Review of Lolita (1962) by Blake P — 11 Sep 2011

English Professor Humbert Humbert (Mason) travels to a small town in the middle of nowhere (for some reason). He stays at an apartment owned by lonely widow Charlotte Haze (Winters) who becomes smitten with him.

But, then, he meets her 16-year old daughter Lolita (Lyon), and in what is one of the creepiest premises ever, Humbert Humbert decides to marry Charlotte in order to get Lolita all to himself. They're only married for a few weeks, and then Charlotte commits suicide, and when Humbert Humbert has Lolita for himself, he realizes it isn't as easy after all, considering she is quite a bit younger than him .

.. "Lolita" is one of Kubrick's well-known early classics, and because I want to become a fan of his, I knew I had to see this. Though I think the poster is better than the film itself, "Lolita" is still enjoyable and well-made, thanks to the witty script penned by the author of the novel and the great performances.

It's so sad because this movie could have been ten times better had there not been any censors, and had Kubrick waited just a year (that's when the Hays Code ended) then he could've had a classic.

Obviously they tried to make it the right way in the remake, but at this point it's too late. What a shame! But the acting jobs are really what redeems the film. This is one of Mason's best roles, and dominates the film, and Sue Lyon is funny and perfectly casted as Lolita, though Lolita in the book was a bit younger than 16.

The supporting players, Peter Sellars and Shelly Winters are also great, though Sellars is a bit over the top. Luckily, it doesn't take anything away from the film. "Lolita" is good, but not as good as its rep.