Lolita
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Movie Reviews of Lolita
Movie Review: NOT ENHANCED FOR 16X9 TELEVISIONS
Summary: 2 Stars
As much as I appreciate a new release of this classic film, I am at a loss to understand why they would give it a widescreen treatment and not enhance it for widescreen televisions. All of the two-disc special editions in the new Kubrick boxed set are enhanced, and yet this one (not part of the set, but released at the same time) is not. If you're a Lolita fan you should stick with the original 1:33 version. This one will only frustrate you.Movie Review: STAY AWAY
Summary: 1 Stars
Let me start by saying that I am not a professional movie crictic or writer, this may not be as "piquantly" written as some reviews on here, but I am an avid reader of literature, and relatively bright.
I've read Nabakov's book Lolita, as well as seen the 1997 version of Lolita and the 1962 version. I think I've gotten the full view and scope of things, so to speak. I must, with heavy heart, tell you honestly, that this movie was a huge let down. The charaters were very one dimensional and almost cookie cutter. There was a complete lack of any of the emotional turmoil Humbert suffered, as in the book. This movie felt like it was made JUST to be made. Not heartfelt. Lacked insight into any of the characters. Poor chemistry. Certain scenes from the book were either changed completely, or the most annoying, was they were followed thru up to a point, THEN changed. Very frustrating. There was NO sexual relations between Humbert and Lo. Ok, I understand that it was taboo back then and some stuff had to be sensored. But nothing sexual happened. At ALL! Thats what the book was aBOUT. A pre-teen girl having sex with a much older man. It was only even HINTED at very few times. Why did he bother making this kind of movie if the entire thing had to be sensored? All subtle nuances of love, of first touchings, of Humbert's past were absent. Even an explanation of WHY Humbert was like this in the first place was missing!
Lo, in the novel was a plain girl. A girl attractive enough, but definately able to be overlooked. Its important to remember this, for nymphets arent necessarily pretty, but possess a certain aire and charm about them. Sue Lyon was beautiful and much older looking than 12 but possessed nothing nymphet or innocent at all. Much OLDER acting than 12. The whole atmosphere was thrown off by this. High heels? Um, not for Lo! But they were worn here.
"Lolita". Another thing... Lolita was a pet name given to Lo by Humbert. Only by him, but no, in this version, EVERYONE was calling her "Lolita". Even her MOTHER! (I wonder what lurid info mamma had).
The mad Quilty was at most a silly nusance here. Not the menacing, forboding quiet giant of the novel. Just laughable. Why she even would be attracted to him in the first place from this version, I'm utterly perplexed.
I must say, watch the 1997 version staring Jeremy Irons. It was lush and warm,beautiful and atmospheric, full of subtlties and true character insight. Dominique Swain captured the true essence of a nymphet. Charming, bratty, innocent, but not at all innocent, in sneakers sucking a jawbreaker.I almost cried at the end of that movie there was so much emotion. You actually feel BAD for him that he cant be with his step-daughter. Sick, yes, but it follows the novel expertly. I'm sorry I was so hard on this movie, but Kubrik was hard on the book. I give it a D+.
Movie Review: Travesty: Portrait of the Rapist as a Gentleman
Summary: 1 Stars
What is wrong with this movie? Almost everything. It turns Nabokov's text about the memoirs of a pedophile into a melancholy comedy about a sad middle aged man, Mason, who gets trapped by a very young seducer and fights for her with a silly Sellers character.
The movie contributed to the stereotype of the prematurely sexy girl, who entraps older men.
That is not what Nabokov's book was about. I think the book can not be turned into a movie without being either illegal or messing up the contents badly and mortally. Humbert Humbert, the main character and narrator of the book, is attracted to female children, not to the type of 'Lolita' that has become idiomatic after the film, i.e. a sexy precocious seducer. The book is a complex construction based on the untrustworthy story teller concept. We know that HH is a lier.
Nabokov wrote not only the novel, but also the original script for the film, and when the film did get Oscars, he got one for the script, though Kubrick had in fact largely ignored the script. There is a Library of America edition which includes the novel and the script. The end product is just something else, and it is something not very appealing.
Movie Review: LOLITA Deserves Better Than This Botched Warner DVD.
Summary: 1 Stars
_Lolita_ (1962) is a great movie, with a lousy, non-anamorphic DVD transfer.
You would think that Warner would get it right by the time of the third DVD release. Yet, _Lolita_ still plays with black bars all around when displayed on a widescreen TV.
The non-anamorphic treatment of the THIRD _Lolita_ DVD release is typical of Warner. It seems that even Academy Award winners get the non_anamorphic treatment: The original _Driving Miss Daisy_ and _Bonnie and Clyde_ DVDs were released in a non-anamorphic format. These two titles were later re-released -- at reduced prices -- in anamorphic versions.
Sometimes Warner puts its "Enhanced for widesreeen TVs" message on a DVD box, even though the enclosed DVD is non-anamorphic. The original, non-anamorphic versions of _Goodfellas_ and _JFK_ were given such false advertising, but subsequent re-releases were actually anamorphic. On the other hand, the original _Cabaret_ DVD was non-anamorphic. Now, the second DVD release of _Cabaret_ claims to be "Enhanced for widescreen TVs", but alas, the "new" DVD is the same old non-anamorphic garbage in a new box.
Movie Review: Warner Brothers Gives Capitalism a Bad Name
Summary: 1 Stars
What a sleazy tactic: WB reissues the same lame DVD version of this magnificent film the same day that they release the Kubrick special edition box set. Yes...I know...there was nothing in the description of this DVD to mislead people into thinking that this was also a special edition. I remember thinking that when I preordered it. But I figured if WB is going through the trouble of reissuing Lolita on the same day as the special edition box set, then the DVD must be improved in some way (anamorphic, extras, SOMETHING!). But alas...I was duped into buying what I already had. Shame on me for giving WB the benefit of the doubt.