Jithin K Mohan With characters that appear sympathetic at the beginning and turning more and more despicable as the film goes on and showing the unstable mental condition of the main character without throwing it at your face, Lolita manages to keep you uneasy throughout the film. Kubrick's attempt in dark comedy is highly successful here which he will perfect in a much more comedic Dr Strangelove. Lolita could have been a much more complexly woven tale if not for the censorship of the time. From what I've heard the original novel is much better and a lot are omitted here which makes this looks like more sided with the character of Humbert but the way I see it Kubrick have made the audience uneasy and to an extent made them despise themselves for sympathising with these characters by the end of the film. He never wants everything to be too black and white which is what I believe he tried to implement here as well.

frankwiener Whether the film is faithful to the classic Nabokov novel or not, I would like to read the book soon in order to compare the two and to determine whether the printed version is as enjoyable as the movie. I recently did this with the "Cider House Rules" and, after struggling through 600 pages of the most graphic depictions of very detailed human anatomy, as well as the gloomiest of characters and locales in Maine, a state that I love, I should have let well enough alone, but I will always crave apples of all varieties for the rest of my life, and an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But I digress.Aside from Kubrick's excellent direction, what makes this film succeed are a well chosen cast, a sharp and thoughtful screenplay, visually appealing locales, and a beautiful musical score by Nelson Riddle. James Mason's brilliant portrayal of Humbert Humbert transforms an ordinarily, dull professor into a fascinating, psychologically complex character as he is gradually consumed by his infatuation with Lolita, a fourteen year old girl who becomes his step daughter. Shelley Winters, cast once again as an unpleasant and often whining matron type with a grating, irritating voice ("Night of the Hunter", "Place in the Sun", "Patch of Blue"), perfectly fits the part of sexually frustrated Charlotte Haze, who is Lolita's overbearing and obnoxious mother. While several other reviewers did not appreciate Peter Sellers as Quilty, in addition to his portrayal of several disguised characters who stalk Humbert and Lolita during their road trips, I found him to be very entertaining and don't believe that the film would have held my interest as much without him. Watch how he throws himself into that German accent and the characters who accompany it. A whimsical, unpredictable Quilty sharply clashes with a dead serious, humdrum Humbert, as an inevitable explosion continues to build.As to Sue Lyon, I found her to be exactly as she was in "Night of the Iguana" without much of a variation--very cute but aloof and, for the most part, emotionally detached from everyone and everything around her. Yes, she cries when she learns of mother Charlotte's fate but not for very long. That was how she was supposed to play the role, and she performed it very well. Once in possession of her desperately needed inheritance, what are her last words to a shattered, destroyed Humbert, "I hope that we can see each other some time!" or something like that.While I found Bob Harris's "Lolita Ya Ya" theme song annoying and can't blame composer Bernard Hermann for not wanting to have anything to do with it, Riddle's score was otherwise quite pleasing to the ear, strongly enhancing the drama on the screen.I'm always curious about film locations, especially when they contribute significantly to the overall atmosphere, as is the case here. Although most of the film is supposed to take place in New Hampshire and in Ohio, it was actually filmed in England, Rhode Island, and the Albany, New York area. In case you were wondering, Lolita's ramshackle neighborhood at the end of the movie is located in Rensselaer, New York with a view of Albany, the state capital city in the background. While there supposedly aren't as many double entendres and word plays as in the novel, they pop up quite often in the film. Naturally, Mr. Swine would be a friend of Quilty's. Why would we ever doubt that? Did you get the one about Quilty's uncle who was Lolita's dentist and who urgently needed to fill her cavity? Oh, never mind.

elvircorhodzic LOLITA is a black comedy drama, which, in an unserious way, examines serious psychological problems. It is based on the novel of the same name by Vladimir Nabokov.The film begins with the verbal conflict between the two men. One man is drunk and maybe stoned, his opponent is desperate and angry. Their conflict has ended with a tragic outcome. The film then flashes back to events four years earlier. A distinguished professor arrives in Ramsdale, New Hampshire, intending to spend the summer before his professorship begins at Beardsley College, Ohio. He has found a room to rent at a house of a cloying and sexually frustrated widow. The professor becomes infatuated with her overly flirtatious daughter. He has married a frustrated widow, in order to stay close to the object of his desire. However, their "daughter" is in a summer camp for girls. He lives with her mother, forced to fulfill his conjugal duties. He becomes more withdrawn, and his brassy wife more whiny. She discovers his diary entries detailing his passion for her daughter...This film can be seen as a sort of a social incident. This should not be reduced to the relationship between a perverse underage girl and middle-aged man, who has disturbed libido. All characters are somehow disturbed and unhappy. That is perhaps more important for this story. It is very difficult to recognize the love and passion as emotions among the main protagonists. Simply, this is a tragedy with comic and ironic reflections on a very important psychological problems, which are a reflection of a subjective society.This is not a shameful review of something disgusting. This is an inappropriate fun, which is decorated with a very strange styles and a pretty good acting. Characterization is very good.James Mason as Humbert "Hum" Humbert is mentally unstable and obsessive-minded man, who comes from the quiet love phase to the phase of the jealousy, confusion and despair at the end. Sue Lyon as Dolores "Lolita" Haze is a spoiled and lonely brat, who has to grow up very quickly. Her feelings are absolutely vague. She, practically, is not ready for some major life decisions, even though Mr. Kubrick has made, from that fact, a contrast with her stepfather at the end of the film.Peter Sellers as Clare Quilty is a cunning and dark artist. He is a disturbed reflection of Humbert's character. His mystical and patchy appearance is almost outstanding. He is a thread that connects a killer and a victim in one figure.Shelley Winters as Charlotte Haze-Humbert is an unhappy mother, a widow ... wife. She is a woman who looks for love at the wrong address. It was obvious from the start.This is too serious to be fun, but it's fun.

Smoreni Zmaj Lolita from 1997. always was one of my very favorites, and rare example of movie better than the book. When I saw this one for the first time I was a kid and I could not stand black and white movies, but I still decided to watch it because of my love towards the book and movie from 90's. Unfortunately, 160 minutes of black and white was too much for me. 20 years later I finally watched the whole thing and I definitely recommend it to everyone who didn't see it yet. And newer one too. And the book. How could I even think that Kubrick could fail... I'm ashamed.