And finally the ultimate gesture of Marisa Mell in connecting with her man is that her hips or the centre of her womenhood is connecting with the hips of Walter Giller meaning that she is completely infatuated with this man. Compare this gesture with the other couple where you can clearly see a gap between Marianne Koch and Mario Adorf. The fact that they are not looking at each other is just a little diversion to distract their secret relation. So it is clear that at picture can say more than a thousand words!
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Thanks to André Schneider for signaling the sad news of Walter Giller's death!
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Thanks to André Schneider for signaling the sad news of Walter Giller's death!
This week I got a nice email from "Marisa Mell" fan James West. James has send me this nice picture of a room in his house containing a framed Italian locadina from the 1966 movie "City of Fear" also known in the latin countries as "La Diabolica Spia". This movie poster is for a lot of Marisa Mell fans one of the best, if not the best, painted picture of her. The framed movie poster is huge, measuring 140 cm in length x 200 cm in height, so you need a big wall to hang this little baby! By the look of it, the poster is in very good condition which is quite rare because copies of the posters where often glued to the movie marquee with wall paper glue above the entrance of the cinema being confronted during several weeks with the elements of nature like burning sun, heavy wind or rain, dirt.... When the movie had run its course the movie poster was torn down or overglued with a new movie poster for next weeks programme. In the end not many posters survived in prestine folded never used condition or better known as "mint" condition.
How did James West became involved with Marisa Mell and Italian cinema bis in general?
You can visit his site at: 
