Lolita

Vladimir Nabokov's 'Lolita' is a brilliantly written, beautifully constructed, hilarious (in a black-comedy way), poignant, luridly shocking (but not gratuitously so) and very daring for its time book.

Despite me considering it one of the finest books she's ever read, when describing it to people they often give me "is she mad?" looks due to its subject matter. Don't let the subject matter turn you off, no matter how it sounds, to me 'Lolita' is an essential read. Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation, which saw Nabokov's involvement, is not exactly faithful and elements are downplayed, but, considering how difficult to adapt the book is and how films had to deal with censorship constraints and studio interference often, Kubrick's film is a very brave and worthy attempt.

Kubrick's 'Lolita' also succeeds incredibly well on its own terms, reminding one of Kubrick's 'The Shining' where it is very far removed from the source material but was so much scarier, more atmospheric and more shocking than anything in the more faithful mini-series. It's not quite one of Kubrick's very finest (in a very solid career where to me his only misfire was his debut 'Fear and Desire) but it is one of his most fascinating. Quibbles are very few, with my only quibbles being some over-obvious back projection representing Nabokov's nightmarish vision and the Elstree locations even more so as a result of problems with the economy and censorship.

'Lolita' however is brilliantly shot, lit and made with incredible atmosphere and directed with Kubrick's unmistakable masterly touch, meticulous but not as cold as some of his critics have criticised his directing and films for being. It's hauntingly and beguilingly scored too with a memorable main theme. While one does miss some of the book's funniest moments and the subject matter is a little more shocking in the book (with the age gap being more believable), 'Lolita' achieves an ideal balance of hilarious black comedy and affecting drama.

The story is lurid, but in a sensually captivating way and never in a vulgar way. It is also relentlessly entertaining and has moments of genuine poignancy. The characters are intriguing and the acting is terrific. Sue Lyon, while slightly too old age-wise (only by a few years though), more than holds her own against her more famous colleagues and is positively alluring. In an incredibly bold career move, James Mason superbly brings cruelty and pathos (his begging at the end is heart-breaking) to Humbert, here a complex character rather than the total creep that he could have been in lesser hands than Mason's. Shelley Winters is riotous and surprisingly poignant, while ever the scene stealer Peter Sellers brilliantly steals every scene he's in in multiple roles, especially great as Quilty, a creepy chameleon sort of character.

Overall, a fascinating film and gets better and funnier with each viewing. Not one of my favourites, but one this reviewer appreciates highly. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This film remains my all-time favorite. It's a delicious, adult meditation on youth, obsession and sex. While not entirely faithful to the novel, it captures the book's spirit and is nonetheless a masterpiece on its own terms. To fully appreciate what Kubrick has done, compare this version to Adrian Lyne's anemic remake.

Kubrick chose his cast wisely for the most part. James Mason conveys both the tormented inner soul and the outwardly polite gentleman with such charm that you simply can't despise him for his treachery. Shelley Winters was never better as the shrill, man-hungry shrew. Sue Lyon is enormously credible in a complex role - physically attractive, childish at times in her behavior, but quietly calculating and manipulative. The weakest link is Peter Sellers, who Kubrick found amusing enough to let him run on too long. Sellers was a brilliant performer, but just not right for this film. As Quilty, he's fine. When masquerading as others, he's mostly intrusive and tends to alter the tone of what's going on.

The need to tread carefully around the censors in 1962 actually works in the film's favor. There's a sophisticated subtlety that counterbalances the lurid subject matter. In fact, I even prefer the edited-for-television version of the scene in which Humbert and Lolita first have sex. Here she merely whispers in his ear before a suggestive fade-out. In the complete version of the film, the scene continues with them discussing a silly game played at summer camp. The less said, the better.

"Lolita" has aged remarkably well. Its topic is relevant today, and the careful craftsmanship that went into this production holds up beautifully. I think it's Kubrick's best film - they tended to get more self-indulgent as time went on. This one's a gem. Not to be overlooked are the aptly provocative title sequence and Nelson Riddle's luscious piano score.

I sat to watch Lolita for the third time. The first time I was too young to truly understand what I was seeing. Then I read the book a few years later and saw the film again. That time it left a mark. I detested James Mason's Humbert Humbert to such a degree that stopped me from accepting him in other roles other than utter villains. To see it now after two decades is a whole other story - All of a sudden James Mason's Humbert Humbert has become human, very human. Corrupt and haunted by the awareness of his own weakness. What a performance. Shelley Winters is superb, unafraid and bold bringing to life an embarrassing human spectacle. What a performance. Peter Sellers is chilling in all of his Quilty incarnations. Sue Lyon is sublime as the innocent torturer. Stanley Kubrick never made 2 films alike but I'm starting to suspect that as literary adaptations go, this is his finest.

A riveting transposition from page to screen. The accomplices are two giants in both fields. Nabokov adapts his own infamous novel for the screen and Kubrick, no less, translates it into images in a way that makes it unique, unforgettable and transcendental without ever putting himself in front of the camera. A Kubrick film can't be recognized by its style. Kubrick never made two films alike but there is something that, unquestionable, makes them stand out. In "Lolita"'s case the mere idea of touching the controversial novel with its taboo subject at its very core seem like a provocation from the word go. Pornography for the thinking man in which the only explicit act is the intention written in the character's eyes. Nothing is excessive and nothing is pulled back. James Mason - villain or victim - is monumental, mo-nu-men-tal! The unspeakable truth never leaves his brow. He is the most civilized man trapped in the lowest echelon of his own psyche. So aware, that it is painful to watch. Shelley Winters goes for it, taking her Mrs Hayes for all its worth and dives into the void of a desperate housewife, craving for sex. It is one of the most entertaining, shattering human spectacles, I've ever seen. But unlike Mason, she's not aware of it. There is a horrible innocence attached to her sickness. Peter Sellers's character from hell, the torturer comes in three riveting characterizations and Sue Lyon's temptress, the child, is the devil incarnate in a performance that defies description. None of them were nominated for Oscars and the film was condemned by every moral group in America and beyond. As film experiences go, this is one of the most provocative, enthralling, disgusting, entertaining and satisfying I've ever been through. Yep, I really mean that.

Inspired by the eponymous novel (Vladimir Nabokov, 1955), this film admirably describes the sulfurous relationship between a middle-aged writer and his nymph Dolores Haze, aka Lolita.

By chance, looking for a furnished rental, the professor Humbert Humbert encounters Charlotte Haze and her beloved daughter Dolores. From the very first sight, the professor irrevocably accepts the rental conditions! A triangular relationship settles quickly between 1) an intellectual sensitive to beauty and youth, 2) a desperate widow impressed by this professor, both unable to fight against theirs own obsessive desires, and 3) a manipulative and nonchalant teen. Consecutively to a fatal accident and because of the inquisitive and invasive look of Clare Quilty, the teacher will progressively and ineluctably descend in the depths of the abyss.

James Mason is awesome and monumental. He is also excellently seconded by Sue Lyon, Peter Sellers and Shelley Winters. And Stanley Kubrick is definitely a regular of successful and even improved literary adaptations, with Shining (1980), 2001, A space odyssey (1968), Barry Lyndon (1975), A clockwork orange (1971), The Killing (1956), ...

This movie is truly a masterpiece.