Stanley Kubrick's Lolita (1962) is a complex and nuanced film that explores the dark and disturbing themes of obsession, desire, and the dangers of forbidden love. It is a visually stunning film with a dark and atmospheric tone, and it features strong performances from James Mason, Sue Lyon, and Shelley Winters.
The film tells the story of Humbert Humbert (Mason), a middle-aged literature lecturer who becomes infatuated with Dolores Haze (Lyon), a 14-year-old girl whom he nicknames "Lolita." Humbert rents a room from Dolores's mother, Charlotte Haze (Winters), only to be close to Dolores.
After Charlotte's sudden [death}9@leoglossary/leoglossary-death), Humbert has Dolores all to himself. He takes her on a road trip across the United States, where they travel from one motel to the next. Along the way, Humbert begins to groom Dolores for sex.
Dolores is initially resistant to Humbert's advances, but she eventually succumbs to his manipulation. However, their relationship is fraught with tension and conflict. Humbert is obsessed with Dolores, but she is also intelligent and independent. She begins to resent Humbert's possessiveness and control, and she eventually runs away from him.
Humbert eventually tracks Dolores down and convinces her to return to him. They move to a small town in New England, where Humbert becomes a professor at a local college. However, their relationship is doomed from the start. Dolores is now a young woman, and she is no longer interested in being Humbert's possession. She eventually leaves him for good.
Kubrick's Lolita is a disturbing and fascinating film that challenges the audience to confront their own complex and often contradictory feelings about love, desire, and sexuality. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of obsession and the importance of consent.
Cast
- James Mason as Humbert "Hum" Humbert
- Shelley Winters as Charlotte Haze-Humbert
- Sue Lyon as Dolores "Lolita" Haze
- Peter Sellers as Clare Quilty / Dr. Zempf
- Gary Cockrell as Richard "Dick" Schiller
- Jerry Stovin as John Farlow, a Ramsdale lawyer
- Diana Decker as Jean Farlow
- Lois Maxwell as Nurse Mary Lore
- Cec Linder as Dr. Keegee
- Susanne Gibbs as Mona
- Bill Greene as George Swine, the hotel night manager in Bryceton
- Shirley Douglas as Mrs. Starch, the piano teacher in Ramsdale
- Marianne Stone as Vivian Darkbloom, Quilty's companion
- Marion Mathie as Miss Lebone
- James Dyrenforth as Frederick Beale, Sr.
- Maxine Holden as Miss Fromkiss, the hospital receptionist
- John Harrison as Tom
- Colin Maitland as Charlie Sedgewick
- C. Denier Warren as Potts
- Ed Bishop as an Ambulance Attendant
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Vladimir Nabokov
Box Office Gross: $4,631
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Date: June 13, 1962
Trailer: