Review of Spagnola, La

Introduction

Fiery Lola and her insolent daughter Lucia`s relationship are tested during a difficult period. Lola`s husband, Ricardo, has run off with an Australian and her daughter wants nothing to do with her. They`re financially broke and live in a tiny shack outside an oil refinery with an outside toilet, pigeons and a goat named Elvis. Bills need to be paid, money needs to be earned and food needs to be put on the table. It`s not easy to do when you`re an emigrant in `60s Australia. What follows is how she manages to do this, further alienate her daughter and get revenge on her husband`s mistress.

Video

There`s plenty of colour and detail in this 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. It looks good and matches the surreal feel of the film. Colours are bright but contrast seems a little high resulting in slight edge enhancement. There`s little in the way of film and though it might seem a little soft around the edges, this doesn`t detract in the slightest.

Audio

Nothing over-the-top with the audio. The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio is clear and dynamic, sounding very good with music and dialogue.

Features

• Original Trailer (2:10) - The usual.

• Rich Cline Film Notes - An interesting series of static pages about the film and a few members of its cast and crew.

• World Cinema Trailer Reel - Trailers for other Tartan world cinema DVDs.

• Filmographies for Director Steve Jacobs and actors Lola Marceli and Lourdes Bartolomé. These are just pages of static text.

Sadly this is a below average range of extras when compared to the Australian DVD.

The film has a mix of English, Spanish and Italian audio and features English subtitles for all onscreen non-English dialogue.

Conclusion

La Spagnola is not a typical everyday film. English is the minority language where Spanish and Italian get equal billing. Even its ironic title, "La Spagnola", translated from the Italian as "The Spanish Wife" might give you a few clues as to the surreal comedic nature of the film. It`s focus is around the whacked out Lola and her odd daughter Lucia. Ever since Lola`s husband left her for an Australian bimbo, she`s been out to get revenge. Especially when hubby has taken all the housekeeping with him too. Bills need paying and with no money, Lola has to become `persuasive` with the opposite sex.

The already strained relationship between mother and daughter is further exacerbated when the pigeons and Elvis, Lucia`s pet goat, go missing and suddenly there`s a magnificent feast laid on. It`s this type of dark and sometimes brash comedy which is peppered throughout and I thought some of it worked well. We have the mother, Lola, getting to grips without her husband, and we have her daughter, Lucia, who wants to do her own thing and detests her wild mother. Their relationship is at the forefront and it`s amusing to see how they cope.

The circumstances are ripe for comedy, especially with vegetables. Courgettes, like cucumbers, seem to be a woman`s best friend and the scene where this is illustrated is not something I can forget in a hurry.

La Spagnola is a film that I recommend seeing if only because it`s different. It`s funny and has a good cast. If you decide to buy it then the Australian version is the best version currently available with real extras including audio commentary and deleted scenes.