Ewa Aulin

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Ewa Aulin in Candy

Ewa Aulin (born 13 February 1950 Landskrona, Skåne län, Sweden) is a Swedish actress who appeared in a number of Italian and some American films in the 1960s and 1970s. She is best remembered for playing the title character in the cult film Candy (1968) where she appeared alongside such stars as John Huston, Ringo Starr, Walter Matthau, Richard Burton and Marlon Brando.

Ewa Aulin first rose to fame in her native Sweden when she won the title of Miss Teen Sweden in 1965 at age 15. Subsequently, she went on to represent Sweden in the Miss Teen International pageant, which was held on April 6, 1966 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Ewa won; thereby earning the title of Miss Teen International 1966.

Ewa's success as Miss Teen International quickly attracted the attention of Italian film producers, and in 1967 she made her feature film debut with a supporting role in the comedy Don Giovanni in Sicilia (Don Juan in Sicily), based on the novel by Vitaliano Brancati. This was quickly followed by leading roles in two notable giallo films; the pop art-style Col cuore in gola (With Heart in Mouth, 1967) directed by Tinto Brass, and the bizarre avant-garde-inspired La morte ha fatto l'uovo (Death Laid an Egg, 1968) directed by Giulio Questi. Ewa's co-star in both these films was the acclaimed actor Jean-Louis Trintignant.

In 1968, Ewa played the title character in her most famous film, the American-Italian-French co-production Candy, directed by Christian Marquand. The story involves Ewa' character's search for the meaning of life, which leads to encounters with a variety of different men and always ends in a sexual situation. In spite of the presence of such big names as Marlon Brando, Ringo Starr and Richard Burton, the film did poorly in America and failed to make an international star out of Ewa. It was more successful in Europe and has gained some popularity as a cult film in later years. Ewa also received praise for performance in the film; earning a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer but she lost to Olivia Hussey for Romeo and Juliet.

Outside of Candy, the only other American film Ewa appeared in was Start the Revolution Without Me (1970), a comedy of errors set during the French Revolution. Ewa played a supporting role as Christina of Belgium, and the film starred Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland, but just like Candy, the film did little business in America.

In 1970, Ewa starred in the little known film Microscopic Liquid Subway to Oblivion, which was written, produced and directed by Ewa's husband, British writer-director John Shadow, who she had married in Mexico in 1968. The film was barely released anywhere in the world, and Ewa and John Shadow later divorced in 1972.

After this, Ewa only appeared in Italian films. Many of her films were sex comedies set in the Middle Ages but she also made more impact in a few thrillers and horror films. She played one of the leads in the giallo La controfigura (The Double, 1971) directed by Romolo Guerrieri, and played an undead avenging angel in Joe D'Amato's gothic horror film La morte ha sorriso all'assassino (Death Smiles at Murder, 1973) and also appeared in Jorge Grau's horror film Ceremonia sangrienta (The Legend of Blood Castle, 1973), based on the legend of Elizabeth Báthory.

Ewa Aulin remarried in 1974 and abandoned her acting career.

Selected filmography

• The Legend of Blood Castle (1973, director: Jorge Grau)
• Death Smiled at Murder (1973, director: Joe D'Amato)
• The Double (1971, director: Romolo Guerrieri)
• Microscopic Liquid Subway to Oblivion (1970, director: John Shadow)
• Start the Revolution Without Me (1970, director: Bud Yorkin)
• Candy (1968, director: Christian Marquand)
• Death Laid an Egg (1968, director: Giulio Questi)
• With Heart in Mouth (1967, director: Tinto Brass)

Links and references

• Ewa Aulin at IMDb
• Picture gallery
• Ewa Aulin winning Miss Teen International
• Ewa's career and impact in the 1960s
• Bio page
• Italian site
• Russian site