Lola

In lesser hands Lola would have fallen somewhere between weepy melodrama and tired camp, but under Jacques Demy's expert direction, this 1961 French drama takes on a depth and scope that makes it a small masterwork of emotion. Anouk Aimee is stunning as the singer/dancer whose seduction and abandonment by a sailor leaves her with an unexpected souvenir of their brief affair. Seven years later, Lola is a single mother supporting her beautiful son by working as a nightclub entertainer; although pursued by worthy men, she remains obsessed with the sailor (who, unbeknownst to her, works in town as a chauffeur). Although various subplots abound, it as Aimee, beautifully framed in Raoul Coutard's crisp black-and-white CinemaScope, who occupies center stage in a role that is meant to call up Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe but is clearly an original creation. Demy, directing his first feature, shot Lola on location in his hometown, the port city of Nantes, and while it did not enjoy much success during its initial release, the handsomely restored film was deservedly lauded during its 2002 re-release. DVD extras include an excerpt from Agnes Varda's 1995 documentary The World of Jacques Demy. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)