La Encadenada-The Poster War

Spanish Movie Poster

In late 1973 Marisa Mell made a Spanish-Italian movie called "La Encadenada" directed by Manuel Mur Oti, playing the role of Gina/Elisabeth, a women trying to steal a family fortune by posing as a nurse/companion for the sick son of the family while at the same time seducing the father and son to achieve her goal. Although at the time of its release trashed as pure pulp the movie has since gained a lot of cult following for the great performance of Marisa Mell, her on screen presence and beauty. Next to French Dressing and Objective: 500 million this is number 3 on my list of all time favorite Marisa Mell movies. What also makes this movie interesting is the way the producers try to sell this movie in the respective countries Spain and Italy by way of the use of the movie posters. As one can see above the Spanish version of the movie poster is quite typical for the beginning of the 1970's by using a (horrible) drawing in pastel watercolours hightlighted by bright pink and vived green. The rendition of Marisa Mell is one of the worst that I have ever seen on a poster. The poster emphasises the family drama and the connection between Marisa Mell and the other two actors playing father and son. By looking at the poster as viewer you can not deduct much what the story is about! The only thing sure is that an older man is quite dominant towards a women who is crouching and looking in fear at the man and a younger man probably his son but for the rest... The Spanish title of the movie "La Encadenada" or "The one in chains" does not help much either.

Italian Locadino

The Italian poster tells a complete other story on the other hand. Although you still are not able to tell much about the content of the movie it gives you quite some information about what kind of movie to suspect. The movie is drawn in the classic giallo style of so many other movies posters fashionable at that time. The producers are clearly pulling the card of the giallo. The placement of Marisa Mell and her face looking astonished, extremely beautiful drawn by Renato Casaro, creates a tension highlighted by the black and white swirl to the couple making love in the back ground. The title concludes the giallo feel by calling the movie "Perversione" or in English "Perversion" making it sound very familiar like other giallo titles like "Torso" or "Spasmo". Although making reference to a giallo in my opinion I do not find this movie at all a giallo when looking at the characteristics of a giallo like the razer-blade wielding dressed in black killer or the killer often being a priest or a psychotic man/women abused in his/her childhood which are absent in this movie. Nevertheless it makes one of the most beautiful movie posters of a Marisa Mell movie that I have ever seen and ranks on the number 1 spot on my list of Marisa Mell movie posters.

Thanks to André Schneider for the production information!