Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Lola Montès

Lola Montez (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), born Maria Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert in Grange, County Sligo, Ireland, was a dancer and courtesan who adopted a fabricated Spanish identity to perform as an exotic dancer across Europe and beyond. Her career gained international notoriety through a passionate affair with King Ludwig I of Bavaria beginning in 1846, during which she wielded significant political influence, securing the dismissal of conservative ministers and advocating for liberal reforms that alienated Bavarian elites and the public. Ludwig elevated her to the title of Countess of Landsfeld and provided lavish support, including citizenship and a palace, but her meddling sparked riots in Munich in 1847, forcing her expulsion from Bavaria. The scandal contributed to Ludwig's abdication in March 1848 amid the broader European revolutions, after which Montez toured the as a dancer and actress from 1851, performing routines like the controversial "Spider Dance" involving live spiders or simulating them. She later ventured to in 1855, where her performances in gold rush towns were marred by altercations, including horse-whipping a , before returning to lecture on topics such as women's beauty and in . Montez died in relative obscurity in at age 39 from , her life marked by multiple marriages, alleged violence, and a pattern of reinvention amid personal and financial turmoil.

Historical Inspiration

The Real Lola Montez

Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, known professionally as , was born on February 17, 1821, in Grange, , , to Edward Gilbert, a officer, and his wife. Her father died of shortly after her birth while stationed in , where the family had relocated, prompting her mother's return to and subsequent remarriage. Educated in , , and later in Scotland and , Gilbert displayed early rebellious tendencies, rejecting an arranged engagement at age 16. In July 1837, Gilbert eloped and married Lieutenant Thomas James of the 25th Regiment in , , though the union dissolved by 1842 amid financial strains and separations during James's postings in . Returning to impoverished, she debuted as a dancer in 1843 under the invented alias , claiming Andalusian heritage despite her origins, and performed a signature "spider dance" involving simulated tarantula removal from her skirts. Her European tours from the mid-1840s featured liaisons with composer in 1844 and author , enhancing her notoriety as a amid mixed reviews of her technically limited dancing. Arriving in in 1846, Montez became the mistress of , exerting influence over ministerial appointments and advocating liberal reforms that alienated conservatives. Ludwig ennobled her as Countess of Landsfeld in 1847, granting her a and political voice, but public backlash culminated in student riots on February 10, , forcing the university's closure and her flight; Ludwig abdicated weeks later on March 20, , amid the revolutionary fervor she had indirectly fueled. Expelled from Bavaria and several other states for inciting unrest, Montez demonstrated agency by physically assaulting critics, including whipping a Warsaw journalist in 1845 and a Munich editor during her tenure. Post-expulsion, Montez toured the starting in 1848, performing in and amid audiences, then sailed to in 1855, where she performed in and before clashes with police and media led to her departure in 1856. Returning to the U.S., she shifted to lecturing on fashion, women's independence, and , authoring The Arts of Beauty (1858) and engaging in self-reinvention through writing and until declining health curtailed her activities. She died of on January 17, 1861, in , , at age 39, buried initially under her stage name before reinterment at .

Key Differences from Historical Fact

The film Lola Montès (1955), directed by and adapted from Cécil Saint-Laurent's 1953 novel La Vie extraordinaire de Lola Montès, incorporates fictional framing and narrative liberties that diverge from verifiable historical records of Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, known as (1821–1861). The central device of Montez as a circus performer exhibited for public interrogation has no basis in her documented career; after fleeing amid scandal in 1848, she toured and as a dancer in 1851–1856, then shifted to lecturing across the on women's fashions, love, and into the late 1850s, before suffering strokes that led to her death in a New York on January 17, 1861. Montez's historical agency and volatility are understated in the film, which emphasizes her as an object of male pursuit rather than an active provocateur. Primary accounts detail her confrontational actions, including horsewhipping a disruptive during a performance in , , on July 5, 1855, after he pelted the stage with rotten fruit, an incident that led to her brief but underscored her readiness to physically retaliate against critics. In from 1846 to 1848, she wielded informal political influence over King Ludwig I, pushing for liberal university reforms and Jesuit expulsion, which alienated conservatives and contributed to anti-court riots, though her role amplified rather than originated the unrest. The film's compressed timeline and selective relationships omit key phases of Montez's itinerant life, such as her 1855 Australian engagements amid chaos and extensive U.S. lecture circuit, while fabricating or sensationalizing romantic entanglements drawn from the novel's dramatizations rather than diaries or court records. Her Irish birth in on February 17, 1821, and self-invented Spanish heritage for exotic appeal are acknowledged historically as fabrications, but the film leans into the latter for allure without noting contemporaries' mockery of her accent and footwork. Montez's dancing proficiency, critiqued even by supporters as competent at best—relying on improvised elements like the "Spider Dance" with tarantulas—was adequate for notoriety but not virtuosity, a limitation the film heightens for pathos over her real reliance on . Ludwig I's abdication on March 20, 1848, is portrayed with outsized causal weight on Montez's personal sway, aligning with the novel's ; in fact, it resulted from cascading 1848 European revolutions demanding parliamentary government, with Montez's unpopularity as a foreign interloper serving as a riot catalyst amid broader liberal-nationalist pressures that forced her expulsion on March 10. The omission of her late-life turn to Catholicism, including aid from a during her final illness, further prioritizes the source material's focus on youthful excess over her documented penury and reflection.

Production

Development and Adaptation

The screenplay for Lola Montès originated as an adaptation of Cécil Saint-Laurent's 1953 novel La Vie Extraordinaire de Lola Montès, with director collaborating on the script alongside Annette Wademant and Jacques Natanson to shift the linear biographical narrative toward a fragmented, flashback-driven format. incorporated a framing device to metaphorically depict the performative spectacle of the protagonist's existence, reducing reliance on in favor of elaborate visual sequences that underscored themes of entrapment and repetition. This non-linear approach echoed the episodic, interconnected vignettes of Ophüls' earlier film (1950), adapting the novel's episodic life story into a layered structure where past events unfold through the circus ringmaster's recounting to an audience. During scripting, Ophüls extensively revised drafts to prioritize cinematic movement and over verbal exposition, aligning with his longstanding emphasis on fluid camera work to convey emotional causality. Initiated by Gamma Film as a Franco-German co-production spanning 1954–1955, the project faced escalating costs from opulent period reconstructions, culminating in a of roughly $2 million—Europe's most expensive to date—and resulting in substantial overruns that strained financial backers. Lola Montès was Ophüls' last completed work before his death from rheumatic heart disease on March 26, 1957, in . Casting decisions reflected commercial imperatives, with selected for the lead to capitalize on her popularity as France's leading and ensure box-office viability, even amid producer debates over her suitability given her age (36 during filming) and limited dance proficiency compared to the historical Lola's youth and agility. Carol's participation, bolstered by her husband Christian-Jaque's influence, facilitated budget increases but underscored conflicts between Ophüls' artistic ambitions and Gamma Film's profit-driven motives.

Casting and Principal Filming

starred as , selected for her established popularity as a leading French actress in the early 1950s. portrayed , bringing his experience in historical roles to the production. played the circus ringmaster, providing comic contrast to the dramatic flashbacks. Principal photography commenced on February 28, 1955, and concluded on July 29, 1955, primarily at Studio Joinville in , Studio Geiselgasteig in , and Studio Victorine in Nice, with additional location shooting in and along the Côte d'Azur. The production utilized stock to produce saturated, vibrant hues that enhanced the film's opulent period settings. Sets and costumes emphasized 19th-century European authenticity, with elaborate designs for the Bavarian court sequences that incorporated hundreds of extras to depict bustling crowds and royal pageantry. Director , working in close partnership with Christian Matras—a veteran collaborator from prior films—prioritized dynamic camera movements, including extended tracking shots, to capture the spatial depth of these reconstructed environments.

Technical Innovations and Challenges

Ophüls adapted his signature style of fluid, mobile cinematography to the demands of and , employing extended long takes, sweeping tracking shots, and circular camera movements to navigate the wide frame while eschewing conventional close-ups. These techniques, hallmarks of his earlier films, were scaled up for the production's spectacle-oriented aesthetic, with cinematographer Christian Matras capturing dynamic compositions amid opulent interiors and crowd scenes. The film's technical scope presented logistical hurdles, as it required constructing lavish period sets—including recreated Bavarian environments—and coordinating hordes of extras for mass sequences, contributing to a of 648 million francs that made Lola Montès the most costly motion picture to date. Ophüls' commitment to visual authenticity demanded precise choreography of these elements, straining resources during , which spanned several months in and from mid-1954 onward. Georges Auric composed the original score, integrating orchestral motifs drawn from 19th-century dance forms such as waltzes to underscore the era's social whirl and romantic intrigue. The sound design complemented Ophüls' visual rhythm, blending diegetic circus ambiance with layered musical cues to heighten the film's theatrical framing. Despite these innovations, conflicts arose when studio executives imposed cuts to the initial 140-minute cut, altering the intended pacing of the long-take sequences.

Synopsis

Framing Device and Structure

Lola Montès (1955), directed by , utilizes a framing device set in a in 1850s America, where the titular character, played by , serves as the primary attraction. The ringmaster, portrayed by , oversees the performance and engages the audience by narrating elements of her scandalous past, heightening the spectacle. This sequence introduces the narrative, with the ringmaster auctioning off personal interactions with Lola—such as dances or kisses—to eager spectators, prompting her to reveal aspects of her life through triggered recollections. The film's structure is non-chronological and cyclical, presenting events from Lola's history in a series of disjointed flashbacks that unfold out of sequence, alternating between the immediate environment and retrospective vignettes. This approach builds the story from public spectacle toward intimate revelations without adhering to linear progression. Compositional techniques and the vivid color palette distinguish the framing scenes from the flashback sequences, reinforcing the voyeuristic dynamic of the audience's gaze upon Lola's exposed life.

Major Flashback Sequences

The flashback sequences unfold episodically, presenting Lola's life through fragmented vignettes triggered by audience inquiries at the circus, with men consistently drawn into her sphere as lovers, protectors, or adversaries. In one early recollection, Lola recounts her youth under her widowed mother's influence in Ireland, where her mother arranges her marriage to the much older Lieutenant Thomas James, a union marked by his infidelity, alcoholism, and physical abuse, from which she eventually escapes to pursue dance in Madrid. There, aspiring to ballerina fame, she rejects advances from Russian General Paskievitch, prompting his kidnapping attempt, only for her to be rescued by a French diplomat's intervention. Her dancing career ignites with notoriety after a performance scandal, where she publicly slaps conductor Claudio Pirotto onstage and gifts his wife a ring, catapulting her into European circles. A subsequent sequence details her affair with composer during travels through in his caravan, capturing the final days of their passionate but fleeting liaison, where she embodies restless movement amid artistic bohemia. Transitioning to Bavaria, Lola romances a idealistic student revolutionary who escorts her to Munich, paving the way for her calculated seduction of King Ludwig I; she engineers a public commotion, strategically revealing her figure to captivate him, securing her position as his and prompting him to ennoble her as Countess Maria Dolores of Landsfeld, complete with palace residence and a nude portrait commission. Court intrigues escalate as her influence alienates ministers and fuels Jesuit opposition, culminating in the 1848 riots that demand Ludwig's ; Lola flees with the student's aid, her downfall sealing Bavaria's political upheaval. Later vignettes trace her continued wanderings and affairs, including entanglements with the student and an American lieutenant, amid declining fortunes that lead to exile across and to . These culminate in her reluctant entry into the Mammoth Circus in New Orleans, where she performs perilous trapeze acts before resigning to a caged role, allowing patrons to pay for intimate contact, symbolizing her entrapment in endless repetition of past exploits. Throughout, the sequences position Lola as the gravitational center, with successive men orbiting her decisions and desires, propelling an inexorable path to isolation.

Themes and Interpretation

Stylistic Elements

Ophüls' mobile camerawork in Lola Montès relies on extended tracking shots that traverse elaborate sets, such as corridors and rings, maintaining continuous motion to link spatial environments and propel the narrative forward without interruption. These sequences, executed in the wide format, contrast with the relatively static framing common in mid-20th-century historical biopics, emphasizing dynamic spatial exploration over fixed compositions. The film's color cinematography deploys a saturated palette in Technicolor processing to render opulent interiors and costumes with heightened vibrancy, while shifting to cooler, desaturated tones in sequences of decline, constructing artificial worlds that underscore the constructed nature of the depicted events. Set designs, often theatrical and symmetrical, integrate with this palette to form self-contained visual tableaux that mirror the episodic reinventions within the story's framework. Non-linear editing organizes the film through a circus framing device, interspersing fragmented flashback vignettes that disrupt chronological progression to accumulate revelations incrementally, a structural choice rooted in Ophüls' adaptation of literary sources into layered temporal montages. This approach, eschewing straightforward linearity for recursive patterns, aligns with Ophüls' prior work in European émigré cinema, where narrative complexity served to weave personal histories amid dislocation.

Portrayal of Agency and Fate

In Lola Montès, the protagonist is often portrayed as a pursued object within a patriarchal milieu, her key relationships—such as the affair with composer , marked by an autumnal netting symbolizing entanglement, and her elevation to Countess via King —presented as reactions to male advances rather than self-initiated strategies. This reactive framing highlights the causal pressures of gender norms and celebrity, where her decisions appear constrained by external desires and scandals, including the 1848 Bavarian Revolution that disrupts her status. The film's circus apparatus reinforces motifs of and , with Lola auctioned as the main attraction and ultimately confined in a wooden where men pay a per kiss on her hand, evoking over ; crane shots revealing the encircling amplify this sense of inescapable . Such imagery implies fate's dominance, contrasting sharply with the historical Montez's assertiveness, demonstrated by her wielding political influence in , engaging in public confrontations like horsewhipping critics, and independently lecturing on topics from gallantry to women's wit after fleeing in 1848. Yet the narrative affords glimpses of volition, as in Lola's hotel-suite defiance of the ringmaster—" a circus freak"—before succumbing to his , or her manipulative navigation of scandals to sustain notoriety, positioning her as a "creature of circumstance" rather than passive . The overall arc bends toward victimhood through repetitive flashbacks and the ringmaster's , critiquing 19th-century societal enclosures without mitigating the risks of her choices; while certain readings discern in her self-commodification and gaze-directed exhibitions, the film's circular —echoed in Ophüls' mobile framing of confined spaces—privileges causal inevitability rooted in historical contingencies over ideological .

Reception and Controversies

Initial Release and Box Office Failure

_Lola Montès premiered in on December 23, 1955, marking Max Ophüls's final completed film before his death in 1957. The initial release featured the running approximately 114 minutes, presented in three language versions—, , and English—as a high-budget Franco- co-production that became the most expensive film made in to date. Audiences responded with hostility, booing and jeering during screenings, which escalated to rowdy disruptions in some theaters amid expectations of a more conventional biopic of the scandalous 19th-century dancer. The film's commercial rollout extended into 1956 across Europe, including a January premiere in West Germany, but it proved a resounding box office disaster, failing to recoup costs and resulting in substantial financial losses for distributors. Critics and producers attributed the flop to its abstract, non-linear structure, Martine Carol's perceived miscasting as the titular adventuress despite her star appeal, and the narrative's emphasis on moral ambiguity and sexual intrigue, which echoed real-life scandals but alienated mid-1950s viewers seeking straightforward entertainment. In response to the poor performance, producers shortened the film to about 90 minutes for subsequent reissues, eliminating key sequences over Ophüls's objections in a bid to salvage returns, further damaging his posthumous reputation as an uncommercial auteur.

Critical Divisions and Reevaluation

Upon its premiere on December 22, 1955, at the Marignan Theatre in , Lola Montès encountered strong audience backlash, including booing, whistling, catcalls, and mass walkouts, with reviews proving almost universally unfavorable. Critics faulted the film's non-linear, fragmented narrative structure for rendering it incoherent, a exacerbated by subsequent producer-mandated recuts that shortened it from 140 to around 90 minutes and imposed a more chronological order against director Max Ophüls's wishes. While some acknowledged Ophüls's visual mastery—particularly the innovative use of for fluid, restless camerawork—the narrative's disjointedness and perceived lack of emotional depth drew widespread dismissal, with parallels to the real-life courtesan's scandals viewed by detractors as exploitative or insufficiently tasteful. Martine Carol's portrayal of the titular character faced particular scrutiny, described by contemporaries as wooden and inexpressive, projecting fatalistic passivity rather than the passion or mystery expected of the role, which some argued undermined the film's dramatic fire despite fitting its themes of commodified spectacle. In the early , following Ophüls's in 1957, a partial reconstitution screened at festivals, prompting reevaluation among cinephiles; , writing in , defended the film against prior French dismissals, hailing it as demanding undivided attention and achieving a new through maximal exploitation of CinemaScope's possibilities. and fellow contributors similarly praised it as a masterpiece and stylistic breakthrough, positioning it as the pinnacle of Ophüls's oeuvre in formal innovation. Yet divisions persisted: while advocates celebrated its critique of spectacle's commodification, others detected cynicism in its ironic detachment, interpreting Ophüls's Brechtian distancing as judgmental rather than compassionate toward its doomed protagonist. , in a 1963 Village Voice piece, controversially dubbed it the greatest film ever made, fueling ongoing debate over whether its opulent form elevated or obscured substantive narrative intent.

Restorations and Preservation

Original Versions and Cuts

The German-language version of Lola Montès, running 116 minutes, premiered in 1955 and is considered by some the form most faithful to ' intentions, as it retained more of the multilingual and structural elements from the production's trilingual shooting approach. After the premiere met with commercial failure in December 1955, producers shortened the film to 110 minutes in a second cut, which Ophüls supervised before his death on March 26, 1957; this version separated biographical flashbacks more distinctly from the framing narrative to streamline pacing. Further reductions to around 90 minutes followed for wider distribution, eliminating transitional sequences and subtleties in the film's circular structure to accelerate the rhythm amid audience demands for brevity. These post-premiere alterations prioritized market viability over Ophüls' emphasis on fluid, recursive storytelling, removing layers of irony and spatial depth that defined his style while preserving core episodes but at the cost of thematic cohesion. Prior to the digital era, editions in the late predominantly circulated these abbreviated prints, such as the 95-minute U.S. export version, thereby sustaining exposure to incomplete iterations for decades.

2008 Restoration Efforts

The restoration of Lola Montès, initiated in 2007 and completed for public presentation in 2008, was spearheaded by the under director Serge Toubiana in partnership with Laurence Braunberger of Les Films du Jeudi, who held the film's rights as successor to producer Pierre Braunberger, and with input from Marcel Ophüls, the director's son. This project addressed the film's history of mutilation, where multiple cuts—reducing it from an original 140-minute premiere length—had been performed directly on the three original negatives, complicating ; restorers pieced together surviving elements, including aged and fragmented negatives, to approximate ' intended structure and pacing. The resulting 110-minute version incorporated digital color correction by technicians, soundtrack remastering for clarity, and the of excised sequences, yielding a high-definition transfer faithful to Ophüls' vision as inferred from production notes and surviving materials. The restored print premiered at the Film Festival's Classics sidebar in May 2008, opening the section, and at the later that year, marking the only film screened there in three distinct versions historically. It was subsequently made available via The Criterion Collection's DVD and Blu-ray releases in 2010, featuring a new soundtrack and enabling broader scholarly and public appreciation of Ophüls' innovations, such as sweeping crane shots and circular pans, now preserved without the distortions of prior degraded prints. While Marcel Ophüls endorsed the effort as aligning closely with his father's artistic goals after years of frustration with incomplete editions, the process highlighted ongoing challenges in definitively recapturing every intended detail due to lost footage.

Legacy

Influence on Filmmaking

Lola Montès exemplified ' signature fluid camera movements and extended long takes, techniques that profoundly shaped subsequent filmmakers' approaches to cinematic space and rhythm. , who regarded Ophüls as possessing "every virtue" among directors, adopted similar sweeping tracking shots and choreographed camera paths in films like (1975), where elaborate period reconstructions echo the waltz-like orchestration of movement in Ophüls' work. These elements in Lola Montès, Ophüls' first film in color and released on December 6, 1955, demonstrated how continuous motion could convey psychological entrapment and spectacle, influencing Kubrick's use of the for immersive long takes in The Shining (1980). The film's non-linear structure, framing Lola's biography through circus vignettes and flashbacks, anticipated experimental biopics by prioritizing thematic fragmentation over chronology. drew on Ophüls' blend of elegy and artifice in (1961), employing similarly disorienting temporal layers and mobile camerawork to explore memory and illusion, though innovated with shorter cuts amid influences. This approach elevated anti-linear narratives in art cinema, linking personal fate to performative spectacle without rigid . Ophüls' circus framing device, portraying life as commodified entertainment, resonated in Federico Fellini's self-reflexive works, notably (1963), where circus motifs symbolize artistic torment and public exposure akin to Lola's tableau reenactments. Fellini acknowledged the film's tragic tone and visual opulence as touchstones for his own spectacles in (1954) and beyond, adapting the metaphor of biography-as-circus to critique creative ego. Technically, Lola Montès' pioneering use of for vibrant, saturated hues in historical settings—contrasting subdued flashbacks with garish circus reds and golds—advanced expressive color palettes in period dramas, influencing directors seeking to blend realism with stylization. Its long takes, often exceeding two minutes with intricate blocking, prefigured digital-era applications where facilitates seamless extensions, as seen in modern epics citing Ophüls for rhythmic continuity over montage. The 2008 restoration by the and others, reinstating 24 minutes of footage to approximate the 140-minute cut, established protocols for reviving classics, impacting archival practices for films like Ophüls'.

Cultural and Critical Standing

In contemporary critical assessments, Lola Montès is frequently ranked among Max Ophüls's most accomplished works, appearing in aggregated lists of the greatest films, such as the 328th position in the They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? compilation of canonical cinema based on over 67 "" and 42 "B-list" inclusions from international polls. This reevaluation highlights its stylistic boldness, particularly its critique of and the of spectacle, which resonated with audiences navigating post-war sexual mores and the rise of mass entertainment, as Ophüls framed the courtesan's life through a tableau that exposes the mechanics of public consumption. Scholars like have interpreted the film as Ophüls's sustained meditation on the female star's objectification, aligning it with broader reflections on and performance in cinema history. Feminist readings have occasionally critiqued the narrative for presenting a deterministic arc of female downfall, portraying Lola as ensnared by her choices within patriarchal structures, a view echoed in analyses of her as an "avatar of fallen womanhood." However, this perspective is tempered by evidence from Ophüls's earlier films, such as Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948) and The Earrings of Madame de... (1953), where female protagonists exhibit agency amid romantic fatalism, suggesting the director's consistent empathy rather than outright fatalism toward women; some interpretations even position Lola Montès as an early subjective feminist text in 1950s French commercial cinema for centering her viewpoint amid spectacle. These debates underscore the film's layered treatment of agency versus fate, avoiding reductive biography in favor of formal innovation. The film's cultural footprint remains niche, distinguished from popular retellings of Lola Montes's historical exploits—such as biographies or musical adaptations—by its emphasis on visual and narrative experimentation over linear storytelling, with no major recent screen versions supplanting Ophüls's version. Esteemed for its mastery of color, composition, and rhythmic editing as a "visual ," it exemplifies Ophüls's influence on auteur-driven , yet its elliptical structure and emotional restraint render it challenging for general audiences, better suited to repeated viewings that reveal its intricate critique of romantic illusion. This duality sustains its status as a connoisseur's piece rather than a .

References

  1. [1]
    Lola Montez - Australian Dictionary of Biography
    Lola Montez (1821-1861), dancer and courtesan, was born on 17 February 1821 in Grange, Sligo, Ireland, and christened Maria Dolores Eliza Rosanna.
  2. [2]
    Lola Montez, Mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria | Unofficial Royalty
    Jun 15, 2020 · She was born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert on February 17, 1821, in Grange, County Sligo, Connacht, Ireland. At the time of her birth, all ...
  3. [3]
    Lola Montez: The Fascinating Life of a Queen of Reinvention (1821 ...
    Oct 7, 2019 · Lola travelled all across Europe, to the US and Australia, married three times (two technically illegal), danced and influenced, lectured and wrote, and had a ...
  4. [4]
    Lola Montez: The Life of a Showgirl - by Ann Foster
    Aug 14, 2025 · In 1846, King Ludwig I of Bavaria was alerted that the Spanish dancer Lola Montez was in town and would like to perform at his theatre. He was ...
  5. [5]
    Lola Montez (1821-1861) - Memorials - Find a Grave
    Original Name: Eliza Rosanna Gilbert ; Birth: 17 Feb 1821. Grange, County Sligo, Ireland ; Death: 17 Jan 1861 (aged 39). Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, USA.
  6. [6]
    Notable Resident: Lola Montez - The Green-Wood Cemetery
    Born in 1821 as Marie Delores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert in Limerick, Ireland, Lola Montez (1821–1861) was raised in Scotland and educated in Bath and Paris.
  7. [7]
    Gilbert, Eliza Rosana ('Lola Montez') - Dictionary of Irish Biography
    Always determined to get her own way, Eliza eloped to Ireland with a soldier on leave, Capt. Thomas James, and married him in Co. Meath (23 July 1837).Missing: early | Show results with:early
  8. [8]
    The Top Ten Loves of Franz Liszt's Life - Interlude.hk
    Oct 10, 2024 · Lola Montez (1844)​​ She came to London and took to the stage as a Spanish dancer, performing under the pseudonym Lola Montez. However, it wasn't ...
  9. [9]
    1848 - LMU München
    The King's relationship with Lola Montez triggers rioting and leads to the closure of the University. ... Lola Montez, King Ludwig I's mistress. Extract from a ...Missing: Bavaria ennoblement
  10. [10]
    The Dancer who Horsewhipped her Critics | Lola Montez - YouTube
    Mar 8, 2020 · ... King of Bavaria and who horsewhipped her critics! Have any video suggestions? Email me to ... Kings Protests Return. The Late Show with Stephen ...Missing: Ludwig mistress ennoblement expulsion
  11. [11]
    OBITUARY.; Death of Lola Montez. - The New York Times
    Her funeral took place on Saturday, and was attended with no other demonstration than that of affectionate lamentation for one who was known to be kindly in her ...
  12. [12]
    The Making of Max Ophuls' Lola Montès/Lola Montez - Project MUSE
    Lola had around two million viewers in West Germany but a minimum of eight million viewers would have been necessary for the German co- producer alone to get ...<|separator|>
  13. [13]
    https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lola-Montez
  14. [14]
    The Career of Lola Montez in the American Theatre.
    The purpose of this study is to examine the career of Lola Montez (Marie Dolores Eliza Gilbert) (c. 1818-1861) in the American theatre between 1851 and 1857.<|control11|><|separator|>
  15. [15]
    Lola Montez | San Diego, CA | Our City, Our Story
    Apr 1, 1996 · Drawing extensively upon published primary sources, as well as manuscripts from the Bancroft Library, the Library of Congress, and New York ...Missing: facts | Show results with:facts
  16. [16]
    Lola Montès - Senses of Cinema
    May 5, 2006 · For directing the three versions of the film (French, German and English), Ophuls' salary was 204,000 deutschmarks, which included a bonus for ...
  17. [17]
    Compulsion to Repeat: Max Ophüls's Lola Montès
    In Lola Montès, Ophüls seems to treat repetition more theoretically, linked rather to sex, spectacle and its commodification as sites of repetition-compulsion, ...
  18. [18]
    https://mikegrost.com/ophuls.htm
  19. [19]
    Lola Montes - Turner Classic Movies - TCM
    Nov 3, 2009 · ... Ophuls the budget he needed to realize his vision of the story. When she signed for the production, Gamma Film raised the budget to $2 ...Missing: overruns | Show results with:overruns
  20. [20]
    Lola Montes - Variety
    Max Ophuls brought his three-version film (English, French and German) in for a whopping negative cost of $2 million. It is a lush color vehicle, relating the ...Missing: overruns | Show results with:overruns
  21. [21]
    Max Ophüls | German-French Director & Film Pioneer | Britannica
    Oct 18, 2025 · Original name: Max Oppenheimer ; Born: May 6, 1902, Saarbrücken, Germany ; Died: March 26, 1957, Hamburg, West Germany (aged 54).
  22. [22]
    Lola Montès (1955) - IMDb
    Rating 7.2/10 (6,480) Lola Montès: Directed by Max Ophüls. With Martine Carol, Peter Ustinov, Anton Walbrook, Henri Guisol. When she is reduced to appearing in a circus, ...
  23. [23]
    https://www.criterion.com/films/938-lola-montes
  24. [24]
    Lola Montes movie review & film summary (2008) | Roger Ebert
    Rating 3.5/4 · Review by Roger EbertHis story involves the infamous Lola Montes, "The Most Scandalous Woman in the World," the mistress of Franz Liszt and King Ludwig of Bavaria.
  25. [25]
    Lola Montès | Encyclopedia.com
    Production: Gamma-Films, Florida-Films (Paris), and Oska Films (Munich); Eastmancolor, 35mm, CinemaScope; running time: original version 110 minutes, later cut ...
  26. [26]
    Lola Montès (1955) - Timeline of Historical Film Colors
    Lola Montès (FRA / BRD 1955, Max Ophüls). Credit: Cinémathèque française. Photographs of the faded Eastmancolor positive by Barbara Flueckiger. + Add Tags.Missing: principal 1954 Bavaria
  27. [27]
    MAX OPHULS (1902-1957) - Pangborn on Film
    As filmed by longtime Ophuls cinematographer Christian Matras Lola Montes is, arguably, the most visually-stunning film of the 1950s and it truly ...Missing: collaboration | Show results with:collaboration
  28. [28]
    10 great films shot in CinemaScope - BFI
    Jun 4, 2015 · Lola Montès (1955) ... Very loosely based on a novel by Cécil Saint-Laurent, Max Ophüls' swan song was his only picture in Eastmancolor and ...
  29. [29]
    Max Ophuls: A New Art – But Who Notices? - Senses of Cinema
    Oct 4, 2002 · Ophuls's long tracks and long takes emphasize things that seem ... Lola Montès [1955]). The conflict in Madame de… is, first, that ...
  30. [30]
    Lola Montès
    ### Summary of Lola Montès Reception and Criticism
  31. [31]
    Lola Montès- Soundtrack details - SoundtrackCollector.com
    Lola Montès (1955) Compilation Albums Marco Polo 8.225070 Track listing Total Duration: 01:03:30 Track listing contributed by micjo197 MGM Records E3480Missing: motifs | Show results with:motifs
  32. [32]
    Lola Montes (1955) - Filmsite.org
    A bloodthirsty monster with the eyes of an angel. Ravaged hearts, squandered fortunes, the saraband of lovers, scepters, crowns, an authentic revolution.Missing: period | Show results with:period
  33. [33]
    "Say Yes, Say Yes to Everything": On Max Ophuls' Lola Montes (1955)
    Jul 31, 2012 · This circus framing device is an invention by director Max Ophuls and the writers, and it still seems like a timeless stand-in for the ...
  34. [34]
    Lola Montes (1955) -- (Movie Clip) Femme Fatale - Turner Classic ...
    Wild spectacle with Peter Ustinov (as "Circus Master") in perfect French, introducing the central motif and the title character (Martine Carol), opening Max ...
  35. [35]
    Lola Montès (1955) - Classic Movie Ramblings
    Mar 31, 2025 · Lola Montès was the final film of German-born director Max Ophüls. ... These trigger the flashbacks but they're not in any kind of chronological ...Missing: non- | Show results with:non-
  36. [36]
    Carousels, Circuses And Cathedrals: The Film Art of Max Ophuls
    Oct 20, 2008 · Timepieces are significant plot devices in Ophuls's films, which often revolve around star-crossed lovers–and repeated variations on the ...
  37. [37]
    Max Ophüls' Lola Montès (1955). - A Sharper Focus
    Incidentally, the real Lola never performed in a circus. This is Ophüls's way of disapproving of her showbiz lifestyle—as well as exploring the idea of ...
  38. [38]
    Lola Montes - Steven Shaviro
    Consider the main features of Ophuls' visual style: especially the restlessly moving camera, at a distance from the actors, with its craning and tracking shots ...
  39. [39]
    “The pleasure of seeing should be the moving force ... - WSWS
    Aug 14, 2000 · Shot in colour and the new Cinemascope format Lola Montès, the ... camera tracking shots—later trademarks of Ophuls' cinema. Ophuls ...Missing: mobile | Show results with:mobile
  40. [40]
    Lola Montès - Blu-ray News and Reviews | High Def Digest
    Mar 2, 2010 · The Technicolor technicians have revitalized the picture, rejuvenating all damaged prints back to their intended glory, and they almost make us ...
  41. [41]
    Lola Montes DVD review | Cine Outsider
    Jul 6, 2009 · Directed by Ophüls scholar Robert Fischer, this is a fascinating and detailed look at the production of Lola Montès, from pre-production phase ...
  42. [42]
    The Commodification of Romanticism: Lola Montes - Academia.edu
    The circus scenes utilize bright, artificial colors, while the flashbacks feature subdued palettes with dominant colors, reflecting Lola's emotional states. For ...Missing: crowd | Show results with:crowd
  43. [43]
    Making Her Own Path: Lola Montez
    Lola Montez, a courtesan, dancer, actress, and lecturer, wielded considerable political influence in Europe and was an often-referenced example of a woman ...
  44. [44]
    LOLA MONTES - #503 - Criterion Confessions
    Feb 11, 2010 · Ophuls also has a mid-film interlude where a doctor comes to the circus to tell her boss (Friedrich Domin) that his star has a heart condition.Missing: health | Show results with:health
  45. [45]
    Lola Montès Details :: Criterion Forum
    Lola Montès premiered in Paris on December 22, 1955. A hugely anticipated, expensive production shot in three versions-French, German, and English-the film was ...Missing: initial | Show results with:initial
  46. [46]
    Lola Montès - Film (Movie) Plot and Review - Publications
    The film would feature Martine Carol, France's foremost sex goddess, then at the pinnacle of her career, and would be adapted from a novel by Cecil St. Laurent, ...
  47. [47]
    LOLA MONTÈS—Stefan Drössler PFA Lecture - The Evening Class
    Nov 3, 2008 · The French version of Lola Montès disastrously premiered in Paris on September 22, 1955. Billed as a "super-production", a huge crowd gathered ...Missing: linear | Show results with:linear
  48. [48]
    Lola Montés - Moviediva
    The producers managed to raise the equivalent of a $2 million budget: this would be the most expensive film to date in post-WW II Europe. Ophuls was offered the ...Missing: Gamma | Show results with:Gamma<|separator|>
  49. [49]
    "Greatest film ever" or a cream cake? - Salon.com
    Oct 10, 2008 · By the time the recut French version premiered in January of 1957, he had entered a Hamburg hospital with heart failure, and would die there two ...
  50. [50]
    Lola Montès Savant Blu-ray Review - DVD Talk
    Feb 14, 2010 · The French premiere audience apparently came with expectations of a racy cinematic account of the courtesan Lola Montez (Spanish spelling), the ...Missing: reaction | Show results with:reaction
  51. [51]
    Alternate versions - Lola Montès (1955) - IMDb
    The French version was 113 min long. It had the world premiere in Paris (22 December 1955) and was cut for the French general release version (20 January 1956) ...Missing: runtime | Show results with:runtime
  52. [52]
    Max Ophüls' 'Lola Montès' restored - SFGATE
    Nov 16, 2008 · Ophüls oversaw a re-edit of the film, but then, over the director's objections, the film's producers ordered a third cut for a 1957 rerelease, ...
  53. [53]
    Lola Montès , directed by Max Ophüls | Film review - Time Out
    Mar 10, 2017 · A biography of the celebrated 19th century adventuress, but not a biography in the conventional sense: the lady's life is chronicled in a highly selective ...
  54. [54]
    Lola Montès will open Cannes Classics - Festival de Cannes
    In 2007, the Cinémathèque Française and Les Films du Jeudi (Laurence Braunberger) commenced, with the help of Marcel Ophuls, the restoration of Lola.
  55. [55]
    https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1371-loving-lola
  56. [56]
    DVD Review: Max Ophüls's Lola Montès on the Criterion Collection
    Rating 4.0 · Review by Travis CrawfordMar 16, 2010 · Max Ophüls's Lola Montès is inarguably one of the most visually sumptuous films ever made, which has made the treatment the movie has received since its ...
  57. [57]
    Lola Montès Review - Criterion Forum
    Feb 7, 2010 · Lola Montès is a visually ravishing, narratively daring dramatization of the life of the notorious courtesan and showgirl, played by Martine Carol.
  58. [58]
    Amazon.com: Lola Montes (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
    BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES. New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack; Audio commentary featuring Max Ophuls ...
  59. [59]
    How Max Ophüls influenced Stanley Kubrick - Far Out Magazine
    Apr 6, 2024 · Ophüls had a special place in Kubrick's heart which actually turned him into a stylistic disciple in many ways.
  60. [60]
    A Beginner's Guide to Max Ophüls - Film School Rejects
    Apr 30, 2018 · In 1955, Ophüls completed his last film and his only one shot in color, Lola Montès. The film follows the life of the eponymous character: a ...Missing: Resnais Fellini
  61. [61]
    'Lola Montès': Max Ophüls' film restored - SFGATE
    Nov 20, 2008 · 'Lola Montès' Director Ophüls' 1955 film, about the exploits of a courtesan, newly restored. By G. Allen Johnson, Staff Writer Nov 20, 2008.Missing: Marcel preference
  62. [62]
    Alain Resnais - Artforum
    Resnais's films look back to those of Max Ophüls in their elegy and artifice at the same time that they look forward to the play of the virtual in the work ...
  63. [63]
    MOVIE REVIEW : Atypical Look at Lola Montes' Life of Debauchery
    Mar 1, 1991 · Fellini, for one, was taken by the film's looks and tragic tone ... Montes” influenced both “La Strada” and “8 1/2.” Advertisement. The ...Missing: 8½ | Show results with:8½
  64. [64]
    LoLa MoNTèS: A “FILM MAUDIT”? reconSiDerATion GEOFFREy ...
    Lola Montès was Max Ophuls's last film, his first in wide- screen and his first in color, his most expensive, and his biggest commercial failure.
  65. [65]
    Cinematographers, Why the Long Take? - whynow
    Jan 18, 2021 · ' Lola Montès, the titular character of Max Ophüls' final film, says as much: 'For me, life is movement'. She's clearly a mouthpiece for the ...
  66. [66]
    TSPDT - The 1,000 Greatest Films (by Ranking 1-1000)
    ... Ranking - 280 (2006a). ○ 67 A-lists / 42 B-lists · IMDb. See Also: 1,000 Noir Films. 328. Lola Montès. Max Ophüls. Previous Ranking - 317. 1955 / France-West ...<|separator|>
  67. [67]
    In 'Afterimages' Laura Mulvey Returns to Feminist Film Criticism with ...
    Jan 28, 2020 · Mulvey begins with a fine chapter on Lola Montès (1955) that approaches that film as Ophüls's “most sustained reflection on the female star ...
  68. [68]
    Lola Montes - Features - Reverse Shot
    Dec 21, 2011 · Ophuls is most famous for his tracking shots, but the vertical axis is just as important in Lola Montes as the horizontal one. At the beginning ...
  69. [69]
    [PDF] rethinking images of women and work in French cinema, 1933-1967.
    In my opinion, Lola Montès offers the most effective example of subjective feminist film from French commercial cinema of the 1950s. The narrative structure.
  70. [70]
    Lola - Senses of Cinema
    Apr 4, 2010 · Most of all, Demy is indebted to Ophuls' meticulous narrative structures – the circular form that begins and ends Lola with the marginal-yet- ...