Lola Montès (1955) on Netflix
NR19551h 56mBiographyDramaRomance
In 1850s New Orleans, a ringmaster presents Lola Montez, once a royal mistress, as his circus's attraction, charging the crowd to question her. Asked if she remembers, she recalls Franz Liszt.
- Netflix3.1/5
- IMDb7.2/106,741 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes82%
Trailer
Plot summary
A ringmaster in 1850s New Orleans brings Lola Montez, once the lover of various important men, into the ring, richly adorned, as his circus's chief attraction. The crowd may question her for twenty-five cents each, money that the ringmaster says will support a correctional home for fallen women. The audience shouts about her waist and her affairs, and he answers humorously, while the circus performers parade as her lovers. Asked whether she still remembers the past, Lola thinks back to the composer Franz Liszt, who writes pieces for her to dance to and travels with her toward Rome in his carriage.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Lola Montès (1955)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Lola Montès was shot three times — in German, English and French — one version after another with the original cast, so Max Ophüls said any quoted cost should be divided by three.
- Switching to CinemaScope forced script changes that meant costly contract extensions, and some actors did not film a single day during their first contract period; Peter Ustinov said he started work two days before his contract was over.
- Lola Montès was the most expensive European film produced up to its time; it underperformed at the box office but had a significant artistic influence on the French New Wave movement.
- For a shot needing snow the set was taken to the High Tauern, and a permanent circus building had to be built because Munich's Circus Krone was not tall enough for Ophüls's circus-ring ideas.
