Lolita

 

LOLITA

FILM DATA

Based on: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Release Dates: June 13, 1962 (US)

Running Time: 152 minutes

Budget: $2 Million

Box Office: $9.25 million

Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Music by: Incidental: Nelson Riddle; Theme: Bob Harris

Cinematography: Oswald Morris

Edited by: Anthony Harvey

Starring: James Mason as Humbert Humber

            Shelley Winters as Charlotte Haze-Humber

            Sue Lyon as Dolores “Lolita” Haze

            Peter Sellers as Clare Quilty

Cast: Jerry Stovin as John Farlow

            Diana Decker as Jean Farlow

            Lois Maxwell as Nurse Mary Lore

            Cec Linder as Dr. Keegee

            Bill Greene as George Swine

            Shirley Douglas as Mrs. Starch

            Marianne Stone as Mrs. Starch

            Marion Mathie as Miss Lebone

            James Dyrenforth as Frederick Beale, Sr.

            Maxine Holden as Miss Fromkiss

            John Harrison as Tom

            C. Denier Warren as Potts

SYNOPSIS

            The movie starts near the end of the story in medias res with a confrontation between two men. One is drunk and playing the piano when he is shot by Humbert Humbert from behind a painting of a young woman. That is when the film flashes back four years and the story begins.

            Humbert arrives in a new town for the summer and is invited to stay with sexually frustrated widow, Charlotte Haze. He doesn’t take her up on the offer until he sees Dolores, her daughter, as he is immediately infatuated. Charlotte wants “Hum” all to herself so she sends Lolita away to a summer camp and sends a letter to Humbert confessing her love and asks if he loves her as well. If not, he must move out but if he is still in the house when she returns, he must marry her. Although Humbert finds this funny, he decides to marry her.

 

          But it is not all sunshine and rainbows for the newlyweds as Humbert grows distant and bored and Charlotte is frustrated and whiny. Charlotte ends up finding Hum’s diary and realizes that he really loves Lolita. In a haste, she runs outside and is hit by a car and dies. Humbert drives to pick up Lolita and tells her that her mother is sick in the hospital. They spend the night in a hotel and in the morning begin their sexual relationship which continues across the US in different hotels. During the day, they act as father and daughter, but at night, they are lovers. Although people are suspicious of their relationship, they do not get caught.

            In the fall, Humbert enrolls Lolita in school at his College and everyone begins to get suspicious about their relationship while Humbert gets jealous about Lolita’s involvement in the school play and with other boys. He is convinced to let her participate in the play by Dr. Zimpf but during the play, Humbert realizes that Lolita had been lying to him about spending time with the director Clare Quilty. The duo argues and sets out on a journey but Humbert quickly realized that they are being followed by Quilty. Then they both become ill and Humbert takes Lolita to the hospital but when he returns to pick her up, she is gone and he is devastated.

            It is not until years later that he finally hears from her. She is now a plain woman who married a laborer and is pregnant and needs money. She tells him that Quilty is the one who took her away and that she left Humbert because of all the weird things he wanted to do. He pleads for her to leave her situation and come back with him but she refuses so he gives her thousands of dollars and leaves to seek revenge on Quilty. This is where the film comes full circle as Humbert shoots Quilty as shown in the beginning of the film. The epilogue states that Humbert died of coronary thrombosis awaiting trial for murder.

COMMENTARY: REFLECTION

            Lolita is a 1962 British-American comedy-drama film adapted from Vladimir Nabokov’s book by the same name. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, the movie performed fairly well considering there was not much advertising. For the same reason, many critics were uninterested but there were some that gave raving reviews. Of course, the film was very controversial due to its content surrounding the sexual relationship of a young girl and a much older man. However, the film was still nominated for many awards including Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, Gold Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Director and Sue Lyon actually won Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer.

            Yet, Kubrick was not satisfied with the film mostly due to the problems he faced with censorship when filming with MPAA Production Code. He even said that he “probably wouldn’t have made the film” had he realized in advance how difficult censorship would be.

           

COMMENTARY: RESPONSE

            I was most excited for this movie honestly because of its seemingly limited plot line. Kubrick’s films are very extensive but from what I have heard about this one, it is not so much so. Of course, there was manipulations, irony, and humor, but I was able to watch the movie through without pausing, rewinding, and rewatching multiple times to understand what was going on.

            I thought I would like that, but I think Kubrick has changed me in that I wanted more from this movie. I felt that it wasn’t risky enough and didn’t have much action, which is definitely weird for me to say as I don’t like movies at all, let alone those with action. Although I enjoyed the plot line and found it very amusing, it didn’t seem like enough for me. But maybe I am just brainwashed by Kubrick now and have a different standard for movies.