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Lolita (1962)
Starring James Mason, Shelley Winters, Sue Lyon, and Peter Sellers. Cinematography by Oswald Morris. Edited by Anthony Harvey. Produced by James B. Harris. Written by Vladimir Nabokov. Directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Before starting his job teaching at the BeardsleyCollege in Ohio, European Professor Humbert Humbert has decided to take a summer vacation in Ramsdale,New Hampshire. He drops by the residence of a widow named Charlotte Haze to inquire about her room for rent. His initial response to the Haze residence is lukewarm, but after catching a glimpse of Charlotte’s fourteen year old daughter, Delores, sunbathing in the backyard, he quickly agrees to move in. Delores, who goes by the nickname Lolita, is drenched in a sexuality that extends well beyond her years and Humbert soon finds himself completely obsessed with her; so obsessed, in fact, that he agrees to marry Charlotte in effort to get closer to Lolita. It is not long before Charlotte discovers Humbert’s secret passion for her daughter. In a fit of despair over the matter, Charlotte flees the house and is immediately hit and killed by oncoming traffic. Humbert is now the legal guardian of Lolita, though their relationship soon begins to more closely resemble a marriage. All seems well for Humbert, in a disturbed and unhealthy way, but the appearance of a mysterious playwright named Clare Quilty is going to throw his life back into chaos.
Lolita’s tagline (“How did they ever make a film of Lolita?”) is actually a fair question considering the time and the place that the film was produced. The book, written by Russian born Vladimir Nabokov, was first printed in 1955 by the French publisher Olympia Press which was a known for its erotica. Lolita was a far cry from pornographic pulp, but the controversial subject matter prevented it from being considered by any legitimate publisher. The novel drifted in obscurity until 1958 when it received a positive endorsement from the popular English author Graham Greene. With Greene’s support Lolita soon found a U.S. publisher in G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Nabokov’s novel went on to receive incredible critical admiration and has since been cited as one of the most significant works to come out of the twentieth century.
Stanley Kubrick optioned Lolita in 1958 with money earned from the success of The Killing. In 1959, while still involved with the production of Spartacus, Kubrick contacted Nabokov and asked him to collaborate with him on a screen adaptation. Though he initially resisted the idea, Nabokov eventually agreed and spent the better part of the next six months developing an epic four hundred page screenplay. Of course, this was far too long to make an acceptable shooting script and though he was able to trim it down, the draft that Kubrick had rewritten himself and used for the film only retained a fraction of Nabokov’s efforts (Nabokov’s screenplay was later published in 1974 in it’s entirety). Through the use of clever implications, innuendos, and subtexts, Kubrick was able to effectively portray Humbert’s sexual obsession with the underage Lolita and still stay within the limitations of the Hays Production Code (the film was still given an X rating). Like it or not, one has to respect Kubrick’s ambition in even trying to take on a project like Lolita.
Budget: $2,000,000
Total US Gross: $9,250,000
Genre: Black Comedy
Runtime: 152 Minutes
US Release Date: 6/13/62
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 (intended ratio)
Awards: Academy Awards: Nominated for best screenplay based on previous material. Golden Globes: Won for most promising female newcomer. Nominated for best supporting actor, best actor in a dramatic role, best actress in a dramatic role, and best director. Directors Guild of America: Nominated for the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures.
Tagline: How Did They Ever Make A Film Of Lolita?
Quote: “I want you to live with me and die with me and everything with me!”
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