Lolita (1962)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Stars: James Mason, Shelley Winters, Sue Lyon
Runtime: 153 minutes

Synopsis: A middle-aged college professor becomes infatuated with a fourteen-year-old nymphet.

Performances: 9/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 8/10

Verdict: Released in 1962, only 7 years after the release of the controversial novel by Vladimir Nabokov it is based on which, full disclosure, I have never read but did have a slight idea of the delicate subject at the center of it, "Lolita" is yet another daring project supervised by the one and only Stanley Kubrick.

If you're not familiar with the synopsis, allow me to summarize it for you. The film follows Professor Humbert, an academic and perhaps one of the most despicable characters in modern literature, as he develops a relationship with a widow only to get closer to her 14-year-old daughter, for who he starts developing feelings for. It's a crazy concept that only Kubrick could get approval for (and maybe Adrian Lyne in 1997) and one that only crossed the limit of what I consider to be ethically acceptable a couple of times (notably the unjustifiably sexualized scene in which we're introduced to the titular character). But at its core, it in no way justifies or endorses pedophilia, quite the opposite in fact, but rather chooses to focus on developing characters through the use of dark comedy (you can count on Pete Sellers for that), psychology, and even political undertones (check out Screen View Mirror's excellent video essay for a more detailed analysis on that point).

It's a movie charged by powerhouse performances, mainly by Sellers, Mason, and Lyon, as well as a very interesting use of music as you'd expect from a Kubrick film, but I do feel that it lacks a bit of substance to its narrative. Not only was I not a big fan of the last 15 minutes and a few conveniences I found difficult to buy, but I also did feel that the film's runtime was a little exaggerated, especially in its first half.

"Lolita" may not be Kubrick's best work, but it remains nevertheless a film directed by one of the most influential directors in the history of Cinema. And you should give it a try for that reason alone.

FINAL GRADE: 7/10