FRIVOLOUS LOLA (MONELLA)
The joy of sex
Spoilers for Frivolous Lola (1998). Trigger warnings for brief discussions of sexual assault and incest.
If the widely accepted route for some of the most famous auteurs is to start in exploitation films, often containing a level of softcore sex, then what does it say about a director who purposefully shifted away from highly regarded avant-garde films to softcore features? In the case of Tinto Brass, far from a fall from grace, it appears to be in keeping with the director’s cheeky curiosity in the joys of life.
Reading The Films of Tinto Brass, released by Cult Epics alongside 4K remasters of Frivolous Lola and All Ladies Do It, it’s said that Brass found the idea of censoring oneself ridiculous. Indeed through Frivolous Lola, he shows the straitlaced town in which Lola lives to be full of people who outwardly protect a very conservative attitude to sex, but then who also attend nude beaches, embrace a ‘harmless’ voyeur, take part in BDSM-inspired photoshoots behind closed doors, and, at the beginning of the film, sniff the seat of Lola’s bicycle while still wearing their clerical clothing.
Yet the curiosity of Lola (Anna Ammirati) in her body and sex is judged, and Brass takes great joy in showcasing this hypocrisy. The film doesn’t always work, breaking up the light-hearted attempts of Lola to sleep with her seemingly prudish fiancé Masetto (Max Parodi) are the bizarre inclusions of attempted sexual assault and possible incest, yet Brass remains dedicated to the idea that we should not be ashamed of our desires, and that those who try to hide them in public are often more freaky behind closed doors.
This is most clear with the character of Masetto. His attraction to Lola is evident by the way he paws at her when they are together, yet he remains insistent that Lola retain her virginity until marriage. It is not the fact that Masetto believes in the sanctity of marriage that Brass finds distasteful, but the fact that the opposite is true. The character comes within a second of having sex with Lola, very much at her encouragement, and yet always pulls away, leaving them both dissatisfied.
If it were just this, it would possibly be understandable. After all, it would be ridiculous to think that those who wait until marriage aren’t interested in sex. While not universally true, as there are many on the spectrum of asexuality, it’s broadly true to say that those with the right person have a level of arousal that would occasionally make it difficult to stay true to any vow of virginity.
Yet Brass doubles down on Masetto’s hypocrisy, showing him to visit a sex worker late in the film. It’s unclear whether this is his first time, though the dialogue suggests he may have visited before. This adds another layer to his treatment of Lola. If he is quite happy visiting a sex worker, then it is not the virginity of women he is concerned about, but the social construct that views virginal women differently than those who embrace their sexuality. The former is good for marriage, the latter for fun.
He does a similar thing with Lola’s mother Zaira, though there are far more complications to this as Lola actively pursues a sexual relationship with André (Patrick Mower), Zaira’s partner and, potentially, Lola’s father. Zaira is played by Senera Grandi, who was considered a sex symbol in her own right during the 1970s and 80s – before becoming a right-wing political party member alongside Mussolini’s granddaughter, but that’s a whole other can of worms.
In the film, Zaira is shown to have enjoyed a libertine lifestyle with André and continues to allow him to carry on affairs with those he photographs. The casting of an actress who many would have known for her sexual appeal, especially following Brass’s film Miranda (1985), adds a level of humour to proceedings as she admonishes Lola for her impropriety.
At the end, Brass promotes just living life. Forgetting arbitrary rules, as long as you are not hurting others. To deny yourself pleasure, almost for the sake of denial itself, does not make you godlier; it simply subtracts from life itself.
Director: Tinto Brass
Writers: Tinto Brass, Carla Cipriani, Barbara Alberti
Starring: Anna Ammirati, Patrick Mower, Max Parodi, Serena Grandi
 | A guest post by
|
Just wanted to say I enjoyed a lot reading this.
"At the end, Brass promotes just living life. Forgetting arbitrary rules, as long as you are not hurting others. To deny yourself pleasure, almost for the sake of denial itself, does not make you godlier; it simply subtracts from life itself.” <3