Review for Frivolous Loa (Dual Format)

Frivolous Lola is probably the closest I will get to reviewing porn on the site (I hope) and to be honest it will rank as one of the most boring films I have ever sat through.

Set in 1950s Italy, Lola is a sexually free girl who likes nothing better than riding around on her bike showing off her sexy behind. She is engaged to marry Masetto the local baker who is more interested in dough than he is with deflowering Lola. The main plot (if such a thing can be called that) is a bizarre story of Lola not wanting to be 'respected' by her fiance and to have sex before they get married. At one point she screams 'How can I fall in love with an idiot like that?' Looking at her, I have to agree.

Amongst this, there is also a dirty 'art' photographer Andre who could almost be a pastiche of Brass himself taking pictures of the ladies of the town. He also may or may not be Lola's father, despite this there are multiple incestuous overtones and bizarre fantasy sequences throughout. All of this lead to many, many scenes of nudity, sex and basically over the top visuals.

Tinto Brass is infamous for directing and disowning Caligula and when watching this and going back and watching that film I assume he changed his mind about the use of sex and nudity which is so graphic in this film. The film is awash with closeups of lead actress Anna Ammirati's body from every angle that you almost have to take back all those comments about Michael Bay's voyeuristic camerawork in the Transformers films. Not disputing her beauty, but after I have seen up her skirt once, by the third time I'm actually paying more attention to the pattern on her dress. Yes, this is a film that manages to make nudity boring. Bravo Tinto Brass!

Throughout we are 'treated' to many jokes at the expense of sex and nudity, including priests smelling Lola's bicycle seat, bizarre sex fantasies and stumbling in on people naked. Lola plucking pubic hair which leads to a graphic masturbation scene to the sound of Be Bopa Lua? A bizarre dance scene in which Lola has no panties and a bizarre sight of Lola urinating in the rain. Remember this is the man who disowned Caligula?

An hour into the film and I was waiting for the plot to begin or for the crux of the story or something. But there is nothing. I would compare it to one of the old 1970s porns that tried to be real films, but at least they had some semblance of a plot. At times I kept thinking, well this film isn't bad for the 1970s... only to have to keep reminding myself this was released in 1998? Even if you look at it as Italy's answer to Betty Blue, it is still sub-par with no plot and nothing going for it besides the copious amounts of nudity. If this is what you were looking for, you may aswell just go buy a porn film?

The extras are pitiful, with alternate opening and ending credits for the completists and a trailer that does very little to explain what the film is about, but then I defy anyone who can explain it to me either! I expected to see some extras with some people trying to explain what Brass was trying to do, but I guess they couldn't find anyone. It's not surprising that very few people in this film went on to do anything other than Andre (Patrick Mower) who most will recognise as Rodney from Emmerdale?

One piece of advice is to not watch the film in the English dub as it is almost even more unwatchable. Seeing absurd American accents not matching the lips makes it almost seem like a parody of this type of film. Only not funny. If you have to watch it, watch with the Italian language and just deal with reading the subtitles.

Frivolous Lola is a frivolous film and more an exercise in just how much Tinto Brass could get away with before the BBFC slapped an R18 on the box and forced it to be sold under the counter. The attempts at comedy, the awful acting and the lack of any kind of plot make this one of the most sexiest and also most pointless films I have ever seen.