Lolita (1962 film)

Lolita
File:LolitaPoster.jpg A movie poster
Directed by	Stanley Kubrick
Written by	Vladimir Nabokov (novel, & screenplay) Stanley Kubrick James B. Harris (uncredited)
Produced by	James B. Harris
Starring	James Mason Shelley Winters Sue Lyon Peter Sellers
Cinematography	Oswald Morris
Edited by	Anthony Harvey
Music by	Bob Harris (theme) Nelson Riddle
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates	13 June, 1962
Running time	152 min.
Country	U.K. / U.S.A.
Language	English
Budget	$2,000,000 (estimated)

Lolita is a 1962 film by Stanley Kubrick based on the (in)famous 1950 novel of the same title by Vladimir Nabokov. The film stars James Mason as Humbert Humbert, Sue Lyon as Dolores Haze (Lolita) and Shelly Winters as Charlotte Haze.

Due to the MPAA's restrictions at the time, the film toned down the more perverse aspects of the novel, sometimes leaving much to the audience's imagination. The actress who played Lolita, Sue Lyon, was fourteen at the time of filming. Kubrick later commented that, had he realized how severe the censorship limitations were going to be, he probably never would have made the film.

Plot

Humbert Humbert, a divorced British professor of French literature, travels to small-town America for a teaching position. He allows himself to be swept into a relationship with Charlotte Haze, his widowed and sexually famished landlady, whom he marries in order that he might pursue the woman's 12-year-old flirtatious daughter, Lolita, with whom he has fallen hopelessly in love. However, Humbert's affections shall be rivaled by a devious trickster named Clare Quilty.

The film begins in a battle between two men, which ends in a shooting, the victim, Clare Quilty. The shooter was Humbert Humbert (played by Mason), a 40 something British professor of French literature – he is also an obsessive pedophile. He travels to Ramesdale, New Hampshire, a small, all-American town where he will spend the summer before his fall professorship begins at Beardsley College, Ohio. He searches across the town for room to let, being tempted by widowed, sexually famished mother, Charlotte Haze (played by Winters) to stay at her house, he declines at first, until seeing her beautiful 12-year-old daughter, Dolores Haze (played by Lyon), affectionately called “Lolita”, hence the title. Lolita is a soda-pop drinking, gum chewing, overtly flirtatious typical teenager, whom Humbert falls hopelessly in love with.

File:Lolita 1962 02.jpg

Lolita played by Sue Lyon

In order to become close to young Lolita, Humbert accepts Charlotte's offer & becomes a lodger in the Haze household. Soon after, however, Charlotte announces that she will be sending Lolita to an all-girl sleep-away camp for the summer. On the morning of departure, Humbert receives a love confession note from Charlotte, requesting Humbert to leave at once. The note dictates that if Humbert is still in the house when Charlotte returns from driving Lolita to camp, then he must assist Charlotte in marriage. Humbert willingly marries Charlotte days later. After the marriage, and honeymoon, Charlotte discovers Humbert’s diary entries, describing his unnatural affection for Lolita, and has an emotional outburst. She threatens to leave forever, with the intent of taking Lolita far away from Humbert. While Humbert hurriedly fixes martinis in the kitchen to smooth over the situation, Charlotte runs outside in a frenzy, gets hit by a speeding car, and dies.

File:Lolita 1962 03.jpg

Lolita and Humbert on their extensive travels across the United States

Several days later Humbert drives to Camp Climax to pick up Lolita, and as they travel from hotel to motel extensively across the United States, they begin a sexual relationship. In public, they act as father and daughter to avoid suspicion from townspeople. During their travels, Humbert tells Lolita that her mother is not in fact sick in hospital, but dead – deeply saddened and affected; she stays with Humbert, believing he is her only comfort. Months later, Humbert and Lolita’s car trips are followed by the same car. As Lolita becomes sick from the common cold, she is hospitalized, and eventually kidnapped by the follower, Clare Quilty (played by Peter Sellers), a famous playwright, whom Lolita had a crush on for sometime. Years after the kidnapping, Humbert receives a letter from Lolita, in it, she describes herself as now being married to a man named Rick, and the two are pregnant and in desperate need of money. Humbert travels to Lolita and Rick’s home, where Lolita is waiting, Humbert finds that she is no longer the typical, overtly precocious young girl he once loved, but a 17-year-old young heavily pregnant woman, in a happy relationship – only he is even more in love with her now, after meeting Rick, he proposes to Lolita for her to come away with him to live a wealthy and happy life together, she declines, as she is a happily married mother now. After this, Humbert demands Lolita tell him who kidnapped her when they where still together, she tells him “the man that was following us”, Clare Quilty. Humbert, deeming Quilty responsible for taking his love, goes off to shoot him in his mansion – where the film began.

Production and censorship contreversy

With Nabokov’s consent, Kubrick changed the order in which events unfolded by moving what was the novel’s ending to the start of the film, a literary device known as in medias res. Kubrick determined that while this sacrificed a great ending, it helped maintain interest, as he believed that interest in the novel sagged halfway through once Humbert was successful in seducing Lolita.

The second half contains an odyssey across the United States and though the novel was set in the 1940s Kubrick gave it a contemporary setting, shooting many of the exterior scenes in England. Some of the minor parts were played by Canadian and American actors, such as Cec Linder, Lois Maxwell, Jerry Stovin and Diana Decker, who were based in England at the time. Kubrick had to film in England as much of the money to finance the movie was not only raised there but also had to be spent there.

The screenplay is credited to Nabokov, although very little of what he provided (later published in a shortened version) was used. Nabokov remained polite about the film in public, but in a 1962 interview, before seeing the film, commented that it may turn out to be "the swerves of a scenic drive as perceived by the horizontal passenger of an ambulance".

The moral values and censorship of the time inhibited Kubrick's direction. Kubrick commented that, “because of all the pressure over the Production Code and the Catholic Legion of Decency at the time, I believe I didn't sufficiently dramatize the erotic aspect of Humbert's relationship with Lolita. If I could do the film over again, I would have stressed the erotic component of their relationship with the same weight Nabokov did.” In a 1972 Newsweek interview, Kubrick said that had he realized how severe the censorship limitations were going to be, he "probably wouldn't have made the film."

Lolita's age was raised to fourteen, as Kubrick believed that this was the right age. He has commented that, “I think that some people had the mental picture of a nine-year-old, but Lolita was twelve and a half in the book; Sue Lyon was thirteen.” (Actually, Lyon was 14 at the time of filming: she was born in July 1946 and it was shot between November 1960 and May 1961.)

Themes

File:Lolita 1962 01.jpg

The scene in which Lolita and Humbert first meet, while she is sunbathing in her backyard

Like Kubrick's other films, Killer's Kiss (1955) and Spartacus (1960), Lolita is the story of two men fighting for the same woman. Although Lolita is the object of desire for both Humbert and Quility, it concentrates mainly on Humbert's point of view. Kubrick shows a hypocritical society which induldges in wife-swapping and other sexual activities which may be considered a taboo, so Humbert seems quite reasonable in comparisons.

At first urbrane and witty, however once he possess Lolita he becomes insecure and by the end of the story he is a cold old man full of disgust and regret. He finds that in order to let Lolita live a life of free choice and liberty, he must destroy the vulgar version of himself. The result is mainly a running theme of self-sacrifice, similar to Spartacus.

Narration

Humbert uses the term 'nymphet' to describe Lolita, which he explains in and uses throughout the novel; it only appears once in the movie and its meaning is left undefined. In a voiceover on the morning after the Ramsdale High School dance, Humbert confides in his diary, “What drives me insane is the twofold nature of this nymphet, of every nymphet perhaps, this mixture in my Lolita of tender, dreamy childishness and a kind of eerie vulgarity. I know it is madness to keep this journal, but it gives me a strange thrill to do so. And only a loving wife could decipher my microscopic script.”

This voiceover is a part of Humbert’s narration, which was central to the novel. Kubrick uses it sparingly and, apart from the above comment, only to set the scene for the film’s next act. Humbert’s comments are generally simple statements of fact, spiced with the odd personal reflection.

The only other one of these reflections, which makes reference to Humbert’s feelings towards Lolita, is made after their move from Ramsdale to Beardsley. Here Humbert's comment seems to show only an interest in her education and cultural development: “Six months have passed and Lolita is attending an excellent school where it is my hope that she will be persuaded to read other things than comic books and movie romances”.

The narration begins after the opening scenes but ceases once the odyssey begins. Kubrick makes no attempt to explain Humbert's fascination with Lolita, which a full narration would have done, but merely treats it as a matter of fact. An explanation might well have made Humbert a more sympathetic character, which may not have suited a censor in 1962.

Casting

James Mason plays Professor Humbert Humbert, who falls under Lolita's spell. He is smooth, charming, self-assured and a little condescending, as might be expected in an academic. Shelley Winters plays Charlotte Haze, the loud, overbearing, status-seeking widow who is both Humbert's landlady and Lolita's mother. When she develops a romantic interest in Humbert, Charlotte's pushy advances as parried by Humbert's barely concealed sarcasm become comedic. Sue Lyon's performance as Lolita is more restrained, but this may well result from concerns about the censor. When allowed freedom to act, she subtly shows the darker side of Lolita's character. Peter Sellers' performance as Clare Quilty was generally acclaimed at the time. The character’s role was greatly expanded from that in the novel and Kubrick allowed Sellers to adopt a variety of disguises throughout the film.

In the earlier sections of the film, Quilty is a conceited, avant-garde TV writer with a superior manner. In later scenes, he becomes the overbearing 'bad cop' on the porch of the motel where Humbert and Lolita are staying. Then he changes to the intrusive authoritarian German professor, Doctor Zempf, who appears in Humbert's front room for the purpose of ordering him to give Lolita more freedom in her after-school activities. The author and film critic Tim Dirks has commented that Sellers' smooth German-like accent and the chair-bound pose in this scene are similar to that of Dr. Strangelove in Kubrick's future film Dr. Strangelove. Thomas Allen Nelson has said that in this part of his performance, “Sellers twists his conception of Quilty toward that neo-Nazi monster, who will roll out of the cavernous shadows of Dr. Strangelove”.

Remake

Lolita was filmed again in 1997 (see article), an attempt to avoid some of the perceived mistakes of the 1962 version. It has been clarified that the film is not a remake of the 1962 version, but another adaptation of the novel. The film has been criticized, and is not as well received as Kubrick's version. The film was also a major box office bomb, grossing only $1 million at the US box office.

Reception

Template:Infobox movie certificates Lolita premiered on 13 June, 1962 in New York City. It performed fairly well, with little advertising relying mostly on word-of-mouth — many critics seemed uninterested or dismissive of the film while others gave it glowing reviews. However, the film was very controversial, due to the pedophilia-related content, and therefore while many things are suggested, hardly any are shown. Sue Lyon was barred from the premiere due to the film's "Adults Only" status at the time. The film was shown internationally also, in the UK, France, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, Japan, Sweden and Italy. The films running gross in 1962, in North America, was $3.7 million.

Years after the film's release it has been released on VHS, Laserdisc and DVD. It received $3,700,000 rentals in the USA on VHS.

Differences between the film and the book

There are many differences in the film and book. Many of the more explicit parts of the book were taken out of the film due to the strict censors of the 1960s, and the events of the film do not match the events of the novel exactly. Some of the differences are listed below:

• Lolita's age was raised from 12 to 14, to meet the MPAA standards.
• The relationship between Humbert and alcoholic Rita was left out of the film.
• The relationship between Humbert and Annabel was also left out of the film (except for when Humbert reads the first few lines of Edgar Allan Poe's Annabel Lee).
• Quilty's role is greatly magnified, brought much more into the foreground of the narrative, whereas in the novel, Humbert catches only brief glimpses of his nemesis before their final confrontation at Quilty's home.
• In the book, Humbert and Charlotte go swimming in Hourglass Lake, where Charlotte announces she will ship Lo off to a good boarding school; that part takes place in bed in the film.
• In the novel, Lolita wasn't blonde; she was described as having short chestnut-brown hair in a bob style, and honey-tanned skin. In the film Lolita has blonde shoulder length hair.
• In the movie, Sue Lyon is attractive by conventional standards, but in the novel, both Charlotte and Humbert comment on Lolita's lack of conventional attractiveness, and it is hinted that this is why greater suspicion does not fall on Humbert.
• The name "Lolita" is Humbert's invention in the novel, and he is the only character to use it. By contrast, several of the characters in the film (including Lo's mother) refer to her by the pet name.
• In the novel, Humbert gives a total monetary sum of $4,000 to 17-year-old Lolita. In the movie, this amount is magnified to $12,900.
• In the novel, Miss Pratt, the school principal at Beardsley, discusses with Humbert Lolita's various behavioral issues and finally persuades Humbert into letting Lolita participate in the school play. In the movie, this role is replaced by the disguised Quilty under the alias of "Dr. Zemph" (this disguise is not in the novel at all).

Awards and Nominations

The film was nominated for 7 Awards, including an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer which went to Sue Lyon.

Nominations

• Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Vladimir Nabokov
• BAFTA Award for Best Actor for James Mason
• Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Stanley Kubrick
• Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actor for James Mason
• Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress for Shelley Winters
• Golden Globe Award Best Motion Picture Director for Stanley Kubrick
• Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for Peter Sellers
• Venice Film Festival Award for Best Director for Stanley Kubrick

Won

• Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Sue Lyon

Alternate Versions

• The scene where Lolita first "seduces" Humbert as he lies in the cot is a good 10 seconds longer in the British and Australian cut of the film. In the U.S. cut, the shot fades as she whispers the details of the "game" she played with Charlie at camp. In the UK print, the shot continues as Humbert mumbles that he's not familiar with the game. She then bends down again to whisper more details. Kubrick then cuts to a closer shot of Lolita's head as she says "Well, allrighty then" and then fades as she begins to descend to Humbert on the cot. The British cut of the film was used for the Region 1 DVD release.
• The Criterion laserdisc release is the only one to use a transfer approved by Stanley Kubrick. This transfer alternates between a 1.33 and a 1.66 aspect ratio (as does the Kubrick-approved 'Strangelove' transfer). All subsequent releases to date have been 1.66 (which means that all the 1.33 shots are slightly matted).
• The BBFC cut the film in 1961 for an 'X' rating.

Trivia

• Peter Sellers modeled the voice of his character Clare Quilty on that of famed jazz producer Norman Granz.
• Sue Lyon was chosen for the title role partly due to the size of her breasts. Stanley Kubrick had been warned that censors felt strongly against the use of a less developed actress to portray the sexually active 13-year-old.
• In the opening scene, Quilty says, "I am Spartacus," a reference to Stanley Kubrick's earlier film, Spartacus (1960).
• The famous heart-shaped sunglasses that Lolita wears appear only in publicity photos taken by Bert Stern; Lolita wears normal sunglasses in the movie.
• Since the censors would allow nothing close to a suggestion of pedophilia, Lolita's age had to be increased from 12 in Vladimir Nabokov's original novel to 14 for the film. They also objected to a scene in which Humbert Humbert was to gaze at Lolita's picture while in bed with her mother Charlotte; in the end, the scene was filmed with Charlotte lying fully dressed on the bed and Humbert lying beside her wearing a robe.
• The clip they are watching at the drive-in is from Terence Fisher's The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). When it cuts to the shot of them in the car, the soundtrack from the movie is fabricated to make it seem like there is far more mayhem occurring in that movie.

Continuity error

• In a scene where Humbert and Charlotte are arguing and Humbert has his back to the camera, the shadow of a human head is clearly visible on the back of his coat. It steps out of the light after a second.

Bibliography

Richard Corliss, Lolita (London: British Film Institute, 1994; ISBN 0-85170-368-2). A witty exploration of the film, patterned on Pale Fire.

External links

• Lolita (1962 film) at IMDb