I decided to view this film for many reasons, the least of which is that this is a Kubrick film. Stanley Kubrick was a bit of a revolutionary in his time. He chose this book to make a film and the book itself was revolutionary. Lolita was written by a Russian, Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov, in 1955. That was during the Cold War. The chance that a Russian author would ever find his material attractive to a Hollywood producer was a real change for the American society. The reason it caught the imagination of Kubrick is because of the 'creepiness' of Humbert, the scholar whom rents a room in a lonely widow's home after seeing her twelve year old daughter, Lolita, sunbathing in the backyard.
The film is an exercise in obsession. Humbert is sexually attracted to a pubescent child he watches grow into a woman knowing full well he could never have a relationship with her as a child. He has designs on the girl from the beginning and becomes a bit of a 'sexual confidant' to her as she develops into a woman. The widow/mother panders to his obsession in hopes to divert his passions in her direction. it works and eventually they are married. The obsession with Lolita doesn't end and the marriage enters into failure. Eventually the emotional turmoil of the mother's life results in a hysteria sending her running into the street and then killed by a car.
The plot spins all kinds of victimization of women. It was interesting to me that women 'of the time' were victims of their sexuality and not in control of it. A scarey reminder in the year 2006 when women's rights are under attack, beyond what Kubrick intended to the extent 'a male dominant' society could have to destroy a woman's right of self determination. I don't believe love obsessions belong exclusively to men and the ability for 'finding a relationship' is more a challenge in a society where women are esteemed for their accomplishments rather than their ownership of a vagina and uterus. Women, during Kubrick's time were still chattel, especially in this film.
It's meant to be a torturous film of emotion with fear as the basis to saving Lolita from Humbert and his obsession. All I can say is that to realize this film was revolutionary is a sad statement to the society so fascinated with it. Today. If a woman/girl found someone like Humbert stalking them it would be a matter of getting restraining orders and chasing him into prison for his inabilitiy to deal with his own issues. At least that is the ideal to protect women from obsessed men. Then there is the reality that manifested into the murders of Nichole Brown and Ron Goldman. We still have a long way to go, but, at least a path is now carved.
I enjoyed the film and found lots of reason to reflect. It was a lengthy film of over two and a half hours. Kubrick was a genius and very revolutionary. It may very well be, Kubrick in his own way was actually the imputus to the woman's movement. I mean, "yuk," who wants a Humbert in their lives !
