Elke Sommer (1940 - )
Elke Sommer, photocredit unidentified
sourced here.
Biography
Elke Sommer (born 5 November 1940) is a German born actor, entertainer, and artist.
Sommer was born as Elke Schletz in Berlin. She started appearing in films in Italy in the late 1950s. She quickly became a noted sex symbol and moved to Hollywood in the early 1960s. She became one of the most popular pin-up girls of the time, and posed for several pictorials in Playboy Magazine.
She performed as a singer, making several LP records.
While continuing to act sometimes, since the 1990s she has concentrated on painting. Her artwork shows strong influence from Marc Chagall. As of 2004, she lives in Los Angeles, California. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elke_Sommer [May 2005]
Douce violence/Sweet Ecstasy (1962) - Max Pécas
Douce violence/Sweet Ecstasy (1962) - Max Pécas [Amazon.com]
Just to watch a very young, sexy Elke Sommer with her pouting lips makes Sweet Ecstasy worthwhile. The dramatics of Elke's exploitative character as a swinger on the French Riveria is interesting and charming. For most of the movie, Elke Sommer prances about in a skimpy top and revealing hip-hugger pants that enhances her animalistic sexuality. The real kicker that makes Sweet Ecstasy so sweet, however, is the love scene with Elke on the deck of the yacht. Elke absolutely sizzles in a very hot, very real, and very graphic display of young torrid love. This is a must own video. --Frank Massey via amazon.com
In the spirit of the old-fashioned "square-up" reels of early exploitation films, most of the sexy exposés of the early 60s, from Fellini to HG Lewis, presented -- at least superficially -- a morally critical, jaundiced view of the decadence they so willingly displayed. However, the doom-laden view of the wanton lifestyle in Sweet Ecstasy so overwhelmingly permeates the movie that it becomes little more than a depressing experience. Pecas never had the style or brashness of Benazeraf or Metzger, who dealt with similar themes. Elke Sommer, boosted as a Bardot clone, looks stunning and iconic, but completely lacks the charm and freebooting personality of her rival. And the big-band jazz music by Aznavour, with a few ditties by Halliday, now seem totally "square" next to the playful cocktail stylings of Chet Baker et al during the same period. Quite disappointing; the same team's Daniella by Night holds up a lot better thanks to its kitschiness. --goblinhairedguy via imdb.com, 2004
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