When Lola Flores tamed and subdued television | TV

When Lola Flores interviewed Guillermo Cabrera Infante in that Antena 3 program titled Taste of Lolas, the writer began by responding to the compliments in the lead by saying that he was very excited to be there, in front of a myth, “because Lola Flores is a myth in Cuba.” La Faraona nodded naturally and said: “Well, it’s true, it’s ugly for me to say it, but I was a myth in that Havana.” Of all the monumental scenes that Lola Flores left on television, this one seems to be anecdotal from the bunch. And yet, I think that the measure of what Lola Flores meant in a medium where she not only reigned, but also the one she tamed and subdued, gives better than others.

There he was, one of the most revered writers of his time, bowing to the greatness of the Fire Girl, and the Fire Girl not only accepted the compliment, as polite people do, but certified it as dogma. In these times where we live so obsessed with identity and where staging is so important (that moral mask that Edu Galán talks about in his last essay), Lola Flores simply was. Not only did she not add complements to the verb to be, but she merged it with the verb to be. Estar and ser meant the same thing to her. Ella Flores lived and verified that she lived at the same time, and when she spoke, only she spoke, she did not want to prove anything or take sides or set an example. That attitude disarmed any theatrical or television code and turned her into an indefinable and fascinating presence on the screen.

Television overflowed as before flamenco overflowed, because life itself overflowed. And no talent or academic virtuosity can beat such a powerful force. Today the TV returns to surrender to her in her centenary. And it does good.

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