Walter Harteis R.I.P.

Walter Harteis died of a genetic disease on May 19th, 2010; he was 44 years old.

I first met Walter as a participant of the 'How to Read a Film' lectures I was giving at the local film club in the mid 1980s. We very quickly became friends due to our love for cinema, and I was able to introduce him to the film club and he soon became an active member.

Walter was not a core member of Lyssa humana, since he did not agree with some our more artistic intentions, he prefered the cinematic approach, but he was there from the start, contributed very actively on his own terms and - after a long hiatus - returned till the end of the special movie events in 2001.

Our friendship did have its ups and downs, but when it was up we were very close, and Walter helped initiate my regular dinner parties and was the main cook at these events. He also worked at my cinema on a regular basis.

Walter was a student of Catholic theology and for a long time was thinking of joining a monastery. Besides his love for cinema his enthusiasm for Italy, its history and culture had no bounds, he spoke the language fluently. Therefore his cinematic mainstay were giallos, Italian horror movies and spaghetti westerns.

We had lost contact in the new century, but his death has come as a shock. We did share a lot of our time and experiences, and he's fondly remembered by all who knew him.