Jacques Demy special: Lola

Although he is often counted among the Nouvelle Vague, the highly versatile director Jacques Demy (1931–1990) forged his own path. Demy didn’t just make films: he created an entire cinematic world. The work he produced in the 1960s can now be seen in 4K-restored versions at the Luxor.

Jacques Demy distinguished himself from his Nouvelle Vague colleagues by blending his self-assured formalism with deeply emotional stories. Fate and chance, doomed love and fairy-tale romance are recurring themes in his films. Moreover, many of these films are interconnected through the intersecting lives of characters who appear in different titles or are referred to in them. His films are triumphs of visual and sound design, cinematography and music – the language of the heart. They are enhanced by leading stars of French cinema in the lead roles, including Anouk Aimée, Catherine Deneuve and Jeanne Moreau.

In August, Luxor screened the 1964 film *Les parapluies de Cherbourg*. This month, three more films by Demy are on the programme. One of them is *Lola*.

Lola (1961)

Anouk Aimée is unforgettable as Lola, a cabaret singer in Nantes who has been waiting for seven years for the return of her great love Michel, the father of her young son. A film full of melancholy, missed opportunities and people who continue to dream of a different life. Magnificent!