Yesterday you probably heard of the death of Sandy Allen, the World’s Tallest Woman.  She was only 53, which might seem a pretty decent age for someone with as many attendant medical troubles as Ms. Allen, but it was far too short a life for a woman who bore her extraordinary lot in life with incredible grace, humor and intelligence.  She became famous, of course, because of her size, her place of honor secure in the Guinness Book of World Records, but Sandy’s lasting contribution was her message of tolerance for people who were different.  And along the way, she made her mark in the movies, too. 

Director Federico Fellini chose Sandy to portray the magnificent giantess Angelina in his 1976 film Casanova, loosely based on the life of the legendary 18th century amorous adventurer.  Photographed in color and filled with an assortment of erotic, unusual and unforgettable images, Casanova’s title character was played by Canadian actor Donald Sutherland in highly stylized make-up emphasizing the dissipated and exhausting toll of the great lover’s picaresque lifestyle. 

Sandy, in addition to being slightly over 7 feet, 7 inches tall, was a down-home working girl from Indiana, and the trip to Rome and the filming of Casanova must have been surreal, to say the least.  Dramatically gowned and coiffed, Sandy Elaine Allen became, under Fellini’s hand, the mysterious and memorable Angelina whose encounter with Casanova leaves him changed and moved by her tender humanity.  Though undoubtedly Fellini chose her for the role on the basis of her physical size, he must have been gratified to discover Sandy’s gentle and beautiful soul which made her transformation into the character of Angelina even more successful.  I couldn’t find a clip of the pertinent scenes between Sutherland and Ms. Allen, but here is the scene where Casanova first comes upon the carnival where Angelina is in residence:

I won’t recount Sandy Allen’s life story here; her obituaries gave all the awe-inspiring details, but I will say that if you had ever seen her on any television program or in an interview, she came across as a warm, witty and ever so kind human being.  I have always been touched by her personality and her smile, and it is fitting and wonderful that one of filmdom’s most creative directors was also impressed by her special qualities.  The world is a less-amazing place with Sandy Allen gone now.

Riposare in pace, Sandy.