Quentin Tarantino’s muse returns to visit her hometown. A trip down memory lane with the artist who has enchanted audiences around the world
Barbara was born only a few months earlier in Reichenberg, currently Liberec, and the few memories are confused, vague recollections of her Anglo-German mother Ingrid. At the end of 1944, one evening there was a knock at the door. Her father was at the frontline and the mother felt safer moving with the child, still in her crib to her paternal grandparents, the Gutscher couple, the famous owners of the Adria cinema. “Herr Gutscher take your hat and leave” were, in the memory of her mother, the only words the men said to her grandfather Rudolf on the doorstep. The next morning they all abandoned Czechoslovakia to seek refuge in Germany.
What could be the beginning of one of the many painful testimonies on the so-called Sudeten issue, with the mass expulsion and the forced exodus of millions of German-speaking citizens from Czechoslovakia to Germany, is actually one of the key stages in the life of Barbara Gutscher, better known as Barbara Bouchet. “We set out at dawn in train to Moos, on Lake Constance, where we were hosted by the sister of my maternal grandmother, aunt Franzisca Horner. We left everything behind us and none of us ever returned home”. In reality, a few years ago the famous actress could not resist the lure of her roots and returned incognito to Liberec. A quick visit in search of her birthplace, a brief sortie decided after a life of constant relocating and hardship and from the “herzogian” “prevented future” of post-war Germany, before passing through San Francisco and the first prestigious cinematic experiences in the United States (above all the role of Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond comedy – Casino Royale), until she achieved her consecration in Italy as an icon of the sex comedy and the cop film genres.
On this second occasion, the journey has assumed the characteristics of a more official visit, thanks also to the serenity regained with her new partner, the architect Giorgio Orlandi, and a desire for emotional harmony with the memories of her mother, a sufferer of Alzheimer’s for years. Having learnt of the couple’s desire, when on holiday in Prague, to dedicate a day to a visit in Liberec, the Italian businessman Alessandro Alagia got involved in organizing the event. This time, to welcome the actress and her companions at the Hall of ceremonies of the city hall, there were photographers, journalists and the highest local authorities, all visibly excited. It could not be otherwise. The years have not affected the magnetic beauty of Barbara Bouchet, and have only completed her elegant charm, with her becoming more and more attractive due also to a spontaneous empathy for others. “I did not expect such a warm welcome, such an affectionate welcome from the institutions”, said the actress who signed autographs without evading the many questions of those present.
A private and professional life which has been so intense that it is difficult to trace in the course of a single meeting, as much as it is enhanced by friendly gatherings, exchanges of gifts, guided tours of the town hall and the symbols of family Gutscher. Few artists can indeed boast of having worked with Martin Scorsese and Otto Preminger, or alongside actors such as Marlon Brando, David Niven, Robert Mitchum, Jack Lemmon, Woody Allen, Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, Yul Brynner, Gregory Peck, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day Lewis. However, the character played by Barbara Bouchet, to whom she is most attached is Patty in the film L’anatra all’arancia (Duck in Orange Sauce), a classic of the commedia all’italiana genre. “I really wanted to star in the movie and work with Dino Risi, but the director told me that Monica Vitti, an artist of great depth, did not want another blonde opposite her. So I decided to rent a wig with short black hair and go to audition. Monica was to be satisfied, but just before the shoot she had a heated argument with Risi who left the set, and was replaced by Luciano Salce. The film was a success and I had the chance to take on a very amusing role, while surrounded by friends and great professionals. I owe a lot to the wig and the character of Patty”.
Among the many anecdotes, one in particular aroused amazement and admiration. “I was in the theatre, I had just finished the tests, and during a press briefing journalists told me that I was the icon of Quentin Tarantino. I laughed thinking it was a joke. Tarantino was already an international star and I had never seen his films, which were too violent – at night I would have nightmares. Then they showed me a video. I was surprised and flattered by the statements of the director, but it finished there. A few months later I received a phone call from Marco Müller – the director of the Venice film festival, who informed me that Quentin Tarantino, half seriously and half facetiously, had stated that he would not show up at the festival to present Inglourious Basterds if I would not come to greet him. And so it was. When he saw me he could not believe his eyes. He literally jumped for joy and invited me to accompany him in the premiere of his film. Following the screening, he told me that he had thought of offering me a part, to be recited in French, but that the character was subsequently removed from the script. I told him jokingly that I was hurt, and that the next time I wanted to play a leading role. Since then I have become Quentin Tarantino’s muse”. Barbara Bouchet is currently involved in the theatre, but would like to pay homage to her origins by playing a film role that would see her as a protagonist in the Czech Republic and Germany.
The morning comes to an end and the tour concludes with an exchange of gifts in the courtyard of the former Gutscher house: flowers, local crafts, books, photos and old antique maps of the Adria cinema.
“Today I received many gifts, but there is one in particular that has given me great joy – to have been able to visit the inside of my birthplace. It matters little that it is being renovated, what really counts is the emotional bond that binds me to these places. However, I would like to come back as soon as possible and see everything more calmly”. There will be the opportunities for sure. In the coming months the preparation of a travelling exhibition is scheduled that will have a stage in Liberec and the Castle of Ořechov, in South Moravia. Items on display will include: posters, stills, costumes and other rarities from the private collection of Barbara Bouchet.
by Alessio Di Giulio