Film review: Lola (1961)

I couldn't get my laptop to work with the TV, so we watched a film we actually own, which is the first film in the Jacques Demy box set.  It's very well-regarded, but it seems like a bit of a dry run for the themes of his later films, only without the musical numbers.  In fact, its main male character features in Umbrellas - he's the one who ends up marrying Deneuve's character in that (and talks about how his heart was broken earlier, which refers to this film).  Basically Roland Cassard is a listless young man

living in Nantes (Remy's own home town) but not loving it.  He gets fired from his job early on in the film for always showing up late, essentially because he doesn't care about it.  Meanwhile "Lola" is a dancer who is shown hooking up with Frankie, 

an American sailor (who sounds very French when he's supposedly speaking "American", but apparently the actor really was born in New Jersey), who reminds her of the father of her seven year old son, Michel (the father, not the son) 

(who looks disturbingly like Howard from Better Call Saul) who left to pursue his fortune and hasn't returned.  Roland bumps into Lola on the way to get a job that will help him escape Nantes, and she recognizes him.  In fact, they were schoolmates, and her real name is Cécile (which is also the name of the just-turning-14 daughter 

of a woman, Madame Desnoyers,

also sans man, whom he meets in a bookstore just before, and whom he tells about the other Cécile), and he loved her deeply.  This meeting of course rekindles the love for him, and gives him new meaning in life.  Nonetheless, he pursues the job, which involves the boss of a hairdresser's giving him a briefcase to take through Amsterdam to Johannesburg, no questions asked, but he has a couple of days to kill before departing.  He uses this to pursue Lola, who makes no secret that she can only love Michel, and to get needlessly jealous of Frankie, whom Lola allows to sleep at her place because he's used up all his leave money.  He also goes for meals at the home of the young Cécile and her mother, and the mother pines for him, clearly.  The daughter, meanwhile, bumps into Frankie when they both want the last copy of a space comic called "Meteor", and she develops a (unrequited, thankfully) crush on Frankie.  It all comes to a head when the hairdresser gets busted for diamond smuggling, Frankie leaves for Cherbourg, young Cécile also leaves for Cherbourg (ostensibly to visit her mother's brother-in-law (and unbeknownst to her, her real father), to learn hairdressing, but we know it's to pursue Frankie), and Michel returns a rich man to the delighted arms of Lola.  (Michel is also the son of the owner of the cafe that Roland mopes about in - as you can see, the coincidences that reach a ridiculous peak in Rochefort are already a theme, along with young mothers without their men.)  Last shot of the movie is Lola looking out of the big car that she's being driven in by Michel at the sight of Roland walking off to find his fortune elsewhere, case in hand.  So, as I said, lots of themes that Demy will revisit - along with those I've mentioned, there's people loving people who don't love them back, and how silly but at the same time earthshaking young love is.  There are some lyrical scenes, too, including a funfair (that is spoilt somewhat by the queasiness of it being Frankie escorting a besotted 14-year-old through it) and Nantes comes off very well, naturally.  

I think we're supposed to be besotted with Lola (Anouk Aimée), 

but while she is quite affecting, and perfect for the role, she isn't up there with the Deneuves, Moreaus or Karinas.  A slight picture, as all of Demy's are really, but its mood draws you in and sticks with you.