|
Actors: James Mason, Shelley Winters, Peter Sellers, Sue Lyons
|
|
| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Lolita |
|---|
Clare Quilty is gunned down by a jealous Professor Humbert Humbert. He then goes back in time several years to when he relocated to Ramsdale, NH and checks into the boarding house run by Charlotte Haze (Winters). Humbert is immediately attracted to Charlotte's sexy young teenaged daughter, Dolores “Lolita” as she is sunbathing in the yard on a blanket. He is suddenly awkward and clumsy, like a schoolboy with a crush when around her. He does things with Charlotte and Lolita like go to the drive-in, chaperone the high school dance, etc.
Enter Clare Quilty (Sellers), a wealthy writer and a celebrity in town. Humbert agrees to wed Charlotte to be near Lolita. Lolita is away at summer camp during Humbert and Charlotte's wedding. Soon, Charlotte discovers his diary containing entries detailing his disgust for her and lust for her daughter. In her shame and anger she bolts from the home; is struck and killed by a passing car. Humbert picks Lolita up from camp without acknowledging her mothers death and they check into a hotel where Quilty is staying. The next morning she seduces him! He finally admits her mother is deceased as they drive. Humbert narrates the story to a time several months later in Ohio. He is very jealous about the high school boys she talks about. Dr. Zemf, actually Quilty posing as the high school psychologist meets with Humbert about Lolita. He and Lolita drive cross country pursued by Quilty. They have an accident and Lolita is in the hospital. She is discharged without Humbert knowing and he loses his mind.
She types him a letter to tell him what has happened over the years, how she is married, pregnant, and in need of money. He arrives and quizzes her about the past. She implicates Quilty as her seducer and her only real flame, but he has since abandoned her in New Mexico. He pleads for her to come away one last time then breaks down and gives her money. The movie ends with Humbert arriving at Quilty's mansion as first seen in the film's opening moments.
--David Fletcher, Resident Scholar
|
| Analysis of Lolita |
|---|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
books by breaking them down into many different literary
elements, all of which are searchable (click here). |
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1930's-1950's
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Kind of romance:
- spurned lover goes for revenge
Taboo Sex Story?
Yes
Kind of sex:
- molestation
Lover is...
- much older/younger
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- teacher/professor
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- obsessed
- emotionally unstable
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Unclothed?
- Chest
Events of movie makes character more...
- sensitive
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- blonde
Hair style
- (woman) long wavey
Body type
- (woman) ample bosom & buttocks
Unclothed?
- very tight clothes
How much in movie?
- 90%-100%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- writer
Eccentric:
Yes
- deluded
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 40%
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
Small town?
Yes
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- explicit references to deaths
Movie makes you feel...
- concerned
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
- kissing
Check here if B&W
Yes
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
Is this movie based on a
- book
|
| Most similar reviews by Gordonator ranking |
|---|
| Story of Women
starring Isabelle Huppert, François Cluzet, Marie Trintignant, Nils Tavernier, Dominique Blanc, Dani
|
| The Ladies of the Bois de Boulogne
starring Maria Casares, Paul Bernard, Elina Labourdette
|
| Malena
starring Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro
|
| Separate Tables
starring Burt Lancaster, Wendy Hiller, David Niven, Deborah Kerr
|
| Mudhoney
starring John Furlong, Hal Hooper, Antoinette Cristiani, Rena Horten
|
|
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
|
