Verdict
Summary
It sort of marks the end of an era of a certain kind of erotica that, quite simply, isn’t made anymore. Will I watch it again? Probably not. Did it pass the time? Yes, but the film lacks an emotional center and really only cares about the flesh. When it was over, it felt frivolous indeed.
Plot:
A baker’s fiancé is determined to get him to consummate before their upcoming wedding.
Review:
Lola (Anna Ammirati) is the young town flirt in a quaint Italian village in the 1950’s, and she’s both the envy of every man who fervently lust over her and the scourge of every married woman, whose husbands cast their wayward eyes upon her. Her fiancé is a stubborn young baker named Masetto (Max Parodi) who, despite Lola’s insistent and incredibly provocative persuasions towards him (and every other man in town), refuses to go all the way with her until they’ve been married, but he allows himself to do just about every other thing with her, and in order to quell his sexual desires, he even visits a local whore, which begs the question: Why not with Lola? She certainly makes herself available by flaunting her tushy (and the rest of her goods, sometimes) at everyone, but by some miracle she’s remained a virgin. She’s halfway innocent with her lusty thoughts, but she’s also more than halfway guilty for turning every man on – including her own father! – and she’s certainly knowledgeable enough to know that she’s a vixen in heat, but deep down she’s just a girl who needs to be laid. She gets herself into some tricky situations by trusting men who’re creeps; in one instance, she ends up in a photographer’s studio, a man who specializes in erotica, and in another situation she hitchhikes and ends up in a creep’s car and ends up getting molested. Lola might not last until her wedding night, but you can best bet that Masetto won’t either!
From Tinto Brass, the maestro of erotic cinema that focuses on derrière’s, Frivolous Lola is a breezy and wafer thin sex comedy that goes further than most softcore films go by featuring graphic nudity and an overall anything-goes attitude. It’s playful, sexy, butts up into taboo (pun intended), and is somewhat lawless in terms of presenting its intentions as brazenly as possible without going full-bore into hardcore territory, although it might be considered hardcore by some standards. It certainly delivers the “goods” and fans of European erotica will more than certainly get their quota, while others might be a little taken aback by its almost constant envelope-pushing sex and nude scenes. Is it well made? Well, depends on how you look at it. It sort of marks the end of an era of a certain kind of erotica that, quite simply, isn’t made anymore. Will I watch it again? Probably not. Did it pass the time? Yes, but the film lacks an emotional center and really only cares about the flesh. When it was over, it felt frivolous indeed.
Cult Epics has just reissued Frivolous Lola onto a Blu-ray, and they’ve also released it in a 4K Ultra HD edition. The 4K transfer is top quality and has been restored, looking crystal clear and sharp. There’s a new audio commentary by two film historians, plus an archival interview with Brass from 20 years ago. There’s also a 20page booklet, a reversible sleeve, a slipcover, a still gallery, and more.
