A Girl Called Rosemarie (4 Stars)

Have you heard of Rosemarie Nitribitt? If not, you should have. Three films have been made about her, in 1958, 1995 and 1996, not including several documentaries. A musical about her was written and first performed in 2004. What's the reason for the fascination with this girl called Rosemarie? It's because her life is a cross between "My Fair Lady" and "Pretty Woman". She was a poor woman who escaped her background and entered high society, while there was a passionate love story in the background.

Rosemarie Nitribitt was born on February 1st 1933. She never knew her father. When her mother was imprisoned for theft Rosemarie was put in a children's home. She was passed from one foster home to another, never settling in. She became a prostitute at a young age, but it was always her dream to become a star like the actresses on the front covers of magazines.

Rosemarie's time of fame only lasted 18 months. In 1956 she met a rich industrialist, who brought her into the wealthy circles of businessmen, politicians and nobility. In 1957 she was dead. Her murderer was never found. Who were her enemies? Almost everyone she knew. Not content with the extremely high call girl rates she charged, she taped the meetings with her clients in order to blackmail them. She taunted her clients by greeting them when she saw them with their wives. Whoever killed her, it was probably a millionaire or a top politician. People like that don't get caught, they have too much influence over the police and the law courts.

Rosemarie Nitribitt
February 1, 1933 – October 29, 1957

When she was buried in 1957 only her body was buried; the police insisted on keeping her head as evidence. Even after the case was closed the police kept her head and put it on display in a police museum. Her head was finally buried with the rest of her body on February 11th, 2008.

This is Rosemarie's grave in Frankfurt, notable for two things:

First, the date of death on the tombstone is incorrect. When she was buried it was assumed that she died on November 1st, the day her body was found. Examination of her skull after her burial revealed that she died two days earlier.

Secondly, the Bible verse on her tombstone is admirably misquoted. "Nichts Besseres darin ist denn fröhlich sein im Leben". This comes from Ecclesiastes 3:12, and it means "There is nothing better for people than to be happy while they live". This is certainly a very appropriate verse to sum up Rosemarie's life. But let's check the Bible itself. Part of the verse is omitted. The full verse is "There is nothing better for people than to be happy and do good while they live". The omission says as much as the quoted verse itself.