Lolita (1962)

	Directed by: Stanley Kubrick	COUNTRY USA GENRE Psychological drama/ Mystery/Comedy NORWEGIAN TITLE Lolita RUNNING TIME 152 minutes
	Produced by: James B. Harris
	Written by (based on his own novel): Vladimir Nabokov

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Humbert Humbert	James Mason	½
Charlotte Haze	Shelley Winters	½
Lolita	Sue Lyons
Quilty	Peter Sellers	½

Review

The fact that censorship at the time of this movie's production was strict as far as explicit eroticism was concerned isn't at all the main problem with this bleak, ill-focused adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's iconic novel. Not only is this a non-erotic, romantically shallow portrait, but it's also a conceptual misfire with far too much focus on the mysterious Quilty. Peter Sellers is charming – ultimately too charming, as it were – but the Quilty/Humbert dynamic seems out of place and draws the attention away from the nature of Humbert's character and his relationship with Lolita.

As I pointed out in my review of Adrian Lyne's Lolita (1997), it is a real challenge to translate Humbert Humbert's complex inner musings to the screen, but Kubrick doesn't even really try. This is a film that seemingly follows every plot line in the novel slavishly, yet it never truly digs into the psychological aspects that are so vital to the story. Furthermore, there is little spark between Mason and Lyons (apart from a couple of early scenes), and James Mason – although appropriately suave – lacks confidence and command in the lead. One of Kubrick's most disappointing films.