Many thanks to Maria Towers for this memoir of working with the late Jess Franco on eight of the nine films he directed for her husband, British producer Harry Alan Towers. She infused those films with a certain radiance, warmth, mood of sensual mystery, demonstrating the ability to play a variety of roles.
Her hypnotic presence as Wanda Reed in VENUS IN FURS and Mme de St. Ange in EUGENIE...THE STORY OF HER JOURNEY INTO PERVERSION, two of Franco's most memorable works, provide those films with an essential emotional center.
"Jess was a very interesting director to work with. Without a doubt he was very talented. His first love was music, jazz to be precise, and we would talk about and listen to jazz for hours. There was a nightclub in Paris called Calvados with live jazz where we spent a lot of time. Like many creative people Jess had off days which were not so much fun. But when he was "on" he was a delight to work and be with.
With 200 or so films under his belt I believe Jess was able to express most of what he felt and wanted to say as far as films were concerned. I was not able to talk to him in person after Lina passed away but I got a couple of messages to him via friends. As you know he was working until the end which very much reminds me of Harry who was working on developing projects until the last day. All the best, Maria..."
Her hypnotic presence as Wanda Reed in VENUS IN FURS and Mme de St. Ange in EUGENIE...THE STORY OF HER JOURNEY INTO PERVERSION, two of Franco's most memorable works, provide those films with an essential emotional center.
"Jess was a very interesting director to work with. Without a doubt he was very talented. His first love was music, jazz to be precise, and we would talk about and listen to jazz for hours. There was a nightclub in Paris called Calvados with live jazz where we spent a lot of time. Like many creative people Jess had off days which were not so much fun. But when he was "on" he was a delight to work and be with.
With 200 or so films under his belt I believe Jess was able to express most of what he felt and wanted to say as far as films were concerned. I was not able to talk to him in person after Lina passed away but I got a couple of messages to him via friends. As you know he was working until the end which very much reminds me of Harry who was working on developing projects until the last day. All the best, Maria..."
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