LA SPAGNOLA
SYNOPSIS:
It’s the summer of 1960 and a dust storm coincides with the
stormy break up of fiery Lola’s (Lola Marceli) marriage to
Ricardo (Simon Palomares), who drives off with the family
savings, leaving Lola and their daughter Lucia (Alice Ansara)
poverty stricken in a dusty Australian industrial town. To her
chagrin, he buys a car and romances Australian blonde Wendy (Helen
Thomson); Lola fumes and rants while Lucia, 14, tries to hang in
there. After several desperate attempts to get men like Stafano (Alex
Dimitriades) to pay her rent for her favours, Lola is desperate
– when Ricardo dies of cholestorol overdose. Lola devises a
plan to get into that new car – it’s her inheritance.
But things get complicated when long suffering Lucia hatches an
alternate plan.
Review by Andrew L. Urban
Boisterous and for the most part well paced, La Spagnola follows
a tradition of largely European (certainly not Australian) films
that take a lighthearted approach to explore a central character
whose actions drive changes in others around them. Lola –
who 30 years ago might have been played by Sophia Loren - is the
cause and the catalyst of actions; her husband and her daughter
take different courses, but they both leave her one way or
another. Lola is the key, too, to the film’s energy, and
Spanish actress Lola Marceli excels at energy. But she comes with
a track record. The real discovery in this entertaining debut
from director Steve Jacobs, is young Alice Ansara as Lucia, a
riveting and powerful performance that would make a seasoned
actor proud. Her stillness is her biggest weapon – her
ability to engage and communicate with a simple look that hides a
seething inner turmoil. Ansara single-handedly anchors the film
and makes us care. There are a few flat spots in the middle, but
the film’s enormous opening impetus carries it through to a
satisfying ending.
Review by Louise Keller
Quirky and energetic, La Spagnola is fresh, funny observant look
at a family's inability to communicate. Using language as the
key, Anna-Maria Monticelli's vibrant characters with a zesty lust
for life jump from the screen and beckon us into a crazy world of
eccentricity, volatility and chaos. It's an impressive debut
feature for both Monticelli and husband director Steve Jacobs,
who have together created an authentic dysfunctional family of
multi-dimensions as well as multi-culture. Humour is unforced,
relying on the natural evolution of real-life situations to
create impact, while Cezary Skubiszewski's wonderful music is
cleverly used to great effect. A cross between Looking for
Alibrandi and Bread and Tulips, La Spagnola not only establishes
an authentic explosive relationship between mother and daughter,
but develops their individual stories. Lola Marceli is fabulous
as fiery, hot-tempered Lola; she embodies passion and volatility
like a whirling torpedo that cannot be abated and is wonderfully
counteracted by Alice Ansara, who displays extraordinary screen
presence and control as her young ugly-duckling daughter Lucia.
Lola is theatrical in her passion; it comes as no surprise when
she throws herself in front of her meandering husband's car
saying: 'Run over me – that's the only way you'll be free!'
But the entire cast is terrific with Alex Dimitriades intense and
perfectly cast as a sexist charmer, who tries his luck not only
with mother, but also with her blossoming daughter. It's a
colourful bunch of characters that exude individuality and
demonstrate their emotions with no inhibitions or restraints. I
especially enjoyed the rhythms and impact of the first half,
which positively sizzles with imaginative craft and filmmaking.
Energy levels and script take a little dip mid stream when Lola's
ravings become a little repetitive, but La Spagnola is definitely
an audience pleaser, a delightful, very different Australian film
that guarantees to entertain.
Review by David Edwards
The so-called Australian grotesque style is definitely an
acquired taste. In La Spagnola, director Steve Jacobs creates a
tale of family and growing up in a small community using that
same larger-than-life style that marked films like Welcome to
Woop Woop and A Fistful of Flies. Unfortunately, the result is
uneven; with the film’s better moments interspersed among
scenes that misfire. The story of a teenage girl coming to terms
with her bizarre family has been done recently and better in
Looking for Alibrandi; while the film’s commentary on
multiculturalism really doesn’t add much to what was said in
They’re a Weird Mob. The script meanders somewhat, dealing
with the family issues in a manner that’s more bewildering
than enlightening; and its preoccupation with cars doesn’t
help. Its overall look and design is also strange. We’re
meant to accept that the action takes place in a small (presumably
rural) community, yet there’s a huge oil refinery in the
town; leaving the film with a fractured feeling. What La Spagnola
does have going for it however are two wonderful central
performances from noted Spanish actress Lola Marcelli and
newcomer Alice Ansara as the mother and daughter at the centre of
the story. Marcelli brings Latin fire to the juicy role of the
woman wronged by a cheating man. Her performance lifts the film
at crucial moments. Ansara is more restrained as Lucia, providing
the level-headed foil for Lola’s fieriness and giving the
film its tender heart. It also features one particularly
outrageous scene that’s sure to be talked about for some
time. While it has several fine values, La Spagnola ultimately
fails to fire on all cylinders. Certainly it’s an ambitious
film; but fails to realise its potential.
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CRITICAL COUNT
Favourable: 2
Unfavourable: 0
Mixed: 1
Read Andrew L. Urban's interview with
ALICE ANSARA
SOUNDTRACK REVIEW
See the TRAILER



LA SPAGNOLA (M)
(Aust)
CAST: Lola Marceli, Alice Ansara, Lourdes Bartolome, Alex
Dimitriades, Simon Palomare
DIRECTOR: Steve Jacobs
PRODUCER: Anna-Maria Monticelli
SCRIPT: Anna-Maria Monticelli
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Steve Arnold
EDITOR: Alexandre De Franceshi
MUSIC: Cezary Skubiszewski
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Dee Molineaux
RUNNING TIME: 87 minutes
LANGUAGES: Spanish, Italian, English
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: New Vision
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: September 20, 2001
VIDEO DISTRIBUTOR: AV CHANNEL
VIDEO RELEASE April 17, 2002
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