The Quebec-born actress, Haji, passed away over the weekend on Friday, August 10. The iconic star of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! was 67.
Barberella (seriously!) Catton became an exotic dancer at the age of 14. Cult film genius Russ Meyer discovered her working in a topless bar. The duo made five films together, but their great masterpiece was Pussycat. Basically a remake of Motor Psycho — their first collaboration — Pussycat eschewed Meyer’s famous nude scenes while simultaneously demonstrating an unexpected cinematic sensibility.
Haji appears in the role of Rosie. Her lesbian lover Varla is the anti-hero/protagonist in this story about a female car gang that serves as a kind of Bad Girls: 101, providing one of film’s most surprising and entertaining studies of female sexuality and violence.
While Haji is not a contemporary household name, it’s hard to imagine the success of new cultural phenomena like Orange in the New Black without the pioneering work of this brave and beautiful actress. In her work with Meyer, Haji introduced psychedelic and occult themes into his scripts and was often responsible for writing her own dialogue. She appeared in more of the director’s films than any of his other voluptuous vixens.
If you haven’t seen Pussycat, here’s the trailer.
Check out my pal Nick Pell’s memoriam of Haji, here.
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