Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita tells the tale of Humbert Humbert (James Mason), a professor of French literature who plans to vacation in New Hampshire for the summer before he begins a new teaching gig in Ohio. While looking for a place to rent, he meets Charlotte Haze (Shelley Winters), a landlord and recent widow who makes it quite clear she is interested in Professor Humbert. But Humbert has no interest in anyone until he meets Charlotte’s young, teen-aged daughter, Dolores, commonly called Lolita (Sue Lyon). While watching Lolita sunbathe in the backyard in her bikini, Humbert Humbert decides he can manage to stay awhile.
Buy Lolita (1962) DVDAfter Humbert accepts Charlotte’s offer as a lodger, Charlotte decides she does not like the attention Lolita seems to garner from him and sends Lolita off to summer camp. While taking Lolita to the camp, Charlotte mails Humbert a letter professing her love for him, and she tells him to either pack his bags and skedaddle or marry her immediately upon her return. Humbert finds the letter to be hilarious, so the only logical reason he accepts the offer is to stay close to Lolita.
Charlotte finds Humbert’s diary in which he has detailed his love of everything Lolita. He claims they are just notes for a novel he is working on, but Charlotte runs out into the street in a fit and is conveniently hit by a car, removing her from the equation. After picking Lolita up from camp, the two begin a new life in which Humbert tells people Lolita is his daughter while they are actually living as man and wife. Through all this, Peter Sellers plays several characters (two actually, but one of the characters plays another character, so it gets a bit convoluted). Mainly, he is Clare Quilty, a modestly successful playwright and Dr. Zempf, a school psychologist who manipulates Humbert into allowing Lolita to star in the school play.
The biggest surprise about Lolita is that it doesn’t really offend in a way that takes away from the enjoyment of the film. This is a movie in which a man in his forties is quite definitely having sex with a girl of about thirteen – Sue Lyon was 14-15 during the filming. Between the careful writing and the excellent performances, we are somehow led to leave our morals at the door.
Lolita does not come off as a child, though she is constantly doing childish things. James Mason plays the part of Humbert Humbert perfectly. We know he is a creep but he is also charming, witty, and damn fine looking, and all sorts of things that do not make his relationship with Lolita okay while somehow making it okay. Quilty complicates things by being what we think of as a predator, including eventually kidnapping Lolita to have a relationship with her. The wife is a nag, annoying, a bad, jealous mom who knows how her husband feels about her daughter but tries to turn a blind eye to a disastrous end.
The end of Lolita is not a happy one; however, every character does seem to get what they “deserve.” The beautiful script and the masterful acting – including young Sue Lyon – are the main reasons to watch this perfectly filmed/directed classic.
