Lolita
A forbidden love. An unthinkable attraction. The ultimate price.
Humbert Humbert (Jeremy Irons) is a remarkable man with a poisonous wound: the indelible memory of a fated childhood love and a haunting urge to rediscover its lost passion. When he encounters Charlotte Haze (Melanie Griffith) a voluptuous widow with romantic plans of her own, it is her nymph daughter, Lolita (Dominique Swain), who ultimately wins Humbert’s affection, testing his demons and satisfying his secret desires with disastrous results.
Member Reviews
A true work of art - Life_is_a_Musical
The delicate treatment of such sensitive an issue as incest can only be called a masterpiece. We are made to fall in love and empathize with both Lolita and Humbert, despite the fact that both can be found to be quite morally reprehensible.
Superb yet simple cinematography that remains true to the era in which the story was written. Well done!Confronts Society - MDFehr
It is difficult to review a film with subject matter such as this without allowing personal opinions to interfere... that being said, don't we always allow personal opinions to interfere with any assessment we make? Yes, this film questions certain social mores and confronts taboos which are decidedly human in nature. It is beyond the scope of this review, and indeed inappropriate, to comment on the moral implications of the subject matter of this film; however, I found Lolita to be a sensitive exploration of one man's struggle to come to grips with himself and his past. Professor Humbert is, in all regards, a pedophile, and in the language of our time a reprehensible individual. Yet portrayed here he is the epitome of the tragic figure--he is a man who is at the mercy of his conditions; we are made to sympathize with his feelings while questioning his actions. Those actions ultimately lead to his downfall, creating a tableau of pathos mingled with disgust. Ultimately, Humbert is a sympathetic character who, like Macbeth, engages mixed feelings of salvation and damnation in our eyes--the audience.
Also, a response to another review on this site--others have described Humbert as a controlling adult, taking advantage of a naive, vulnerable girl... this argument has its merits; however, it is impossible to ignore the fact that Lolita rapidly gains the upper hand in the relationship. She controls Humbert early on in the film; she recognizes the power she has over him and uses it to her advantage. Watch this film with this in mind and you'll see what I mean.
Over all, this film is intended, like the novel, to inspire thought. If you can view this film with an open mind, and contemplate the implications that it puts forth, then it is well worth your time. I hate to say this, but this version is much better than Kubrick's adaptation. Well done.Heartbreaking - sarafina
As a huge fan of anything written by Nabokov and having read this masterpiece twice before seeing the movie, I must say that it is perfection. As Humbert, the heartbroken soul zombie, Jeremy Irons is pathetic, romantic and deeply moving. How can we find sympathy for a man who is, essentially, a pedophile and a monster? The opening scene says it all for me, an incredibly lost and lonely man drives waywardly down an unmarked road, surrounded by grey skies and country. His one love has again left him behind. How pitiful.
If you are open minded enough to see Adrian Lyne's masterpiece as the love story it was meant to be, rent this immediately.
Member Reviews
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A true work of art - Life_is_a_Musical
The delicate treatment of such sensitive an issue as incest can only be called a masterpiece. We are made to fall in love and empathize with both Lolita and Humbert, despite the fact that both can be found to be quite morally reprehensible.
Superb ...Confronts Society - MDFehr
It is difficult to review a film with subject matter such as this without allowing personal opinions to interfere... that being said, don't we always allow personal opinions to interfere with any assessment we make? Yes, this film questions certain social ...Heartbreaking - sarafina
As a huge fan of anything written by Nabokov and having read this masterpiece twice before seeing the movie, I must say that it is perfection. As Humbert, the heartbroken soul zombie, Jeremy Irons is pathetic, romantic and deeply moving. How can we find sympathy ...