A Film That Broke Spain’s Silence
During the 1990s, Spain was still immersed in the cultural reverberations of the Movida. Franco’s dictatorial regime had, at long last, given way to free artistic expression, sexual exuberance, and social defiance. Enter: The Ages of Lulu (Las edades de Lulú), directed by Bigas Luna and adapted from the novel by Almudena Grandes. To this day, the movie generates passionate discourse. While people are still reeling from the theatrical release of the movie, previewing copies have already been seen by some, and the reviews are anything but coy. The publicity was a slice out of dramatic cinema but one’s with a consumerist exaggeration of eroticism to allure the readers.
Given the decades spent under a dictatorship, Spain and its people were not prepared for the mad frenzy. The people wanted to scandal and the reviewers, controversy while the film lovers were only hoping it would be more than just erotic drama.
The central narrative of the film, revolves around Lulu (Francesca Neri). The audience witnesses the evolution of Lulu, and her eventual disenchantment. The inquisitive Lulu, a teenager with desires of her very own and with the ability to, sneak between the confines of her imagination sits at the edge of a seat. This storyline, along with the passionate degree of imagination from her relationship with Pablo (Áscar Ladoire) along with the desire to explore at the level of the sinister, goes above and beyond to captivate one’s thoughts along the lines of liberation while experiencing danger.
Lulu’s arc goes way beyond erotic exploration; it delves into the meeting of innocence and obsession, the collapse of love under excess, and humanity’s desperate craving to feel something, anything, even when it’s detrimental. What starts off as a passionate romance quickly devolves into a chaotic realm of sadomasochism, group sex, and exploitation. In the end, however, Lulu is left scorched and altered, a tragic symbol of a woman engulfed in the flames of her abandonment in pursuit of freedom.
Francesca Neri: Bravery in Front of the Lens
Neri, one of the most celebrated actresses in Italy at the time, had just begun transitioning to international cinema when she took on the role. Though it meant stepping into a role that required her to shed all forms of protection, she understood the enormity of the Lulu character that called for total exposure, as she carried the film on her shoulders. Although the role was challenging for a young actress due to its explicit nature, Neri was unfazed and harbored a firmly rooted mentality that the artistry was worth the sacrifice.
Even during interviews she stated that it was not the nudity that posed the greatest challenge, it was more about the emotional exposure that was more difficult. Lulu descends into perilous waters which means Neri has to tap into a certain level of raw intensity. Neri’s friends and colleagues have commented that there were times when she would seclude herself in the days leading up to a shoot, in which she was silently preparing to embody Lulu’s intense angst. Because of such performances, she was considered one of the most courageous actress of the moment even if it meant being labeled for pornographic roles for a few years straight.
The Men Around Lulu
Óscar Ladoire, known for his dynamic roles in Spanish films, had much of his career prior to L ages of Lulu spent in character driven cinema. To him, understaning and playing Pablo was more about possesion rather than sexuality stalk her love and at the same time, engulf her in his selfish tendencies. Outside of filming, Ladoire used to talk about how the many sides of his character perplexed him. He once stated that “It was hard,” to him, “playing someone who is both the love of Lulu’s life and also the beginning of her destruction,” was much more than embodying a fictional character.
Javier Bardem, a rather adolescent and young actor at the time, playing one of the leading roles of his career, the bisexual cross-dresser Ely, was in the process of Lulu becoming his partner in many of her escapess. Leaving aside the fact that Bardem was new in the industry and very likely a not so widely known name on the roster of A List actors, the fact that he brazenly undertook and conservatively accepted this challenging role at a such a nascent stage, was a clear indication of the courage he was known for in his later years. Undoubtedly, this only goes to show that his performance in The Ages of Lulu was a clear representation of the fact that he did not conform to the belief that he only stepped to undermine conventions of this industry after it gained him fame.
Bigas Luna’s Vision — Behind the Camera
Bigas Luna, the director, was accustomed to being in the center of controversy. He was known to be fascinated with eroticism, with the desire not to transform it to pornography, but to use desire as a metaphor to elucidate the newfound freedoms of Spain, noted. To him, Lulu personified the nation grappling with libertas — euphoric at it, but uncertain of the consequences.
There was a long shoot, however, that was the distance of tough. Explicit scenes required attentiveness. Actors recalled how the crew would sometimes operate in almost a total silence during the more intimate moments, as a way to trust concentrate and a silence to the scene. Tensions sometimes erupted, not due to the violence of the relations, but the emotional violence the material possessed. Luna played with the shooting to ‘light and atmosphere’ as he wanted the film to come across as ‘soft’ not ‘exploitive’. He would often position Lulu in streaks of golden dawn, or grimy silver midnights to protrude the thin silk she wore at dawn, and in it’s wake at midnight, suggesting her journey through innocence to danger or vice versa.
The Buzz, the Reactions, the Impact
The premiere of The Ages of Lulu heated discussions in Spain and beyond. Different audiences viewed the movie through differing lenses. On one hand, praised the film and considered it as one of its kind for daring to step out of boundaries, while others thought of it as sex-based art. With the book gaining popularity, so did the film. The movie and its media frenzy gained just enough curiosity for it to do well in the Spanish box office.
In India, with discussions of the film mostly rooted in underground cine-clubs as well as among the more available intellectual population, it resonated in unexpected ways. With desserts being one of the most difficult to cross, Lulu’s journey resonated well with the contradiction of modern-day Indian women. The push and pull of tradition’s conflicts. Along with the fear of neither being liberated nor being judged for it. With Spain gaining freedom in the 1990’s, so did India. It’s urban youth found in Lulu the symbol for many unheard desires echoing in the silence of their homes.
Lesser-Known Stories Form Set
A lesser-known aspect of the movie is that Francesca Neri was reluctant to take on the role for fear that it would more negatively than positively impact her career. It was only Bigas Luna’s belief that Lulu was more than just a sexually driven character but rather a woman who epitomized the spirit of an age that brought focus.
Another piece of the story came from Javier Bardem’s first days on the set. He was rather anxious but was prepared to do the work. He sat in on all the directing sessions and took notes for hours on end. Crew members later reported that Bardem was “the most serious actor on set.” It was clear that he was already showing the work ethic and comittment that would propel his career to the stars.
Censorship scares were other hurdles that the filming faced in numerous national borders. Some distributors wanted to censor certain graphic scenes while others would not permit the film to be viewed at all. All of this made The Ages of Lulu even much more popular among international audiences.
The Film That Still Echoes
The ages of Lulu is remembered for not only the a bold erotic film but also for the a film that is packed with emotional undercurrents. Francesca Neri’s brave performance and Bardem’s ever-present spark along with Bigas Luna’s bold direction was enough to leave a lasting impact.
To understand what Spain meant by capturing the essence of ‘the dance of freedom’ with the use of the tapestries, one need only compare tapestries made in Spain with one made in other parts of Europe. To Indian watchers, it was as if we were looking into a reflective surface in which the other image hidden under the glass layer. To the artists, it was not only a defining project which transformed their careers but also went on to become a testament to the courage cells of cinema, which, much like other forms of art, is not afraid to undress the…. not the body, but the long held silence.
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