A FRENCHMAN IN ITALY: JACQUES HERLIN INTERVIEW

This interview was conducted by Pascal Françaix and translated from French by Frédérick Durand

European Film Review: I first discovered you in La Tante de Frankenstein (Frankenstein's Aunt), a superb TV series that paid tribute to the great figures of the horror film. You had a marvelous role.

Jacques: I'd love to have that one on tape. I didn't know when it was going to be shown, so I've never seen it - I never go to the projection of the rushes. I had the feeling it was going to be a good one. The director was crazy - a poet, ex painter and friend of Fellini. It was lots of fun. The only bad side was Viveca Lindfors, who hated the director from the first day. She was saying: "As far as I'm concerned, you're a shit. I've signed the contract, but won't agree with you. My character will smoke a cigar, even if you don't like it. Go f**k yourself". I actually liked Viveca; she'd been a huge star 30 or 40 years earlier.

European Film Review: There was also Ferdy Mayne, in the role of Dracula...

Jacques: Yes, he was a charming man. An old, genteel homosexual. There was also Eddie Constantine, who was very friendly (if a bit of a jerk).

European Film Review: Any favourites amongst your roles?

Jacques: On film, Mondo Candido. I played Dr. Pangloss. It was a six or seven month shoot, but the film was a mess. It was badly edited.

European Film Review: There were three directors : Prosperi, Jacopetti and Quarantoto.

Jacques: No. Quarantoto had nothing to do with it, it was all Jacopetti and Prosperi. I hesitated before doing it because they were, basically, fascists. They'd done a mondo flick, Africa Addio, where they'd filmed torture footage without intervening. I knew the producer though, he was a nice guy, a communist, and he persuaded me to do it.

Page 1: Jacques Herlin, an introduction
Page 2: On acting in France and Italy
Page 3: On Tinto Brass, Ironmaster & shooting spaghetti westerns
Page 4: On Frankenstein's Aunt, Ferdy Mayne and Eddie Constantine

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