Lolita
Leonard Nimoy Thalia |
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1962. USA. Stanley Kubrick. 152 min. B&W. James Mason, Shelley Winters, Sue Lyon, Peter Sellers
Humbert Humbert is uncontrollably attracted to jailbait teen Lolita. He knows no good can come of his pursuit, but he continues despite the overwhelming reasons to stop.
Paul Schrader says: The genius lies in the juxtaposition of James Mason’s droll narration and dialogue and the outré world he inhabits. At its 1962 release, Lolita was considered to be irreparably hampered by the moral codes of the times, but those restrictions cause the film to improve with age. Because of the strict censorship of the period, little or no attempt was made to explain Mason’s Humbert Humbert, to make him sympathetic. In 1962 this was seen as a compromise. Today we see it as a choice. Humbert Humbert, like the taxi driver, just is. Let the viewer fill in the back story.
Video: Theatrical Trailer for Lolita
