Inspired by the eponymous novel (Vladimir Nabokov, 1955),this film admirably describes the sulfurous relationship between a middle-aged writer and his nymph Dolores Haze, aka Lolita.

By chance, looking for a furnished rental, the professor Humbert Humbert encounters Charlotte Haze and her beloved daughter Dolores. From the very first sight, the professor irrevocably accepts the rental conditions! A triangular relationship settles quickly between 1) an intellectual sensitive to beauty and youth, 2) a desperate widow impressed by this professor, both unable to fight against theirs own obsessive desires, and 3) a manipulative and nonchalant teen. Consecutively to a fatal accident and because of the inquisitive and invasive look of Clare Quilty, the teacher will progressively and ineluctably descend in the depths of the abyss.

James Mason is awesome and monumental. He is also excellently seconded by Sue Lyon, Peter Sellers and Shelley Winters. And Stanley Kubrick is definitely a regular of successful and even improved literary adaptations, with Shining (1980),2001, A space odyssey (1968),Barry Lyndon (1975),A clockwork orange (1971),The Killing (1956),...

This movie is truly a masterpiece.

The only reason I finally brought myself to watch this film was because Stanley Kubrick directed it and being a cinephile, I thought I had an obligation to myself to watch it. I have to admit that the movie was extremely competently made (with one exception which I'll get to in a bit) and did keep my attention despite being a very long movie. However, and here's the problem, who exactly is the intended audience? Seeing a movie all about a pedophile just felt very, very creepy--especially since, in some ways, the film seems to rather sensitively portray this depraved man--almost making you feel sorry for him. I wonder...had Sue Lyon been a little less physically developed or if the role had been played by a boy, would people have accepted it? Life is just too short for this sort of film and I hope never to see another one like it--it just made my skin crawl at times.

And, as I said above, the film was very competently made...except when it came to Peter Sellers' very bizarre and over the top roles in the film. While Sellers was great in THE MOUSE THAT ROARED and DR. STRANGELOVE in multiple roles, here it just seemed out of place and dumb. This wasn't just because of the bizarre characters he played but because in the role as Quilty, he just seemed to be overacting horribly and confused me--was this supposed to be a serious drama or a very broad comedy? I really don't think Kubrick made that clear to Sellers, as Sellers could do well in dramatic or comedic roles--but here, the role just didn't fit the rest of the film at all. Good actor--bad role.

Now if you look at all the reviews for this film, most are extremely positive. I wonder (and I'll never know for sure) that if this film had been directed by William Beaudine or some other lesser-name director, would people have gone into such rapturous praise for it? Often, it seems that having the right name at the helm of a film almost guarantees critical acceptance.

Vladimir Nabokov's 'Lolita' is a brilliantly written, beautifully constructed, hilarious (in a black-comedy way),poignant, luridly shocking (but not gratuitously so) and very daring for its time book.

Despite me considering it one of the finest books she's ever read, when describing it to people they often give me "is she mad?" looks due to its subject matter. Don't let the subject matter turn you off, no matter how it sounds, to me 'Lolita' is an essential read. Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation, which saw Nabokov's involvement, is not exactly faithful and elements are downplayed, but, considering how difficult to adapt the book is and how films had to deal with censorship constraints and studio interference often, Kubrick's film is a very brave and worthy attempt.

Kubrick's 'Lolita' also succeeds incredibly well on its own terms, reminding one of Kubrick's 'The Shining' where it is very far removed from the source material but was so much scarier, more atmospheric and more shocking than anything in the more faithful mini-series. It's not quite one of Kubrick's very finest (in a very solid career where to me his only misfire was his debut 'Fear and Desire) but it is one of his most fascinating. Quibbles are very few, with my only quibbles being some over-obvious back projection representing Nabokov's nightmarish vision and the Elstree locations even more so as a result of problems with the economy and censorship.

'Lolita' however is brilliantly shot, lit and made with incredible atmosphere and directed with Kubrick's unmistakable masterly touch, meticulous but not as cold as some of his critics have criticised his directing and films for being. It's hauntingly and beguilingly scored too with a memorable main theme. While one does miss some of the book's funniest moments and the subject matter is a little more shocking in the book (with the age gap being more believable),'Lolita' achieves an ideal balance of hilarious black comedy and affecting drama.

The story is lurid, but in a sensually captivating way and never in a vulgar way. It is also relentlessly entertaining and has moments of genuine poignancy. The characters are intriguing and the acting is terrific. Sue Lyon, while slightly too old age-wise (only by a few years though),more than holds her own against her more famous colleagues and is positively alluring. In an incredibly bold career move, James Mason superbly brings cruelty and pathos (his begging at the end is heart-breaking) to Humbert, here a complex character rather than the total creep that he could have been in lesser hands than Mason's. Shelley Winters is riotous and surprisingly poignant, while ever the scene stealer Peter Sellers brilliantly steals every scene he's in in multiple roles, especially great as Quilty, a creepy chameleon sort of character.

Overall, a fascinating film and gets better and funnier with each viewing. Not one of my favourites, but one this reviewer appreciates highly. 9/10 Bethany Cox