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BFI Film Classics
Lolita
Stanley Kubrick's version of Vladimir Nabokov's novel was one of the most controversial films of the 1960s. This analysis is written by Richard Corliss, editor of Film Comment. It features a brief production history and a detailed filmography.
96 pages, Paperback
First published December 27, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 23, 2020
In order to get the movie made at all, Kubrick added two years to Lolita’s age. In the book she’s 12, in the movie 14. Well, her age is never mentioned in the film, but the actress was 14, and she sure didn’t look 12. This makes a difference. According to Richard Corliss, our arch critic,
Lolita, from book to film, was a wet dream that got dry-cleaned into a daydream
(Ewww)
And he says
Rather than the tale of a monster who learns too late what love is, the film-makers wanted a love story� Humbert’s love for Lolita would be an obsession, not a perversion
Well, the movie is not the book, for sure. (Nabokov called it “a vivacious variant�). Yes, the whole thing is toned down, but, you know, it’s still the story of a middle aged guy driving across the USA with his stepdaughter and the sex is not shown, of course, but strongly implied all the way. This was a 1962 film. It wasn’t beloved but it didn’t get banned and it made a pretty good profit. Thirty-five years later Adrian Lyne’s remake did get banned � IMDB parent’s advisory section says “The film has a few scenes of strongly implied child rape, but no nudity.� Due to the ban it lost millions.
Twentythree years after the remake, do you think a second remake could possibly get made?
Not a chance.
Lolita is a book with � clearly � a terrible fascination, and when people make versions of it, or write about it, and by people I mean mostly men, they seem to like to soften the whole point, and say it’s not child abuse, it’s a tragic love story. In so doing, they are taking Humbert’s word for it. He liked to say that she seduced him, and many writers like to emphasise this willynilly, as if you can believe this silvertongued perv. Richard Corliss goes along with this :
Lolita, remember, seduces Humbert, the poor, trembling lovesick swain
Humbert, as well as Nabokov, hopes that the indulgent reader will see the poignancy in this condition.
Lolita is treacherous, Charlotte is ravenous, Quilty is villainous, Humbert is just us � every person who loved below his station and above his emotional means.
Humbert is “just us�?
Well this little book is jammed with delightful details about Kubrick’s movie and Nabokov’s involvement (he wrote a script that Kubrick said not only was unfilmable but was so big you couldn’t pick it up) but otherwise it’s pure ghastliness.
Note : all Lolitologists should read the excellent book
Chasing Lolita: How Popular Culture Corrupted Nabokov's Little Girl All Over Again
by Graham Vickers
/book/show/2...
June 19, 2016
Lolita ah this absolutely good book
July 15, 2012
as the author stated, this novel is about his love affair with the english language, not about pedophilia. it is breath-taking and exquisite, one of my favorite novels of all time.
July 3, 2013
Doesn't talk enough about the film, considering it's a BFI book. The book has so much to talk about that I thought it just ended up weakening the argument to split it up so evenly between book and film. However, aside from that, he does have some interesting things to say about both, and analyzes both together in a good way. It's worth looking at if you want to learn more about the film, but be aware that 1) it's not exclusively about it in the way that other BFI books are, and 2) DON'T read this if you haven't read the novel -- spoilers everywhere, even if you've seen the film.
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July 15, 2012Is the readers sympathy for the Protagonist Humber Humbert or with Lolita? I would suppose that depends upon your views of what is considered "love" or what is classed or considered to be "child abuse" entirely. To trust an adult means having boundaries, Humbert has none of these. His selfish attitude and his "excuses" are entirely all within his own mind.
September 8, 2013
Famous book that is reportedly about old England (Humbert) and young naive America (Lolita). Honestly, I just see a guy with serious first love issues and a girl who will do anything to get what she wants. Nabakov is such a liar about it really being a simile to countries.
January 13, 2019
Corliss is not the most painstaking commentator, but he does come up with these gorgeous, feverish lines, perfectly articulate and evocative. I read this book in its entirety as it seems to be cited very often in scholarship on the Lolita films, and I'm doing some research on that this semester. Especially liked the way it was broken up by lines of the poem "Pale Fire", as I doubt any commentary could be comprehensive, and this way it was all shots in the dark, almost a tribute to Nabokov.
June 24, 2014
For fans of Kubrick and Nabokov, you are in for a treat and simply must read this book. Exquisite And layered w an analysis of language and human intention and motivation like no other. Well worth the quick time it will take you. A truly unique reflection on an original masterpiece. Well done.
May 26, 2011
This is probably the only novel with a pervert I felt sorry for... I will never let my daughter wear those glasses!
September 29, 2024
One of the best close-readings of a film I've ever read.
November 9, 2024
Yo no se como procesar este libro, porque narrativamente esta bien escrito la prosa es muy buena. Pero no puedo dejar de lado la tematica del libro, no se lo podría recomendar a absolutamente nadie. Es que en esta sociedad en la que vivimos con toda la situación social no podemos dejar de lado un tema tan absolutamente delicado por más buena que sea la narrativa o la prosa, al fin y al cabo la literatura siempre ha sido reflejo de la sociedad y parte de ella. Asi que le dare una calificación tan baja por esa razón, no podemos seguir "romantizando" situaciones que aquejan a la sociedad y que rebasa a nuestra realidad.
March 5, 2015
Lolita(the book) is funny, tasty, addictive, dynamic, as for her she is... she is her, flirty, bold, charismatic. I haven't watched the movie yet, but I am looking forward to, to fin the similarities between what I pictured and what the director pictured. It is really an enjoyable story, thrilling.
March 13, 2013
AAAAMMMAAAZZZZIINGG...... I guess that's all I have to describe this book!
September 23, 2013
Es excelente, es una lectura fuerte, más que si fuera erótica, para nada es sucia, solo trasciende en un amor que es difícil de asimilar.
February 14, 2014
Richard Corliss' exploration of Kubrick's Lolita delves equally into Nabokov's novel as it does into the film. Interesting insights. I love the BFI Film Classics series.
May 17, 2014
couldn't even finish it...I just got super bored with this unfortunately
December 8, 2014
mundo cruel, que no hace libros como estos infinitos.
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February 26, 2015It was great!
October 6, 2015
Z uměleckého hlediska možná hodnotné dílo, z mého, subjektivního však úchylné, ale hlavně nudné a nezáživné.
March 15, 2016
It was so difficult to understand in English even Mongolian. Sanaj baisniig yagaad ch guitssengui my type bish bn. Uter turgen duusgalaa Mongol orchuulgiig ni.
January 29, 2016
I don't know what to think about it.
Go see for yourself.
Go see for yourself.
March 4, 2022
Proper noncey
April 20, 2017
Perhaps my favorite entry into the BFI Film Classics series, Richard Corliss' book on the Stanley Kubrick film adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita is an unflinching examination of two great artists from different forms of artistic expression. Corliss, former Tim magazine editor and film critic, displays a passion and knowledge for Kubrick and Nabokov that allows him to compare and contrast both them and their works in unflinching detail, warts and all.
The beginning of this reportedly truncated version of Corliss' original piece starts with the 99 line poem Pale Film, which is then referenced line by line throughout the book, with lines and phrases standing in for subject headings. This is in direct homage to the 999 line poem Pale Fire from Nabokov's novel of the same name, in which the deceased poet's work is deconstructed with dubious expertise by his neighbor. This sort of layered homage to Nabokov's work is just the first hint that the author is a student of literature as well as film.
Corliss makes no excuses for any shortcomings that Kubrick's Lolita might suffer in adapting the novel, and instead looks at how the censorship of the time delayed the printing of Nabokov's novel in certain states, and partially influenced the the tone and content of Kubrick's retelling, from the screenplay through casting and direction. Historical and biographical influences are weighed as much as the craft of both novelist and filmmaker, fully informing a nearly flawless critical analysis that will impress readers regardless of whether their sympathies lie with the author or auteur.
The beginning of this reportedly truncated version of Corliss' original piece starts with the 99 line poem Pale Film, which is then referenced line by line throughout the book, with lines and phrases standing in for subject headings. This is in direct homage to the 999 line poem Pale Fire from Nabokov's novel of the same name, in which the deceased poet's work is deconstructed with dubious expertise by his neighbor. This sort of layered homage to Nabokov's work is just the first hint that the author is a student of literature as well as film.
Corliss makes no excuses for any shortcomings that Kubrick's Lolita might suffer in adapting the novel, and instead looks at how the censorship of the time delayed the printing of Nabokov's novel in certain states, and partially influenced the the tone and content of Kubrick's retelling, from the screenplay through casting and direction. Historical and biographical influences are weighed as much as the craft of both novelist and filmmaker, fully informing a nearly flawless critical analysis that will impress readers regardless of whether their sympathies lie with the author or auteur.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
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