Lola Montes (1955)

 Max Ophuls' "Lola Montes"

Although it is not my favorite film of Max Ophuls, I believe "Lola Montes" manages to be a perfect swan song for the director and a perfect encapsulation of the themes he often explored in his filmography. It also happened to be the first and very last time he would ever use technicolor. Based on the life of real-life courtesan Lola Montez in the 19th century, the film details her journey through the various oppressive forces that shaped her life and her eventual final curtain call as a circus show.

I think the reason why "Lola Montes" is a great swan song for Ophuls due to the perfect visual and thematic encapsulation of his philosophical viewpoint of 'society,' regardless of what time period that society resides. If you go back to the beginning of his career in Germany, and look at one of his most prominent features, 1933's "Liebelei," it was clear that Ophuls interpretation of society is that it is full of oppressive restriction. This restriction is exercised through the use of 'high society,' 'politeness,' and  'decadence.' This decadence, one would think would be liberating from the turmoil of suffering. But, through Ophuls' visual rendering, this decadence becomes crushing. In "Liebelei," the uniforms, the aristocratic dissipation, the 'manners' of all the characters restricts their basic human impulses. At the time, this was a direct counter idea against the Nazi party and their desire for oppressive actions against free expression and individual autonomy. 

After leaving Germany for America in 1933, Ophuls was limited in his ability to make his own unique films under the studio system. However, after moving to France in 1950, he was once again able to craft films that fit his own unique thematic persona. His films once again began to focus on the restrictive tyranny of wealth and power and how those notions strangle the very organic human emotions that defy 'properness.' Even more so, he began to focus his attention on how this oppressive social installment was even more restrictive on women in particular. His 1953 film "The Earrings of Madame de..." modeled these ideas to their fullest extent.

Perhaps this is why I feel as though "Lola Montes" is the natural thematic conclusion to his filmography. It centers on a woman, as she is bounced around various economically powerful sources, all the while being considered 'property,' or even more so, purely a sexual object and nothing more. The film's final shot perfectly encapsulates the patriarchal viewpoint of women and how, given an economic forum, places a dollar value on a woman's life and her worth. Lola's whole life story was a source of entertainment, due to its so-called 'scandalous' nature. Despite her own lack of autonomy in her own life, she is still a source of derision for her 'less than proper conduct.' 

Visually, Ophuls gets to continue framing his stories using visual decadence that weighs down his central characters. Even more so, he gets to add color. I feel as though the color that is added to the film expresses Ophuls' motifs of decadence even more so than his previous films due to enhanced visual quality that color provides. What I mean to say is that color is just one extra layer of visual indulgence that adds to the already indulgent nature of the environments the characters find themselves in.

"Lola Montes" was Ophuls final film. It was a great ending to an incredible career and perfectly encapsulated the visual language Ophuls had honed for over 25 years. While it may not be my favorite of Ophuls work, it still manages to communicate the very essence of what his work encapsulated.