Year: 1961
Director: Jacques Demy
Country: France
Language: French
I bought The Essential Jacques Demy boxset from Criterion Collection a couple of years ago and since have been slowly going through each film with my wife. The other day we viewed Lola (1961) for the very first time and were impressed. It was Jacques Demy's first feature length film, appropriately dedicated to the great director Max Ophuls. It reminded me of the romance pictures of Old Hollywood.
A bored young man (Marc Michel) meets with his former girlfriend Lola (Anouk Aimee), now a cabaret dancer and single mother, and soon finds himself falling back in love with her.
Complete with graceful long takes and tracking shots (executed with ease by cinematographer Raoul Coutard) along with chance encounters and moments that seem to have the energy of a musical, Demy's picture clearly demonstrates his fascination with American cinema. Albeit through its complex themes and complicated reality, Lola proves to be much more than the typical Hollywood convention.
The film is structured around a complex series of unrequited loves and longings. Roland wants his first love Lola, but she wants her first love Michel. The widow Mrs. Desnoyers (Elina Labourdette) wants Roland, while her young daughter finds fascination with a sailor. Demy's film emphasizes the importance of "first love", highlighting both the wondrous nature of it and the tragedy that occurs when first loves are mismatched.
Demy creates a rather interesting France that is filled to the brim with exciting yet troubled characters who have been through great loss and even greater love. Lola is whimsical and playful, yet also quite serious. Even the "good" ending shows some darker undertones.
No comments:
Post a Comment