Lola
Directed by Jacques Demy
Written by Jacques Demy
1961/Italy/France
Rome Paris Films
First viewing/Netflix rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
[box] Life is a cabaret old chum … — “Cabaret”, lyrics by Fred Ebb[/box]
Refreshing proof that the French New Wave didn’t need to take itself so deadly seriously.
The plot is about first love and cycles through many examples, making it somewhat convoluted to summarize but not too hard to understand.
Roland Cassard is bored and chronically late for work. He thinks he needs to see the world and when he is fired, he seeks employment with a shady hairdresser who needs someone to travel for him. In the meantime, Roland meets a 14-year-old named Celine and her mother and, more importantly, another Celine, who was a childhood sweetheart. She is now a cabaret dancer who calls herself Lola (Anouk Aimee). He falls in love with her but she is still in love with her first love, the father of her child.
The main clientele of the cabaret is American sailors. One is infatuated with Lola. He befriends the young Celine who falls in love with him. Events continue to spiral.
This movie is a lot of fun. It is stylish without being in any way meta or pretentious. The restoration looks stunning. I had not expected the Michel LeGrande score, the theme of which became a hit – “Watch What Happens”.
Restoration trailer
Well the lost theme for this is such a no brainer that it’s not even worth posting LOL. Gotta be in the 1001 pop classics ya gotta hear before ya check out!
How I love Ray Davies and the Kinks! Here’s a live version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1ydKJ5v88I
I did remember that.
Much preferred the 1970 live though
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7HTqoxks_4
Enjoy your mini break Bea.
Thanks for the link!
Yes, this is a lot better than its pretext. I found myself first a bit confused, but then liking it more and more, even the ending which actually feels right. You are right that this could have gone terribly pretentious, but it stays above that and that gives it a lot of points in my book.
I and done with 61 and you cannot have much left either.
I loved the way it moved in a circle without feeling forced at all. Yes, I’m eager to start 1962. Have about a week to go.
I watched Lola last night. I almost put it off for a few more days because I’ve seen so much French New Wave in the last few months that I was feeling a little overwhelmed. But it’s only 90 minutes. And I only have 28 movies left to go on the List and I’ve hit a point where I’m having trouble finding them, so I like to watch them when I find them. My other choice was A Tale of Winter, which is a lot longer than Lola!
So I decided to watch the first 10 or 15 minutes just to see what Jacques Demy was doing in 1961. And I’m glad I did! I’m not sure I would have even thought of the French New Wave if I hadn’t known going in that this was considered French New Wave! Anouk Aimee is awesome! And it helped a lot that Roland is a lot less pretentious and self-obsessed than some of the other French New Wave protagonists. And I also liked it that he wasn’t unnecessarily smug about his rebellious contrarian opinions.
This might be the French New Wave film for film buffs who hate the French New Wave.
And I should add that I like the French New Wave. I’ve even learned to appreciate Godard most of the time. But it gets to be a bit much at times. (Maybe I saw Masculin/Feminin and The Mother and the Whore too close together?)
I love Demy and am really looking forward to seeing Les Desmoiselles de Rochefort for 1967. Did you notice that the character Lola rejects in favor of her first love ends up being Catherine Deneuve’s husband in Umbrellas of Cherbourg? I’m hoping for kind of a trilogy. The joy with which Demy approaches his projects is infectious!