Barnes & Noble

Vladimir Nabokov's darkly satirical novel about forbidden passions became a cinematic classic when Stanley Kubrick filmed it in 1962. The infamous paean to pedophilia is transposed to the screen somewhat more explicitly in this glossy adaptation directed by Adrian Lyne (9 1/2 Weeks). Despite its unsavory theme -- the self-destructive sexual obsession of a middle-aged man for a pubescent nymphet -- Lolita establishes a humorous, ironic tone that only dissipates toward the movie's climax, when an unfortunate chain of events hurtles the story toward a tragic conclusion hinted at in the opening scene. Jeremy Irons, who has essayed many complex characters in his illustrious career, is letter-perfect as Humbert Humbert, the erudite English professor whose infatuation with a 14-year-old girl draws him into a sexual relationship that ultimately ruins his life. Making her film debut as the seductive Lolita, Dominique Swain is appropriately sensual and shrewdly manipulative. Veteran soft-core director Lyne stages the sex scenes with surprising restraint and imbues the film with a cheesy lyricism that makes it more amusing than one might expect. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Adapted from the novel by Vladimir Nabokov (previously filmed by Stanley Kubrick in 1962), Lolita stars Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert, a college literature professor. In early adolescence, Humbert fell hopelessly and tragically in love with a girl his own age, and, as he grew into adulthood, he never lost his obsession with "nymphets," teenagers who walk a fine line between being a girl and a woman. While looking for a place to live after securing a new teaching position, he meets Charlotte Haze (Melanie Griffith), a pretentious and annoying woman who seems desperately lonely and is obviously attracted to Humbert. Humbert pays her little mind until he meets her 13-year-old daughter Lolita (Dominique Swain), the image of the girl that Humbert once loved. Humbert moves into the Haze home as a boarder and eventually marries Charlotte in order to be closer to Lolita. When Charlotte finds out about Humbert's attraction to her daughter, she flees the house in a rage, only to be killed in an auto accident. Without telling Lolita of her mother's fate, Humbert takes her on a cross-country auto trip, where their relationship begins to move beyond the traditional boundaries of stepfather and step-daughter. Lolita proved to be controversial in the United States due to its clear (if not explicit) depiction of sex between a middle-aged man and an underaged girl; no major studio was willing to release it in America, and it finally had its U.S. premiere on the Showtime cable network. This version, directed by Adrian Lyne, was publicized as being more faithful to Nabokov's book than Stanley Kubrick's adaptation (which was scripted by Nabokov himself); however, it manages to be closer to the letter of the novel without capturing its spirit and tone as well as Kubrick did. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 031398826729
• Source: LIONS GATE
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 2:17:00

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