The relationship between the two was never easy, but during the period of the illness they were very close: She was a complicated woman, but a common thread has always linked us
She was a complicated woman and had a complex life, but a common thread has always bound us, a great love that never died. Agns SpaakCatherine’s older sister, who passed away on Easter Sunday at the age of 77, cannot hold back her emotion, rewinding the thread of memories.
She was only a year older than her sister …
We were only 11 months apart, we were practically twins and we grew up together … then, as always happens, life made us go down different paths and, at times, even very distant. But I absolutely want to dispel a legend.
When I was also an actress, our relationship was falsely manipulated by some press. They said we were fighting, that there was rivalry between us, mutual jealousies and constant conflicts … Not absolutely true! Also because I was totally dedicated to something else, I became a photographer. Catherine had a difficult temper, but that doesn’t mean we were enemies ….
She was very introverted and, although we were very close in age, she did not confide in me. I remember when we were 12-13 years old, I used to spy in her bedroom, to see which book she was reading … just to better understand what my sister had in mind.
What book was he reading?
Cline’s “Journey to the End of the Night”. Certainly he had secretly stolen this volume from our father’s library. And from that reading of him, of such a demanding book, I understood the diversity of him. Catherine accused me of being too joking, we argued, maybe we even argued about how to react to certain events. In short, the difference in character between us was evident, as often happens in sisterhood relationships, but then we always found an agreement … especially when we exchanged clothes ….
And when she started acting, did she give you advice, suggestions …?
In truth, I did this job for a short time, then dedicating myself to photography, my true passion. So Catherine didn’t even have time to help me with any advice on this or that project, on this or that director, I don’t even know if she has ever seen one of my films … If anything, afterwards, she shared my work as a photographer, sharing with me some of his visions, suggestions … So much so that we had planned to create together a story on the theme of loneliness, accompanied by photos and texts, images and stories.
And you, as a spectator, which film did you love most about your sister?
I really liked “Dolci inganni”, directed by Alberto Lattuada, his first really important film made in Italy, and then “The mad desire”, directed by Luciano Salce. Also I was his spectator when he made his debut at the Sistina Theater in the show “Promesse … promesse” in 1970. She was very worried, being a completely new experience … she was very tense, because she had to perform on the most important stage of musical comedy, directed by the legendary Garinei and Giovannini, moreover alongside Johnny Dorelli … I remember sitting in the stalls with my father.
And was Pap Charles, an important screenwriter, satisfied with the debut?
He was always very sarcastic … with a strong sense of humor … he was amused.
Catherine also had a rather eventful love life …
true, four husbands, a new marriage every seven years. When he granted me some confidence, about the relationship with men he always recommended one thing: never be too generous, but think about self-respect.
From her first husband, Fabrizio Capucci, she had the daughter Sabrina …
A difficult relationship between mother and daughter: they have not dated for about forty years. And I tried, and succeeded, to bring them back together: in the last months of Catherine’s life, Sabrina was next to her mother, they made peace.
The best memory you have of your sister?
When we played the guitar while singing together the song “Le tourbillon” that Jean Moreau sang in the film “Jules and Jim” by Truffaut. And then the New Years in Haute-Savoie … with lots of laughter and lots of kids around us courting. But many more were in love with Catherine, an icon of beauty.
The last few months have been the most painful. I have been close to her both when the pandemic started and then since last July when she suffered a stroke. She suffered so much, she was paralyzed in the right side and could no longer even speak … an ordeal until her light was finally extinguished.
April 19, 2022 (change April 19, 2022 | 11:57)
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