301. Lola Montes (1955)
Directed By Max Ophuls
Synopsis
Lola Montes is a circus attraction where she recounts details of her salacious life through trapeze artists and reconstructions. We see her life through several flashbacks.
Review
Only 700 films to go! Almost there! Here we have the last film of the great director Max Ophuls, and the film where his trademark flowy camera is most apparent. One of the most interesting things about the film is how the camera is always placed in awkward positions, with obstacles partly obscuring some characters in a quite successful effort to make the viewer feel like a part of the action.
The illusion of being part of the action would have been considerably more successful if my DVD was a better one. Firstly it's in cinemascope, meaning you get a little strip of film filling up about a third of the TV screen... then the DVD version I had
had bad picture quality to add to that. This is a film I'd like to see in the cinema.
If we get over that, however, it is a fascinating story of a courtesan's rise and fall. The most amazing thing about it all are the sets, however. Opulent does not begin to describe it. The circus arena is amazing, the palacian environments she moves through in her flashbacks are equally amazing, and just the amount of detail in the background makes your jaw drop. Oh and Peter Ustinov is in it as well. Always a plus.
Final Grade
9/10 (It might be different with a better version, and I preferred Madame De...)
Trivia
From Wikipedia:
Lola Montes will be re-released by Rialto Pictures in November 2008, with footage never before shown in any U.S. release. THANK FUCK FOR THAT!
Trailer for the new version... looks much better. Comes out in about a month:
Synopsis
Lola Montes is a circus attraction where she recounts details of her salacious life through trapeze artists and reconstructions. We see her life through several flashbacks.
Review
Only 700 films to go! Almost there! Here we have the last film of the great director Max Ophuls, and the film where his trademark flowy camera is most apparent. One of the most interesting things about the film is how the camera is always placed in awkward positions, with obstacles partly obscuring some characters in a quite successful effort to make the viewer feel like a part of the action.
The illusion of being part of the action would have been considerably more successful if my DVD was a better one. Firstly it's in cinemascope, meaning you get a little strip of film filling up about a third of the TV screen... then the DVD version I had
had bad picture quality to add to that. This is a film I'd like to see in the cinema.
If we get over that, however, it is a fascinating story of a courtesan's rise and fall. The most amazing thing about it all are the sets, however. Opulent does not begin to describe it. The circus arena is amazing, the palacian environments she moves through in her flashbacks are equally amazing, and just the amount of detail in the background makes your jaw drop. Oh and Peter Ustinov is in it as well. Always a plus.
Final Grade
9/10 (It might be different with a better version, and I preferred Madame De...)
Trivia
From Wikipedia:
Lola Montes will be re-released by Rialto Pictures in November 2008, with footage never before shown in any U.S. release. THANK FUCK FOR THAT!
Trailer for the new version... looks much better. Comes out in about a month:
posted by Francisco Silva @ 3:45 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home