The older Brass become, the easier its films. It seems, as if it has the dark sides of the life completely beside, which it so urgently produced still with CALIGULA and SALON KITTY. Since SNACKBAR BUDAPEST he praises himself besides, completely on a connection of sexuality and brutality was to do without. MONELLA used up itself and leaves completely the summer-resorts comedy anyhow us curious view sharing at the life-merry plots, which the girl leads around its prudent engaged one. As in MIRANDA Brass catches here the Italian land life affectionately and looks again and again for original and bizarre perspectives, in order to regard its heroine in flagrant. Its occasional mix between 70's Softporno and contemporary hard core's what rends the Brass style fantastic, and it is amazing that its films beside the tide of purely porn productions can maintain ground still. But Brass goes around the production from eroticism, not around flesh banality. In addition he thinks out the most amazing situations. If the master should throw the towel, will somewhat be missing: Nobody can produce so loosely and at the same time as sensual as he can... And MONELLA is reliably one of the most beautiful examples to appreciate this style.

The cover of the DVD has a photo of Lola (Anna Ammarati) on her bicycle, laughing over her shoulder at the camera, her skirt hiked up to her waist and revealing her panty-covered behind.

The movie opens with this scene. Lola bicycles around town with her filmy skirt up around her neck, turning all the men on, including two priests who sniff her bicycle seat after she dismounts. Oh, she's a gay creature and a whimsical one. She's about to be married to a young baker but doesn't want to remain a virgin until then so she tries to seduce him in every way, but the young man is a demon of chastity. So Lola starts looking elsewhere for her defloration, but everyone seems frightened away by her forwardness. It's hard to figure out why. She's easy enough on the eyes. But when she puts the moves on her own father, maybe she's going a little too far.

There's a credit given for clothing design and I suppose it's deserved, at least for everyone except frivolous Lola who spends half the movie running around buck nekkid. She's seen in a wedding dress at the end but she's not wearing underwear. In the rest of the movie she wears only one outfit -- a red top, easily slipped down, a diaphanous transparent skirt and a pair of white panties (sometimes). There is an abundance of what I think the trade calls up skirt shots.

I will tell you something. If this were a real Italian gal in a small village, she'd be put away subito.

There isn't much to the story except for Lola's whimsical yet desperate attempts at seduction. The whole thing is a fantasy. A monk admits she turns him on and he appears to masturbate an ear of corn after she kisses his ancient forehead, proving that he may be old but he's not dead. Later he gets a chance to spit out some happy obscenities.

The musical score is lively and demotic. The photography bleeds much of the color from the scenes and appears to have been shot through a goldfish bowl. The acting is okay as far as I could tell. I had no objection to Lola's lying in bed and plucking out pubic hairs -- "He loves me," "He loves me not", or whatever it was. I had no real objection to any of it. The problem is that it really isn't very sexy, although there is an abundance of Lola's nudity, and it isn't in the least amusing. I wouldn't sit through it again.