Max Ophüls directed Lola Montès, a historical romance, which became his last completed film. (Ophüls died of heart attack in 1957.)
Based on the novel “La vie extraordinaire de Lola Montès,” by Cécil Saint-Laurent, the film depicts the life of dancer and courtesan Lola Montez (1821–1861), portrayed by French star Martine Carol.
Through lavish tableaux, the film tells the story of the famous and notorious affairs, such as those with Franz Liszt and Ludwig I of Bavaria.
A co-production between France and West Germany, the dialogue is mostly in French and German, with some English-language sequences.
The most expensive European film produced up to its time, Lola Montès underperformed at the box office. However, it had artistic influence on the French New Wave and continues to have many critical admirers.
Heavily re-edited and shortened after its initial release for commercial reasons, it has been twice restored (1968, 2008).
It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the U.S. by The Criterion Collection in 2010.
In the first scene, in New Orleans, a whip-wielding ringmaster announces the “attraction of the century” and “the most interesting predator” of his circus: the former royal mistress Maria Dolores Porriz y Montez, Countess von Landsfeld, known as Lola Montez.
She is carried into the circus ring to reply to queries from the audience. Each question costs 25 cents, which will be donated by her to a correctional home for fallen women.
The crowd shouts questions to Lola Montez about her waist size and her affairs, but the ringmaster answers them humorously.
A parade of lovers begins, where the circus performers represent the number of Lola Montez’ lovers.
The question of whether the Countess von Landsfeld still remembers them leads Lola Montez to a first flashback of her affair with the composer Franz Liszt.
The ringmaster announces a change of scene and costume, as they will now deal with the childhood and youth of Lola Montez. A flashback shows the young Lola boarding a ship to Paris with her mother. While her mother shares a cabin with her lover, Lieutenant James, Lola Montez sleeps in the dormitory with other girls.
Once in Paris, her mother wants her to marry an old baron who was the family’s banker. To avoid this fate, she escapes with Lieutenant James, who confesses his love to her, and they get married.
The ringmaster claims that the marriage was happy, but a flashback shows that after five years Lola Montez is actually fleeing from her violent, constantly drunk and cheating husband.
Lola Montez makes her debut as a dancer in Madrid, is kidnapped by a rich Russian, whose love she rejected, and is freed by the intervention of the French ambassador. During these performances, a doctor talks with the director of the circus, who is still disguised as a clown and counting the daily profits. The doctor warns him that Lola’s heart is weak and that she should take care of herself.
The ringmaster announces that Lola Montez had finally remembered his offer to work together and came to the circus. She has been performing here every day for four months, ending her show by jumping from the top platform onto a padded mat without a net.
In the end, the male spectators queue in front of the cage to kiss Lola Montez’ hand for a dollar. The ringmaster confesses to Lola Montez that he could not exist without her, to which she replies, “Life goes on.”
Cast
Martine Carol as Lola Montez
Peter Ustinov as Circus Master
Will Quadflieg as Franz Liszt
Anton Walbrook as Ludwig I, King of Bavaria
Oskar Werner as Student
Henri Guisol as Horseman Maurice
Lise Delamare as Mrs. Craigie, Lola’s mother
Paulette Dubost as Josephine, Lola’s maid
Jacqueline Cantrelle as friend of conductor
