To the legendary french actress Anouk Aimée, who has appeared in 70 films since 1947 !!!
Wikipedia.org Article for Anouk Aimée:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anouk_Aim%C3%A9e
Let's check out one of her most critically acclaimed films from the 60s and delve back into foreign film in .................
.......... Lola (1961)
Run Time: 90 mins
Genre: Drama, Romance, Foreign
Format: Widescreen Format, Black and White
Director: Jacques Demy
Starring: Anouk Aimée and Marc Michel
This is one of those stories that gets rolling and draws you in. It has a good story, interesting characters, in fact, the character development is quite good and the use of back-stories is pioneering. Ah! The French! What a happy place. They are so laid back and don’t worry about silly things and silly taboos, like the scene at the dinner table when the fourteen-year-old girl bums a cigarette off of our hero, right in front of her mother, and no one cares. It was these tidbits that kept me in the film and made it a very interesting experience. - Phil
IMDB.com Entry for the Film:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055093/?ref_=fn_al_tt_5
Wikipedia.org Article for the Film:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lola_(1961_film)
Wikipedia.org Article for Director Jacques Demy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Demy
Trailer for the Film on YouTube (this includes restoration footage too):
About 10 years ago myself and a bunch of friends had a movie club and we did the year 1961 and Lola was on the list. Here are some of those responses to the film:
Ross Brakman:
A well paced drama set on the streets of Nantes. I would hardly describe "Lola" as one of the ten best films ever made, as described on the box, but it was interesting. It contains three or four separate stories that all merge predictably by the end. It has the fantastical love story, the vague discontent, and the borderline creepy friendship between the 14 year old girl and the American sailor. Really, who could hope for more than all that? – Grade: B
Jennifer Congleton:
This is a romantic French film with a cast of charming, believable characters. The story starts with Roland, a restless young man who hates his job and is ready to leave everything behind to go experience the world. Just when he thought his life couldn't be any more boring, he has an exciting chance meeting with a childhood friend, Cecile, who is now a caberet dancer that goes by "Lola". The plot unfolds from there, telling 4 or 5 interlacing stories. Although it's a bit creepy, I love the scene when Frankie the sailor and Cecile, the 14 year old girl, go to the fair. It was just a really cool looking scene with some slow motion and nostalgic music. And that little song that Lola sings about herself is just adorable. - Grade: B+
Brad Green:
Jacques Demy’s directorial debut incorporates some New Wave sensibilities (though never plunging fully into the genre), emphasizing the bittersweet moodiness that would become a trademark of his, as well as of much of French ‘60’s cinema in general. The storyline is actually quite sophisticated: two parallel tales with intertwining characters, each centered on a French femme named Cecille (“Lola” being the stage name of one- a burlesque dancer played by the lovely Anouk Aimee). Each of the lead characters are caught between hopefulness and desperation, with the latter usually prevailing. I’m a sucker for these films: short, sleek, suave, and stylish… downbeat but never without humor or irony. - Grade: B
Check out TVGuide.com to see if Lola (1961) is playing on TV/Cable in your area:
http://www.tvguide.com/movies/lola/104510/
CHECK IN TOMORROW...........
............... for our next Film of the Day !!!!
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