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Gilda with alzheimer’s disease. For millions of americans in 1980, separating their memories of the ultimate ‘femme fatale’ from the sixty two year old retired actress now diagnosed with that most debilitating of mental illnesses, was an uncomfortable reminder of how quickly the passage of time can irrevocably change us all. That it should have happened to one of the most glamorous actresses in cinema history, an exquisitely beautiful woman who was also an exceptionally talented dancer, seemed barely believable. Sporting her shoulderless gowns and diaphanous, breast-emphatic blouses, she represented an era in Hollywood where pure undistilled sex was left to the audience’s imagination.

Her memory loss, mood swings and temper tantrums had, of course, been ever present in her life for years. Handling a turbulent private life and changing cinematic trends, had taken its toll. At the end, she was incapable of even looking after herself.