Lola Montès (1955)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 116 minuten
Alternative title: The Sins of Lola Montes
Country:
France / West Germany / Luxembourg
Directed by: Max Ophüls
Stars: Martine Carol and Peter Ustinov
IMDb score:
7,2 (6.763)
Releasedate: 23 December 1955
This movie is not available on US streaming services.
Lola Montès plot
"She lived too intensely and far too well!"
Lola Montes - to avoid being married off to an old banker - marries her mother's lover. She then becomes a dancer and famous. Loved by King Ludwig I, she causes a revolution, but ends up as a circus attraction as "the most infamous woman of the century".
Actors and actresses
Lola Montes
Circus Master
Ludwig I. von Bayern
Horsema Maurice
Lola's Mother
Josephine, The Maid
Student
Private Secretary
Franz Liszt
Lieutenant James' Sister
Reviews & comments
Spetie
-
- 38871 messages
- 8613 votes
Lola Montès is the last film Max Ophüls directed, and the third I've seen of his. But after two enjoyable introductions, this one is a slight disappointment.
It's certainly filmed with great dynamism, and circus enthusiasts will certainly find plenty to enjoy, as the scenes are numerous. There are several shifts between the present and the past, which should allow us to get to know the protagonist, Lola, better. This does happen, but despite this, it all remains rather distant, and I never really connected with the main character. Her marriage, her relationship with the king, and her relationship with a Bavarian student are the most important episodes. But whatever Lola does, Ophüls never manages to make her life truly interesting.
That a film like Moulin Rouge was inspired by this is more than obvious. The similarities are numerous, and neither film appeals to me. Ophüls, in turn, seems to have been inspired by von Sternberg's films, but unfortunately, he doesn't reach that level here.
2.0*
Translated from Dutch · View original
Sir Djuke
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- 388 messages
- 1110 votes
A brilliantly designed, flamboyant film by Max Ophuls. Restored to its former glory in 2008, it compares the rather turbulent life of companion Lola Montez (or Montes, as in the film) to a circus act. The camera moves through the ring, between the many extroverted extras. Through flashbacks, we see her adventures and the social turbulence they caused.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Movsin
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- 8461 messages
- 8504 votes
It's a unique way to tell the colorful life of Lola Montès through the lens of the equally colorful circus scene, and the fact that Peter Ustinov, as the director of that circus, initially receives more attention than lead actress Martine Carol. A Martine Carol, by the way, who doesn't make a great acting impression (she was generally chosen for her roles more for her physical charm than for her acting talent). It was quite popular, though.
After Ustinov faded into the background, I found the film gained in tension, and I found the scenes with Ludwig very good and comical.
The sets and costumes certainly deserve praise in this film by Max Ophüls, of whom I've never really been a fan. "Madame de..." appealed to me the most, but clearly there are other opinions, because he was certainly a remarkable filmmaker.
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