Frivolous Lola appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. The movie delivered a largely appealing image, though not a great one.
Definition usually sufficed. Delineation seemed good, if not exactly razor-sharp through the film, with a little softness in some wider shots.
No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects appeared, and I saw no edge haloes. Grain felt natural, and print flaws failed to manifest.
Colors leaned toward a warm amber/yellow vibe mixed with blues as well. The hues felt well-depicted given the cinematic choices, and HDR added some zing to the tones.
Blacks appeared reasonably deep, but low-light shots could lean a little murky. HDR brought extra range to contrast and whites. Ultimately, the image worked fine, even if it never really impressed.
As for the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it felt decidedly unambitious. Still, it opened up the spectrum a bit at times, as music spread to the sides well.
Effects broadened in a minor manner, so we got elements like bicycles and the like from the sides. A thunderstorm delivered decent used of the channels. Unfortunately, we also found some speech that bled awkwardly to the left or right as well.
Surrounds lacked much to do. If they offered more than general reinforcement of the front channels, I didn’t detect it, so this became a restrained soundscape – well, outside of that thunderstorm.
Like most Italian movies, Frivolous looped almost all its dialogue. To my surprise, a handful of lines actually used production recordings, however.
As heard here, these dubbing techniques improved over the decades. Nonetheless, in Frivolous, speech still felt canned and artificial through the film.
Lines remained intelligible, though they leaned a little edgy at times. Also, the aforementioned bleeding impacted quality in a slight manner.
Effects lacked much to do but still seemed pretty accurate, while music showed nice range and dimensionality. Nothing here impressed so expect a fairly blah soundtrack, though not a bad one.
Note that the disc also included an English DTS-HD MA 5.1 track in addition to the Italian one I discussed. Both seemed identical outside of the dialogue.
For the English version, speech felt even less natural and integrated worse into the film. Also, the English vocal performances seemed pretty terrible.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the simultaneously released Blu-ray? Both came with identical audio.
Expect the usual format improvements from the 4K, as it brought moderately superior colors, blacks and sharpness – though the gauzy style limited growth in the last domain. Don’t expect a massive upgrade from the 4K, however.
As we go to extras, we start with an audio commentary from film historians Eugenio Ercolani and Troy Howarth. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific discussion of filmmaker Tinto Brass and where Frivolous fits into his career, cast and crew, some production elements, and their thoughts about the movie.
This turned into a largely engaging discussion of these topics. Ercolani and Howarth find more to appreciate in the film than I did, but they cover the domains well.
The 4K disc also presents a selection of Tinto Brass Trailers. In addition to the promo for Frivolous, we find ads for All Ladies Do It, Paprika, PO Box Tinto Brass and Istintobrass.
Everything else appears on the included Blu-ray copy. From 2004, we get an Interview with writer/director Tinto Brass that lasts 25 minutes, 51 seconds.
Brass covers the movie’s roots and development, cast and crew, and various production domains. This doesn’t become the most concise chat, but Brass offers some useful notes.
A Still Photo Gallery offers 20 shots, all of which stem from the movie. These don’t stand out as memorable, even if we find some nudity.
The Blu-ray features the same commentary and trailers found on the 4K.
The set also includes a booklet that provides photos, ads, and an essay from Ercolani and Domenico Monetti. It offers a positive note.
Not found with the Blu-ray version, the 4K includes four lobby card replicas. These don’t bring much to the set.
Essentially devoid of plot, Frivolous Lola kept me with it solely due to the vivacious charms of its lead actor. As a movie, though, it lacks purpose and engagement. The 4K UHD brings generally positive picture and audio along with a few bonus materials. I enjoyed 105 minutes of an often-unclothed Anna Ammirati, but the film never offers anything more worthwhile than that.
To rate this film visit original review of FRIVOLOUS LOLA