Michael Neumann Jacques Demy's effervescent romance is one of the best and most enduring examples of the stylistic explosion since called the French New Wave, but compared to Resnais' often-tortured exposition and Godard's turgid socio-political cul-de-sacs this playful look at the mysteries of first love is alive with an almost irresistible vitality. Demy pursues with tongue-in-cheek determination the idea that life can be a series of happy accidents, weaving several interlocked plot threads into a delicate web of chance and coincidence to illustrate the casual symmetry of life and love. At the heart of the film is a young cabaret dancer waiting (against reason) for her American sailor to return, whose sometimes sad, sometimes comic story is oddly echoed in the lives of everyone around her. It's as if the world were an endless progression of dancers and sailors, destined to mingle and mix in a never-ending attempt to rekindle that first, unforgettable spark of passion.

jotix100 Lola, a beautiful chanteuse working in Nantes, is a kind soul. The love of her life, Michel, abandoned her seven years ago. In the cabaret where she works attracts a lot of foreign sailors. Among the ones we meet, Frankie, is clearly one of Lola's favorites. This young man loves her in his own way and he her little son, Yvon.Roland Cassard, is a young man also from Nantes. It appears working for a living doesn't appeal to him too much. One day, while strolling in town, Roland sees Lola, who he hasn't seen in the years after the war. Lola, who had loved Roland, brings him up to date about what has happened to her in those years.Jacques Demy's lovely account of Lola and Roland in his beloved city, also includes an elegant woman, Mme. Desnoyers and her daughter Cecile, who interact with both Roland and Frankie in this evocative story set in the Nantes where Mr. Demy celebrated in most of his films. It's a fitting tribute by the film maker to a city that he loved as it comes alive in this beautiful film. He was blessed with the magnificent black and white cinematography of Raoul Coutard, one of the best in France. Michel Legrand, who contributed the music score, gives a hint to another Jacques Demy film that will follow "Lola" in three years: "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg". In fact, there are parallels in "Lola" that can be seen in "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg", in the figures of Mme. Desnoyers and Roland Cassard. Only Cassard made it to the other film.Anouk Aime, one of France's loveliest actresses of all times, is seen as Lola. She does a marvelous job with this woman who has been cheated out of her happiness, but who doesn't have a mean bone in her body. Marc Michel is also effective as Roland Cassard. Allan Scott is brilliant at Frankie, another kind soul that gravitated, and loves Lola, even though he can't have her. Elina Labourdette makes the elegant Mme. Desnoyers come alive and the gorgeous Annie Duperoux does an excellent job with her Cecile."Lola" is a wonderful film that shows the great Jacques Demy at his best!

Daryl Chin (lqualls-dchin) Jacques Demy's first feature is a totally unreal confection, a real movie-movie about characters living their lives in dreams and fantasies, all derived from the movies. It's a pure escapist film, shot on location in Nantes with Raoul Coutard's most dazzling black-and-white cinematography. Every character in the movie is tinged with magic, sometimes explicitly, as when Lola (Anouk Aimee) is photographed so that she's wreathed in light, or when Cecile (Annie Duperoux) has her outing at the fair and it's shown in slow motion. It's a deliberately "silly" movie, and that's what's charming about it.

the_monocle LOLA is a wonderful movie. It may not have the intensity of THE UMBRELLAS or even YOUNG GIRLS, but it is the beginning of the Demy sensibility that came to fruition in those films. The difference is that in LOLA he takes more from the contemporary films scene, bowing to his peers as well as his predecessors. Despite criticisms, the effect of the film, its music and playful qualities, its excellent acting and camera, still puts contemporary films to shame.