Lola (1981)

Ten years after the war, West Germany's market economy is booming. Into an unnamed city that's rife with corruption comes a new building commissioner, Herr von Bohm, committed to progress ... See full summary »

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writers:

Pea Fröhlich, Peter Märthesheimer,

Stars:

Barbara Sukowa, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Mario Adorf

4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbara Sukowa	...	Lola
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Von Bohm
Mario Adorf	...	Schukert
Matthias Fuchs	...	Esslin
Helga Feddersen	...	Frau Hettich
Karin Baal	...	Lola's Mother
Ivan Desny	...	Wittich
Elisabeth Volkmann	...	Gigi
Hark Bohm	...	Volker
Karl-Heinz von Hassel	...	Timmerding (as Karl Heinz von Hassel)
Rosel Zech	...	Frau Schuckert
Sonja Neudorfer	...	Frau Fink
Christine Kaufmann	...	Susi
Y Sa Lo	...	Rosa
Günther Kaufmann	...	GI

Storyline

Ten years after the war, West Germany's market economy is booming. Into an unnamed city that's rife with corruption comes a new building commissioner, Herr von Bohm, committed to progress but also upright. He's smitten by Marie-Louise, a single mother who's his landlady's daughter. Von Bohm does not realize she is also Lola, a singer at a bordello and the mistress of Schuckert, a local builder whose profits depend on von Bohm's projects. When von Bohm discovers Marie-Louise's real vocation and looks closely at Schuckert's work, will this social satire play out as a remake of "Blue Angel," a visit of Chekhov to West Germany, or an update of Jean Renoir's "Rules of the Game"?

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Plot Keywords:

nipple slip | one word title | forced to strip | character name in title

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German English

Release Date:

4 August 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lola, mia gynaika apo ti Germania

Filming Locations:

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rialto Film, Trio Film, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The photograph above the mayor's desk shows downtown Houston, Texas as it looked in the 1960s. The film is set in the late 1950s.

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Quotes

Von Bohm: I want to buy your prostitute!
Schukert: With pleasure.
[Schukert grabs and gives Lola to Von Bohm]

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Connections

Featured in Geiger, Gaukler, Gentleman (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Caprifischer"
Performed by Rudi Schuricke

User Reviews

Lola

West Germany, late 1950s: Lola (Barbara Sukowa) is a singing prostitute working in a brothel that the town's bigwigs, even the mayor, like to frequent. To the annoyance of the corrupt construction entrepreneurs, especially a crass man named Schukert (Mario Adorf), the town's new building commissioner von Bohm (Armin Mueller-Stahl) is an honest and idealistic man who tries to clean up the building license politics from bribery and cheating. One day Lola approaches von Bohm, piques his interest and eventually leads him to dream of marriage with her – but how will he react when Lola's true profession is eventually revealed?

Lola was my first Fassbinder film, so I don't know how it compares to his other works or the other two films in the BRD trilogy, but I can say that I was impressed by the unique style. Almost all of the scenes are lit with very bright and coloured lights, frequently painting the characters in different colours even when in the same frame. The music is also light in tone, often highly comedic, making the serious-sounding tale of corruption appear as silly and petty games of fooling each other. Various characters also provide plenty of over-the-top comedy; particularly Schukert whose dancing in the brothel with the singing Lola on his shoulders provides perhaps the most outrageous scene in the whole film. Nevertheless, it's not all comedy, as the characters' serious emotional development is also examined. Besides von Bohm's realization of the true nature of things, Lola's confusion about what to do with the men surrounding her is also absorbing to see.

All in all, Fassbinder's exaggerated and satirical approach to Germany's era of post-war rebuilding is thoroughly entertaining thanks to the visual style and the lovely music. The actors, from the obnoxious Mario Adorf to the enigmatic Barbara Sukowa, do a good job too, and I consider the film a both delightful and thought-provoking piece of cinema that has definitely got me interested in seeing more of the director's work.