In April 2024, physical media boutique Cult Epics released a first-time world premiere 4K UHD of filmmaker Tinto Brass’s erotic dramedy All Ladies Do It (1992). This would be the first of several restorations the boutique would release in the run-up to their upcoming Tinto Brass Maestro of Erotic Cinema 2 collection, with the second one, sex comedy Frivolous Lola (1998), coming available in three editions the first week of May 2024. Along with a world premiere 4K UHD restoration and a North American Blu-ray premiere, Cult Epics’s restoration of Frivolous Lola includes two brand-new audio tracks in both Italian and English, reproduced lobby cards, a booklet, and more.
Anna Ammirati as Lola in FRIVOLOUS LOLA. Photo courtesy of Cult Epics.
In 1950, in a small Italian town, resides the persistently playful Lola (Anna Ammirati) and her fiancée, the baker Masetto (Max Parodi). Though the two are very much in love, he refuses to bed her before they’re married and it’s literally all she can think about. So much so that her desire to lose her virginity begins to drive a wedge between the two until the upcoming nuptials come into question. Can Lola find satisfaction and marry her love or are all the good times about to end?
L-R: Max Parodi as Masetto and Anna Ammirati as Lola in FRIVOLOUS LOLA. Photo courtesy of Cult Epics.
Unlike the more sexually involved and somewhat dour Ladies, Frivolous Lola top-to-bottom (no pun intended) embraces the joie de vivre philosophy. From the introduction, we come to understand that Lola, herself, is energetic, spirited, and very much aware of her sexuality and its impact on others. In the opening sequence, Lola rides her bike through the town square, both the wind and herself lifting her skirt to show off her white panties and the uncovered portions of her bottom. She delights in the reaction from the men around her and doesn’t seem at all displeased when some interactions grow a little more aggressive. To her, it appears, this is the game to be played. Given what we later learn about her mother and step-father, a certain casualness with her physical form and the interest in sexual exploration makes sense. That Lola wants to lose her virginity contains a certain progressiveness that’s absent from a lot of 1990’s sex comedies, though the unflinching nudity and cinematic voyeurism probably wouldn’t attract general American audiences, even with all the body and sex positivity. Strangely, where the narrative and camera direction in Ladies felt exploitive from start to finish, Lola rarely gives up her agency, the narrative and camerawork more often observing or capturing in a natural way. The more erotic sequence featuring Lola exploring herself is nowhere as pornographic as several elements of Ladies, but that doesn’t mean that the film doesn’t take opportunities to zoom in on moments that clearly proclaim that we, the audience, are truly voyeurs to the events before us. But whereas Brass couldn’t seem to help himself on leering all over Ladies’s Diana (Claudia Knoll), there’s more of a tasteful and narratively-appropriate exploration of Lola’s form that doesn’t leave one with a sour taste. Additionally, with the exception of the will-they-won’t-they aspect of Lola and her stepfather, Masetto’s chauvinistic hypocrisy, and the manner by which Lola wins the day, the whole of the film is a fairly forward-thinking and common sex comedy for the era in which it was released — by American standards.
L-R: Anna Ammirati as Lola and Patrick Mower as André in FRIVOLOUS LOLA. Photo courtesy of Cult Epics.
For the purposes of this restoration review, out of the two options for viewing (4K UHD with HDR and Blu-ray) and four options for listening (Italian 2.0/5.1 and English 2.0/5.1), this will focus on the 4K UHD with Italian 5.1 audio presentation.
FRIVOLOUS LOLA expanded packshot. Photo courtesy of Cult Epics.
Beginning with the visual elements, Lola is a lovely film and the work that went into the restoration shows. From the press notes, we know that the 4K transfer was created using the original film negative and then it was restored using HDR. Sometimes this works out to the benefit of the viewer and sometimes not. Here, there’s a reduction in visual aura from characters and objects and a naturalness bestowed upon everything we see: skin tones, the field Lola and Masetto wander through, and even the darkness of the night sky as it rains. It’s not that the film is removed of anything tying it to the late 1990s; rather, it’s cleaned up and had distortions removed so as to present an edition that’s likely the best it has ever looked. Regarding audio, while I’m not sure the film requires a 5.1 track considering there’s little about the film that possesses a need to feel immersive, when the storm hits, one does get the sense that it is all around us as we watch. Similarly, when the film breaks out its singular song (over the opening and closing credits), it does envelope us in its joyful smuttiness.
L-R: Max Parodi as Masetto and Anna Ammirati as Lola in FRIVOLOUS LOLA. Photo courtesy of Cult Epics.
Much like the previous Brass release All Ladies Do It, Cult Epics is offering three different editions: Blu-ray, 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo, and exclusive 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo. The included Blu-ray is the same in all three and the 4K UHD edition is the same in the two combos offered. The difference between the exclusive edition and the combo is that the slipcover on the exclusive edition is limited to 500. There’s no clear indication in the press notes as to what is unique about the limited-edition slipcover compared to the one included with the regular combo edition, but be advised that there’s difference enough to make one version exclusive. The retail review copy sent by MVD Entertainment Group includes a slipcover that features Lola squatting in the rain, but it’s difficult to discern if that’s the limited edition slip or the general one. Just like Ladies, Lola’s home edition includes an illustrated booklet for the first-pressing that includes a single essay, “A Committed Brat: The Career of Anna Ammirati” by Eugenio Ercolani and Domenico Monetti, alongside various explicit and nonexplicit film stills, as well as four (4) reprinted Italian lobby cards (though these feature sensual moments, they are not in any way as pornographic as the other release). The on-disc materials are similarly minimal with feature-length audio commentary provided by Eugenio Ercolani and Nathaniel Thompson, a 2004 interview with Brass, and trailers for both Lola and Ladies. The aspect that will likely garner the most attention in terms of options is that you can view the film in either the original Italian or with English-language dubbing in either 2.0 or 5.1 surround — 5.1 not being an option available in the previous Brass restoration.
Be advised that the 2004 interview with Brass and the auto-playing still photo gallery are only accessible on the Blu-ray disc and not on the 4K UHD edition.
L-R: Max Parodi as Masetto and Anna Ammirati as Lola in FRIVOLOUS LOLA. Photo courtesy of Cult Epics.
As the second in the Brass restoration collection from Cult Epics, Frivolous Lola is an easier recommendation that Ladies. There’s far more cohesion and respect paid to the lead character/actor, the story and tone mesh in their execution, and one feels like there’s an actual story to explore versus an excuse for erotic exploration. So not only are fans of Brass going to be happy with the technical presentation of the restoration, but those curious of Brass’s work will likely find themselves far more likely to explore the filmmaker’s catalog after watching this one.
Frivolous Lola 4K UHD and Blu-ray Special Features:
4K UHD Disc
- *New* 4K Transfer (from the original negative) & Restoration with HDR
- *New* DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo English & Italian
- *New* DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround English & Italian
- *New* Audio Commentary by Eugenio Ercolani & Nathaniel Thompson
- Theatrical Trailers
Blu-ray Disc
- *New* 4K Transfer (from the original negative) & Restoration
- *New* DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo English & Italian
- *New* DTS-HD 5.1 Surround English & Italian
- *New* Audio Commentary by Eugenio Ercolani & Nathaniel Thompson
- Theatrical Trailers
- Interview with director Tinto Brass (2004)
- Photo Gallery
- Double-sided sleeve with original Italian uncensored poster art
- First printing includes 20-page illustrated booklet with liner notes by Eugenio Ercolani and Domenico Monetti
- Exclusive: 4 Repro Italian Lobby Card prints
- Slipcover
Available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray May 7th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Cult Epics Frivolous Lola webpage.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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