Lola (1961)

A bored young man meets with his former girlfriend, now a cabaret dancer and single mother, and soon finds himself falling back in love with her.

Director:

Jacques Demy

Writer:

Jacques Demy

Stars:

Anouk Aimée, Marc Michel, Jacques Harden

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anouk Aimée	...	Lola / Cécile
Marc Michel	...	Roland Cassard
Jacques Harden	...	Michel
Alan Scott	...	Frankie
Elina Labourdette	...	Madame Desnoyers
Margo Lion	...	Jeanne, Michel's Mother
Annie Duperoux	...	Cécile Desnoyers (as Annie Dupéroux)
Catherine Lutz	...	Claire, the bar owner
Corinne Marchand	...	Daisy
Yvette Anziani	...	Madame Frédérique
Dorothée Blanck	...	Dolly (as Dorothée Blank)
Isabelle Lunghini	...	Nelly
Annick Noël	...	Ellen
Ginette Valton	...	Hair Stylist's Mistress
Anne Zamire	...	Maggie

Storyline

Roland Cassard is a young man with no job and seemingly no prospects. By chance, he runs into his former girlfriend Cecile, who works as a dancer at a cabaret under the stage name Lola. She is now a single mom and works hard to provide her young son with all of the necessities of life. Lola still hopes that her son's father Michel, the true love of her life, will someday return to them. Seeing Lola again confirms to Roland that he's still in love with her, but she doesn't return his feelings. He has also met Madame Desnoyer and her 14-year-old daughter, also called Cecile. Madame Desnoyer, a widow, is quite taken with Roland but he has little interest in her. Roland sees no future if he stays in France.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | one word title | france | coastal town | cabaret dancer | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #714.

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Quotes

Roland Cassard: I'm leaving. I saw a Gary Cooper movie this afternoon. It was a beautiful place. The people seemed happy.
Claire, the bar owner: Where?
Roland Cassard: At the Katorza.
Claire, the bar owner: I meant what country.
Roland Cassard: Matareva, a Pacific island near Tahiti.
Claire, the bar owner: It's always beautiful in the movies.

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Connections

Referenced in The Beaches of Agnès (2008)

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Soundtracks

Le Clavier bien Tempéré
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach (as Bach)

User Reviews

it's not a movie, it's real life looked through the eyes of a poet

It's impossible to talk about "lola" without mixing ideas and, in most cases, without getting speechless. It's a movie that meets everything what a movie has to meet. Poetry, glamour, great music, dazzling photography, daily and real dialogs; but overall, "Lola" is the master of human sensibility. And that is what is "Lola", a story which is focused on sensations, love and hopes. Maybe I'm a bit exaggerated and little objective when i talk about this masterpiece, but when I see Lola crying because of Roland's happiness watching him through a the window of a bar, i can't avoid thinking "this is life, a mixture of magic and pain" Demy is a poet. He could collect poetry and reality, resulting in charming, elegant and fresh movie. Watch Lola without expecting anything, but be sure that, at the same moment you turn off the TV after watching it, you will be, as me, speechless. Just plenty of emotions.

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French English

Release Date:

14 October 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lola

Filming Locations:

La Baule, Loire-Atlantique, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$103,951

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$103,951

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rome Paris Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1