Review of Lolita (1962) by Zdravko P — 04 Dec 2012

Arguably even more of a daring achievement than Kubrick's legendary follow-up Dr. Strangelove, his adaptation of Lolita is not simply risque but a sublime masterpiece of innuendo, transforming a classic story of forbidden love into a wry and hilarious black comedy.

Though extracted from a literary source, every scene is expertly unraveled like a top-drawer play. However, the nuances revealing our tightly wound protagonist's perverse intentions are pure cinema in their subtlety.

Actually, it's the body language and tonal timing of the chamber cast which are the most impressive and rarefied qualities of this chancy film, which was certainly one of the MPAA's most formidable matches.

Peter Sellers throwing the eccentric monkey wrench into the delicate proceedings is what most Kubrick fans seem to remember, but it's Shelley Winters who gives a tour-de-force performance whose heartbreaking humiliation is so moving at the same time James Mason's neglect of her sorrowful desperation makes us snicker so wickedly while shaking our heads.