THE READER at Mallorca Online Nr.438

at Mallorca Online Issue No. 438

Headlines of February 7th to 20th, 1998

Photos: Diario de Mallorca; The Reader

TRIBUTE TO DIANA

It's hard to believe that the island of Mallorca can easily be adapted to portray events taking place in such countries as Bosnia, Angola, Sardinia, France, England and Pakistan. But that is exactly what this island has to offer film makers looking for varying locations within their budget. The People's Princess - A Tribute is a simple title, but we all know to whom it refers. Diana.

It was in the Puerto de Soller that The READER joined local and international press and television crews, to meet the stars, as Hollywood came to Mallorca with Artemia Films and Mirror Television to start shooting the movie "The People's Princess". This will be a two hour made-for-TV movie focusing on the final year of Diana's life, the time when she was striding into the future with a growing self confidence having found a special relationship with Dodi Fayed. Every move she made, every step she took, was photographed. Every word she spoke was reported. Gabrielle Beaumont is director and co-producer of the movie. Gabrielle is a highly acclaimed Hollywood writer-director and she just happens to live in Mallorca. She has a huge list of screen credits which include direction on some of the most successful movies of all time... Star Trek, Death of a Centrefold, The Dorothy Stratten Story, Riders, etc.

It is impossible to quote Diana or Dodi, but it was important to get the feel of the relationship between them, by taking into account that she was recently divorced; she didn't have a close relationship with her mother; her father had died; her brother had left for South Africa; and her sons were at boarding school. And after her many forays in many different directions, there was Dodi. This is the story that Gabrielle will tell - a love story. There will be no recriminations, no portrayal of the Royal Family (except her sons) and no assumption of responsibility for her death.

Who could resist the message from the eyes of Diana? They flirted, they laughed, communicated, and spoke a thousand words. They also wept and a look could kill stone dead from only a pace away. This is the task for Amy Clare Seccombe (s. photograph)who stars as Diana. It is her first major film role, although she has a long list of theatre credits. She has the look of Diana, but more important she has managed to acquire the look of guile, of loneliness, fun and sometimes fear in her eyes, which gave the paparazzi all over the world pictures for newspapers and magazines. George Jackos plays the part of Dodi Fayed in the movie. Press reports have described Dodi as a "gentle, nice" person. For all his wealth, there were never any reports of outrageous behaviour - just that he was a pleasant, regular guy. George has all these attributes (except for the multi-millions!), he is a Dodi look-alike and has worked with Gabrielle before on One Last Chance, a story about the Greek community in London. Originating from Cyprus, George exudes the romanticism of the Mediterranean in this extraordinary but tragic love story.

The film becomes available for distribution in April 1998.

Photo: El dia del mundo

MICHAEL DOUGLAS UPSET AGAIN

Lawyers of El Corazón Productions (Heart Productions), the company owned by Michael Douglas which arranged the purchase of his house S'Estaca, have appealed against the actor's Mallorcan home being declared "of historic interest". The Mallorcan Insular Council has included all estates and properties in Mallorca once owned by Archduke Luis Salvador of Austria, in its BIC programme (Properties of Cultural Interest). S'Estaca, together with several other large estates, including Son Moragues, Son Marroig, Son Gual and Sa Pedrissa, were all once the property of the Archduke in the 19th century. Last Monday, the Insular Council was informed that the case would be brought before the Balearic High Court of Justice. Under the Insular Council's proposal, the properties already listed could be opened to the general public on specific days, to be decided once the proposal became law...

Mr Douglas is presumably not too happy about this, despite his previous comments of support. This newspaper wonders why Michael Douglas is still being quoted as the owner of S'Estaca? According to reports in October of last year, the 53-year-old actor had agreed to let his wife Diandra keep their S'Estaca home as part of their divorce settlement. However, The READER was informed by reliable sources, that the deeds of the estate have not yet been signed over to Diandra.

Photo: El dia del mundo

AUSTRIANS BUY HISTORIC ESTATE

The Swarovski family, who own the multinational Austrian fine crystal ware company of the same name, have recently purchased part of the old, extensive Mallorcan rural property of Comasema in Orient (Bunyola). Although the estate, as it stands today, dates back to the 16th century, the original Comasema estate was established shortly after the conquest of Mallorca by Jaime I in 1229. Streiter Swarovski, head of the company, is well known on the island as he spends several months each year in Son Beltran de Baix in Deià. Son Montserrat, the estate in question, covers an area of 130 hectares and is one of the most picturesque of Mallorca's Tramuntana mountain region. The Fortuny family, owners of the Comasema property for many years, will retain the remainder of the large family property and more than 570 hectares, according to Salvador Fortuny, who is the director of the Balearic Design Institute. The large property has olive and apple trees, an extensive agricultural area and large oak tree forests considered to be of high environmental value.

Back in 1996, the Swarovski family made a 20,000 million peseta bid for Perlas Majorica, the cultivated pearl factory in Manacor, but several shareholders refused to consider the bid. However, last year Alpha Investment Management bought the majority shareholding of the pearl factory. The only buildings on the Son Montserrat estate at present are some old stone stables. However, the Austrian family is expected to build a luxury residence in line with their financial status as the sheer size of the estate, around 1,300,000 square metres, means that building permission will not be a problem. The El Día del Mundo reported that in April 1996, 206 hectares of Comasema woodland went up for involuntary public auction (for reasons not revealed) at a starting price of only 20 million pesetas. However, the Fortuny family appealed and managed to retain the estate in tact.


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