Lola (1981)As appearances can be deceiving, so too can deceivers be appealing. Social mores dictate that we wear masks--figuratively speaking--in keeping with the decorum of our environment. There are certain words you do not speak in church, you would not wear a stodgy suit to a lascivious den of ill repute, and all the other brands of etiquette to follow. Lies...but lies which are the glue that hold our fragile little house of cards we call society together. "Tact" comes from "tactical"; and bridging the world of the otherwise dull construction of buildings and the vice-ridden realm of a brothel is Lola (Barbara Sukowa), a natural tactician in skirmish of love and deception.
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In the West German town of Coburg, during the "economic miracle" more than ten years after the end of World War II, a new building commissioner arrives to facilitate a large-scale project which the "power elite" at the crux of the city's economy desire to complete. His name is Von Bohm (Armin Mueller-Stahl)--we never get his first name--and he has a very large broom. Von Bohm's unerring attention to detail proves a hurdle for the town's leading building contractor, a powerful figure in the community who is used to getting away with this and that to profit in his work a little more than the other guy; his name is Schukert (Mario Adorf)--again, sans first name. The two form a begrudging respect for one another; but these two diametrically opposed men share a secret which develops over time to be the love of a common woman: Lola, who becomes the red queen in their metaphorical game of chess for her heart. Lola makes her living in the town brothel, as a singer--and a good performer at that--but also as a prostitute. Nearly all of the members of the building commission frequent the bordello, although Schukert seems completely at home there; nay, he appears as a king in his castle, throwing around money, genuinely happy to spread his wings in an abode which better suits his tastes as a "bird of prey" as Von Bohn refers to him in private. It might be that Lola would never have heard of Von Bohm, save that his business acumen so dominates Schukert's thoughts that he speaks at length to Lola about him, fundamentally boring her as he talks over her head. But when Schukert says that it is unlikely she would meet Von Bohm--he is "old fashioned" and not the "kind of guy for Lola"--this proves to be just the right kind of dare to incite her to prove Schukert wrong, and try to prove to herself that she can be respected as more than just a woman who sells her body. Interestingly, Lola wins the bet with Schukert by dressing herself up in nice clothes, presenting herself to Von Bohn without an introduction, simply to evoke a kiss on the hand from him. Lola further persists in her play at being a lady of virtue by intercepting Von Bohn and playing the part so well that he falls in love with her...rather, his perception of her, which is the perception she wanted him to see. But Von Bohn's dream was not to last, when his building liaison, Esslin (Matthias Fuchs)--who doubles as the drummer for the band at the brothel--takes him to see his colleagues in their "true environment", only to behold Lola taking the stage, drenched in lurid light, Schukert's lascivious words of her prowess in the oldest profession stinging his ears.
Lola would be the third--and final--entry into Rainer Werner Fassbinder's "BRD Trilogy" of films both about the rising of Germany in the wake of its devastation after World War II, and also featuring strong women who themselves rise to power in varying ways. Lola is also a movie about two worlds; Lola puts it best when she tells Von Bohn--ironically while in her disguise of personality--that people have a "private life" and a "public life" and the two have nothing to do with one another. Is this true, or is this just another justification for people to adopt a personality outside what they are required to show out of the necessity of decorum? Certainly it is in Lola's best interests to endorse such a view, since her quest is to cross that bridge between them without being restrained to her current situation...not that she seems to mind it, just that the men in her life rarely see her beyond those bordello walls. Everyone wears some kind of makeup or mask in Lola--although this is something which Von Bohm is forced to discover himself--but it is conveyed by the lush and saturated lighting all over the movie, a reflection of the heavy, caked-on alter egos of the townsfolk. The music and setting shares some similarities with another film like Lola, called Cabaret, although set after the war. Both films also feature a well-intentioned stranger who finds his own scruples challenged by his new environment after falling in love with a singer at the bar. Lola's skill has always been at putting on an act; but when Von Bohm surprises her at the club while she gives an encore performance of "Capri-Fischer", he is forced to leave, visibly heartbroken, and Lola continues to perform, although her act deteriorates rapidly into a display of frenzied histrionics out of despair and self-loathing, lacking the joy or ebullience she portrayed previously. Lola is a woman in a man's world, although the events in the film indicate that this dynamic is already endangered. The prevailing notion is that men always underestimate her, undervalue her, or value her solely for what she can provide for them. At first, she acts like a whore because she is treated like a whore; but she changes her appearance, dons a new costume, and advances into her position of power with relative ease. But Lola is keen, and picks up on the events surrounding the controversial Lindenhof project and the power dynamic surrounding it, and gains a broader insight into both worlds--the one she has grown accustomed to, and the one she crosses over into. She makes an astute observation about Von Bohm--that he is like Don Quixote, dreaming an impossible dream free from vice and corruption; Lola herself is a "Dulcinea" of dulcet tones, dancing between the two worlds, where angel and devil are interchangeable.
Recommended for: Fans of a morality tale about the challenges in consolidating the divergent lives we lead, and how our perceptions of those worlds can erect barriers. It is about how we conceal some sides of ourselves, and how that fosters misunderstanding.
Lola would be the third--and final--entry into Rainer Werner Fassbinder's "BRD Trilogy" of films both about the rising of Germany in the wake of its devastation after World War II, and also featuring strong women who themselves rise to power in varying ways. Lola is also a movie about two worlds; Lola puts it best when she tells Von Bohn--ironically while in her disguise of personality--that people have a "private life" and a "public life" and the two have nothing to do with one another. Is this true, or is this just another justification for people to adopt a personality outside what they are required to show out of the necessity of decorum? Certainly it is in Lola's best interests to endorse such a view, since her quest is to cross that bridge between them without being restrained to her current situation...not that she seems to mind it, just that the men in her life rarely see her beyond those bordello walls. Everyone wears some kind of makeup or mask in Lola--although this is something which Von Bohm is forced to discover himself--but it is conveyed by the lush and saturated lighting all over the movie, a reflection of the heavy, caked-on alter egos of the townsfolk. The music and setting shares some similarities with another film like Lola, called Cabaret, although set after the war. Both films also feature a well-intentioned stranger who finds his own scruples challenged by his new environment after falling in love with a singer at the bar. Lola's skill has always been at putting on an act; but when Von Bohm surprises her at the club while she gives an encore performance of "Capri-Fischer", he is forced to leave, visibly heartbroken, and Lola continues to perform, although her act deteriorates rapidly into a display of frenzied histrionics out of despair and self-loathing, lacking the joy or ebullience she portrayed previously. Lola is a woman in a man's world, although the events in the film indicate that this dynamic is already endangered. The prevailing notion is that men always underestimate her, undervalue her, or value her solely for what she can provide for them. At first, she acts like a whore because she is treated like a whore; but she changes her appearance, dons a new costume, and advances into her position of power with relative ease. But Lola is keen, and picks up on the events surrounding the controversial Lindenhof project and the power dynamic surrounding it, and gains a broader insight into both worlds--the one she has grown accustomed to, and the one she crosses over into. She makes an astute observation about Von Bohm--that he is like Don Quixote, dreaming an impossible dream free from vice and corruption; Lola herself is a "Dulcinea" of dulcet tones, dancing between the two worlds, where angel and devil are interchangeable.
Recommended for: Fans of a morality tale about the challenges in consolidating the divergent lives we lead, and how our perceptions of those worlds can erect barriers. It is about how we conceal some sides of ourselves, and how that fosters misunderstanding.