Peppermint Friday Film Review #9: Lolita

I watched this film last night just after I did the post of 'Kubrick Vs Hitchcock' and I knew this film, and of the book. Plus I knew it would be easy to do a review of a Kubrick film that I've seen countless times. As this is a film that's still fresh to me, I thought it be nice.

Everyone knows the story of Lolita, its about a man called Humbert who needs a place to stay, so he becomes a lodger for this woman called Charlotte, she has a daughter called Lolita. Soon over time Humbert becomes infatuated with her, he then marries Charlotte problem being that Humbert is in his 40s and Lolita is a teenager. We all know the story, and its one of Kubrick's most memorable films. 

This film is something, its incredibly done for what it is as the story in itself is not exactly easy to film and create because the book is very graphic. I loved the film as it was done because it was made with such charm, and that sounds weird but I enjoyed it because it's so unlike any film I had ever seen before. I loved Peter Sellers in this film, as he was brilliant in it I loved it when he started talking to Lolita about the facts of life, it was just so creepy, and amazing. This film makes you feel like its creepy and weird, and thats good but also it makes you feel that its normal. One of the scenes that freaked me out was when Lolita was hula-hooping in the garden, and Humbert just sat there watching her. 

I gotta admit this film does go on not that, thats a bad thing its just very thick and dense. I mean lets face it theres not happy smiley songs and dance in this film is there? its very serious and intense which is good, because with a story like this you can't make it fun, you can try but that would hard. I also love both Sue Lyon who plays Lolita, who I'd like to point out was 14 at the time of filming this and Jason Mason who plays Humbert they did the job of the characters and the book wonderfully. I know that the Kubrick film version is different from the book, but the characters are still there. 

There are two versions of this story, the 1997 version which is more accurate to the book and obviously this version the 1962 which is based of the book but it has the Kubrick element to it. I love the fact that its in Black and White and I know films back then were mainly in Black and White, but there were loads of films in colour and it wasn't exactly weird. I loved the Black and White colour to it because for me it makes everyone neutral. Not saying everyone's innocent just feel that everything is neutral, its muted and I feel its free but intense at the same time. I feel this film is something you need to watch regardless of what you think of the story or the characters but, you will not forgot this film that does sound very corny but there honestly isn't really a film like it.