Drama

Romance

Comedy

Crime

Lolita

Seven Arts Productions

Harris Kubrick Pictures

A.A. Productions, Ltd.

Anya Pictures

Transworld Pictures

United Kingdom

United States of America

English

James Mason

Shelley Winters

Sue Lyon

Gary Cockrell

Jerry Stovin

Diana Decker

Lois Maxwell

Cec Linder

Bill Greene

Shirley Douglas

Marianne Stone

Marion Mathie

James Dyrenforth

Maxine Holden

John Harrison

Colin Maitland

Terry Kilburn

C. Denier Warren

Roland Brand

Peter Sellers

Peter Cushing

Christopher Lee

Irvin Allen

Jack Armstrong

Beverly Bennett

Ed Bishop

Angela Bradley

Jim Brady

Jean Carnt

Jean Collins

Fred Davis

Jennifer Dodd

Anne Flack

Susanne Gibbs

Jacqueline Harris

Loraine Hart

Walter Henry

Jack Hetherington

Lindsay Hooper

Gloria Johnson

James B. Harris

Jenny Jones

Lilian Keeton

Eric Lane

Isabelle Lucas

Fred Machon

Coral Morphew

Jeanette Neal

Maria Nicholas

Robert C. Overton

Sonya Petrie

Jacqueline Poole

Pat Ryan

Craig Sams

Roberta Shore

Guy Standeven

Marti Webb

Bob Harris

Nelson Riddle

Oswald Morris

Anthony Harvey

Barbara Gillett

Mike Rutter

Stanley Kubrick

Vladimir Nabokov

Gil Grau

William C. Andrews

Raymond Anzarut

Robert Sterne

René Dupont

Denys N. Coop

Pamela Davies

Winston Ryder

Len Shilton

H.L. Bird

James Liggat

George Partleton

Betty Glasow

Dennis Stock

Elsa Fennell

Lois Gray

Gene Coffin

Eliot Hyman

Stella Morris

John Danischewsky

Roy Millichip

Syd Cain

Robert Cartwright

Roy Dorman

Andrew Low

John Siddall

A.J. Van Montagu

Frank Willson

Keith Batten

Jack Lovelace

Tommy Staples

Don Wortham

Robert Gaffney

Brian Osborne

Jimmy Turrell

Keeley 'Wyn' Ellen Winifred

W.W. Armour

John Crome

**_An attractive 14 years-old girl knows the power over males she has… and wields it_**

A middle-aged professor of French literature (James Mason) spends the summer in New Hampshire where he becomes infatuated by a 14 years-old girl (Sue Lyon), the daughter of the woman who rents him a room (Shelley Winters). Nothing good will come from this attraction if he cannot keep it in check.  

Helmed by Stanley Kubrick based on the book by Vladimir Nabokov, "Lolita" (1962) is a B&W black comedy and psychological drama that was controversial in its day (and still is) so the physical intimacy of the adult-minor relationship is only hinted at. Sue Lyon turned 15 during shooting and is surprisingly a good actress at such a young age. Don’t expect much exploitation of her beauty, though, beyond an early scene of her in a two-piece bathing suit.  

The character of Quilty has less of a role in the book and is believable. He’s basically a dark shadow of Humbert, mirroring Humbert's carnal qualities. Unfortunately, Kubrick allowed Peters Sellers to get out-of-control in the part, which spoils it (and the movie). Don’t get me wrong, Peter Sellers has great charisma, even here, but too many of his Quilty scenes are nonsensical or implausible.

The two worst examples are: When he shows up at that hotel and has that eye-rolling (ad-libbed) conversation on the porch while looking in the opposite direction of Humbert. Later he shows up at Humbert’s abode masquerading as a school psychiatrist threatening to have a group of therapists come over to observe Lolita's homelife, unless she can be in his play. Why Sure! It doesn’t help that Humbert curiously goes along with both without question.

While overlong by at least half an hour, the cast is a highlight and the drama is fairly compelling and sometimes amusing despite the quaint datedness of the production and the eye-rolling Quilty scenes. 

The film runs 2 hours, 32 minutes, and was shot in both America and England.

GRADE: B-

Original Trailer

Original Theatrical Trailer

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Lolita

Cast & Crew

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Cast

James Mason

Shelley Winters

Sue Lyon

Gary Cockrell

Jerry Stovin

Diana Decker

Lois Maxwell

Cec Linder

Bill Greene

Shirley Douglas

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