Lola

Cast & Crew

Anouk Aimée

Lola

Marc Michel

Roland

Elina Labourdette

Madame Desnoyers

Alan Scott

Frankie

Annie Duperoux

Cécile Desnoyers

Jacques Harden

Michel

Margo Lion

Jeanne, Michel's Mother

Catherine Lutz

Claire

Corinne Marchand

Daisy

Yvette Anziani

Madame Frédérique

Dorothée Blanck

Dolly

Isabelle Lunghini

Nelly

Annick Noël

Ellen

Jacques Demy

Director

Jacques Demy

Writer

Georges de Beauregard

Producer

Carlo Ponti

Producer

Michel Legrand

Original Music

Raoul Coutard

Cinematographer

Anne-Marie Cotret

Film Editor

Bernard Evein

Production Design

Bernard Evein

Costume Designer

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Lola

Audience Reviews for Lola

• Oct 03, 2015

  Lola has the characteristics of French New Wave films that I enjoy -- charm, grace, pensiveness, humor. It does not have them in spades like some of the classics of that era but, nonetheless, the film is a quite satisfying view. The intersecting lives motif works here (and does not feel forced). Anouk Aimee is good actress to watch. Chances are that if Lola comes up on your radar, you will find it to be a film worth seeing.
  

  Super Reviewer
• Aug 11, 2014

  The title... well... the film itself, is an allusion to a number of things. First, it is a "musical without music", description provided by Demy himself, maybe because despite the lack of music, it follows the basic charming conventionalisms of the genre from an aesthetic and structural point of view. More appropriately, it is a musical with music, but with the singing not performing the usual fantasy-like role that it performs in common musicals, where characters suddenly sing and dance out of the blue explaining or complementing a situation. Secondly, the protagonist, passionately played by Anouk Aimée (<i>La Dolce Vita</i> [1960]; <i>8 1/2</i> [1963]), nods to Max Opüls' <i>Lola Montès</i> (1955). Thirdly, Lola also references the iconic character from one of the best films ever made: <i>Der Blaue Engel</i> (1930), by Josef von Sternberg, immortalized by the great Marlene Dietrich. Torn between her first love (Michel) that left her seven years ago promising to come back until he became rich, the American sailor Frankie that reminds her of Michel, and her childhood pre-war friend Roland, Cecile dances a notable adult-oriented number at a cabaret under her stage name "Lola", trying to put her feelings and priorities in order while awaiting for her first love. Confusion and drama ensue, but always filmed spectacularly by Demy's constantly moving camera and smart editing, accompanied by clever gags and Beethoven's 7th Symphony, which seems to have the power to elevate any film to levels never originally ambitioned. All in all, it is an impressive drama given that it is a debut, probably incorrectly advertised as an American musical (considering the trailers and the posters), because it is a story that, although typical seen with today's eyes, brings solid performances, intense moments, funny situations and an ending which controversy precedes Varda's <i>Le Bonheur</i> (1966). Lola's concept would belong now to Fassbinder 20 years later. 82/100
  

  Super Reviewer
• Feb 25, 2010

  Not the femme-fatale tale which I expected, "Lola" is a slice of life about a well-meaning cabaret dancer (Anouk Aimee) torn between three men: a visiting American sailor, an old childhood friend and a long-departed husband (whose young son she is raising alone). Meanwhile, a pretty 14-year-old girl studies English and rebels against her mother by befriending the sailor, while the above childhood friend contemplates taking a shady trafficking job. The various characters' lives overlap in clever ways, and the storytelling maintains that light, open-ended tone so commonly found in '60s French cinema. Meanwhile, Michel Legrand's frisky score smooths over the rough spots. I did find myself wishing the film was in color -- I rarely have this complaint, but the glamorous women and romantic sights seemed somewhat hobbled by the black-and-white cinematography.
  

  Super Reviewer
• Aug 20, 2008

  beautifully shot. the plot had so much potential for intertwining of stories (such as parralels for the ceciles, the blond sailors, etc), but these didn't connect, at least for me. i adore anouk aimee, but i found this character cliched; i much prefer her in 'la dolce vita.'
  

  Super Reviewer