Lolita

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Written by: Vladimir Nabokov, based on his novel

Year: 1962

Genre: Comedy-drama

My rating: 5 out of 5

"Lolita" begins with the main character, Humbert Humbert (James Mason), a 40-something British professor of French literature, in the home of Clare Quilty (Peter Sellers), a drunken playwright with a slight lisp. After a short game of "Roman ping-pong" that had me on the floor with laughter, Humbert pulls a gun on Quilty and shoots him. The movie then jumps back four years. Humbert arrives in Ramsdale, New Hampshire, looking for a place to stay. He finds a room for rent at the home of a widow named Charlotte Haze (Shelley Winters), but initially declines her offer. He changes his mind, however, when he meets Charlotte's daughter, 14-year-old Dolores, better known as Lolita (Sue Lyon). He spends his time at the house trying to get closer to Lolita while avoiding Charlotte's advances, all of which he writes down in his diary. Throughout the film, he learns that he is not the only person with an interest in her. After a school dance one night, Charlotte tries desperately to seduce Humbert, but he again turns her down. The next day, Charlotte announces that she will be sending Lolita to a summer camp for girls. On the day of Lolita's departure, Charlotte gives Humbert a written ultimatum: if he's still in the house at the end of the day, it means he wishes to marry Charlotte and spend the rest of their lives together. Knowing that he would never get to see Lolita again, Humbert accepts. Soon after the wedding, Charlotte discovers Humbert's diary, and she runs out into the road and is hit fatally by a car. Humbert then retrieves Lolita from the camp and goes on the road with her, growing increasingly overprotective and neurotic.

In so many ways, "Lolita" is one of the best films I have ever seen. Sue Lyon, in her first screen appearance, performs expertly with humorous provocativeness and juvenile tenacity, deservedly earning a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. James Mason manages to mesh together all of Humbert's longing and frustration and tender feelings without any holes in his performances. Peter Sellers proves once again that he is among the funniest actors ever. One of the film's most impressive features is its incredible cinematography. Filmed in black-and-white, the visual direction is more phenomenal than even some films today. What I find absolutely amazing about the movie is the fact that it can deal with such touchy and controversial subject material without crossing any lines. Kubrick stated that he wouldn't have made the film if he had known it would be so heavily censored, but it is a true testament to his infinite skills that he could still make such a fantastic movie, even without the perverse details that originally interested him.

Structure/Form:

How are the opening credits presented? Do they relate to the meaning?

They are in the foreground of a close-up of a pedicure, showing Lolita's pampered lifestyle.

Are there any repeated scenes, images, dialogue, etc.?

The first and last scenes are the same.

Is sound used in any vivid ways to enhance the film?

Music is often played that somewhat skewers the mood but simultaneously improves it.

What specific scene constitutes the film's climax? How does this scene resolve the central issue of the film?

The central issue is never really solved, but the first scene comes closest.

Theme:

How does this film relate to the issues presented or developed? What questions are evoked by the film? Does the film present a clear point of view on an issue? How?

It's hard to pick out and articulate a theme, but it seems like neither Lolita nor Humbert make very good decisions.

Editing:

Similar to "Paths of Glory." Kubrick likes to use long shots.

Mise en Scene:

After blowing out a tire, Humbert and Lolita pull to the side of the highway and look back at the car that has been following them.

Dominant: Where is our eye attracted first?

At first, the car in the background.

Lighting key: High key? Low key? High contrast? Some combination of these?

Mostly high key.

Shot and camera distance: What type of shot? How far away is the camera from the action?

The camera looks through the windshield to capture all of the action.

Angle: Are we (and the camera) looking up or down on the subject? Or is the camera eye level?

Eye level.

Subsidiary contrasts: What are the main eye-stops after taking in the dominant?

Lolita and Humbert's faces.

Density: How much visual information is packed into the image?

As much as Kubrick can get into it, but all that's really there to see is Humbert's expression.

Composition: How is the two-dimensional space segmented and organized?

Lolita is sitting in the back seat closer to the left side of the screen, Humbert is on the right side looking in the rearview mirror, and we can see the other car between their heads out the back window.