Giro d’Italia (aka the Grand Tour of Italy) is taking place right now. The bicycle race is considered the warmup to the Tour de France. I’m willing to bet that there’s not a single bike rider on the roads of Italy that will warm you up as much as when Anna Ammirati peddles around in Frivolous Lola. When it comes to bike movies, director Tinto Brass allows fetish elements to shine on the screen.
Lola (Positano‘s Anna Ammirati) is a bit of a wild child. While a band is playing in the town square (conducted by director Tinto Brass), Lola rides around on her bike causing a major distraction. She’s wearing a red tank top with a short skirt that flies up as she peddles around. Everybody in the town know what her underwear looks like. When a cyclist catches up with her, he gets her a feel on the rump. After she teases two priests on a country road, the Holy men later sniff the bicycle seat. She’s a tease who is engaged to baker Masetto (Max Parodi). He’s doing his best to be a good Catholic boy and refusing to go all the way before they are married. She does her best to tempt him among the dough and loaves. She’s got needs. Lola’s mom works for the extremely rich Andre (The Devil Rides Out’s Patrick Mower). This guy is rather creepy as he shows off slides of women’s rear ends to a pal. When Lola drops by, she gets a view of the art. Later accidentally sees Andre in a ship’s captain’s outfit doing a private photography session with a woman and a few of his toys. This also turns on the virginal Lola. She’s getting sick of waiting and senses her boyfriend is doing this to control her. Will she rebel and not need a white dress for their wedding?
Tinto Brass and cinematographer Massimo Di Venanzo (who also shot Brass’s All Ladies Do It) make this a great slice of European erotic cinema. Anna Ammirati shines on the screen. The camera makes her goddess of desires. You don’t judge the priests for sniffing that bicycle seat. The power of Lola compels them. Brass gets a lot of detail in the frame including the time she plays the plucking daisy petals to determine if she’ll marry her fiancé. Except it’s not daisy petals. This is one of the scenes that was snipped by various distributors around the world. The good news is that we’re getting the uncut version that Tinto Brass made on the 4K UHD. This is exactly what you wanted to watch on Cinemax After Dark. Tinto Brass astounds the eyes with a mix of bawdy and classy.
If you’re interested in more about Tinto Brass, Cult Epics has a great book on the director’s work. Nico B’s The Films of Tinto Brass: From The Avant-Garde to Erotica is a complete guide to the director’s feature work. The book is illustrated with photos from his career including Frivolous Lola.
The film in Italy is titled Monella which is Italian for “rascal.” This wouldn’t work in English speaking countries because rascal is something you call a boy. There’s nothing boyish about Lola. She is all about enjoying the pleasures of being a woman. As we’re in the middle of bike racing season, Frivolous Lola is the perfect movie to watch during a day when there’s no stage on TV.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 4K UHD transfer was made from the original negative. You’ll be see a whole lot of detail as Lola rides her bike across the screen. The Audio is Italian DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1. There is an English dub track in DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1. The film was cut for the English release version so those missing scenes are in Italian with subtitles. The movie has English subtitles.
Audio Commentary by Eugenio Ercolani & Nathaniel Thompson has them enjoying the film. They give background on Tinto Brass and Anna Ammirati. There’s a discussion about how the film didn’t do as well as expected at the box office. By 1998, the art houses were rather cautious about nudity in the films and mainly running titles from Miramax and other Dependie distributors.
Theatrical Trailers includes Tinto Brass’ films Frivolous Lola, All Ladies Do it, Paprika, P.O. Box Tinto Brass and Istintobrass.
Blu-ray has the movie and bonus features.
Audio Commentary by Eugenio Ercolani & Nathaniel Thompson is the same as the version on the 4K UHD.
Theatrical Trailers includes Tinto Brass’ films Frivolous Lola, All Ladies Do it, Paprika, P.O. Box Tinto Brass and Istintobrass.
Interview with director Tinto Brass (25:51) was taped in 2004. He speaks in English while talking about the feel. He talks about dealing with distributors over the world who will change titles and cut scenes. His wife was part of the screenwriting process.
Photo Gallery (1:40) is a montage of press photos.
Double-sided sleeve with original Italian poster art with the Monella title.
20-page illustrated booklet with a biography of Anna Ammirati by Eugenio Ercolani and Domenico Monetti.
Slipcase featuring Lola in the rain.
4K UHD first pressing Exclusive: 4 Italian Lobby Card prints that are suitable for framing.
Cult Epics presents Frivolous Lola. Directed by Tinto Brass. Screenplay by Tinto Brass, Carla Cipriani & Barbara Alberti. Starring Anna Ammirati, Patrick Mower, Max Parodi, Susanna Martinková, Antonio Salines, Francesca Nunzi, Vittorio Attene, Laura Trotter, Carlo Reali and Tinto Brass. Running Time: 105 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: May 7, 2024.
