Adrian Lyne's portrayal of the famed Nabokov novel has all of the beautiful cinematography, enrapturing score and great acting that one would expect. However, this film still falls short of actually presenting what the novel is all about. It isn't a tearjerker about the innocent Humbert Humbert being unfairly taken advantage of by the bold, yet still childlike Lolita, it is in fact the exact opposite.
After watching this film, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Humbert and his endless longing for Lolita. After all, Lyne makes it seem that Lolita used him, then took off with another man who could give her the satisfaction that she needed. Nabokov never intended for this to happen in the novel, so why is Lyne so unfaithful himself to the actual story?
The strong point of this film is the large performance of Jeremy Irons as Humbert, a man who truly loves Lolita very much and never could fight off any feelings for her. One can see the pain build up within Irons as the film progresses until the final scenes in which he finishes off Quilty (a very unnecessary scene). My favourite scene of the film happens to be near the end when Humbert is being followed by the police, drives into a farmer's field and proceeds to get out of his car and just stand there. This scene alone speaks more than the majority of the film itself.
Melanie Griffith seems miscast as Charlotte Haze (who in Nabokov's novel is fat and unattractive), I don't know of many men who would want to subdue her with sleeping pills every night in order to pass on their "husbandly duties." Dominique Swain puzzles me in the role of Lolita. She captures the whole nymphette quality, but should have been a little more subdued at times. She seems slightly more childish in her performance than Nabokov intended.
I would give a slight recommendation to the over 16 crowd who have an appreciation for the more artsy-type films like Lolita. However, it may seem quite subdued when compared to all of the hype.
6/10 stars.
After watching this film, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Humbert and his endless longing for Lolita. After all, Lyne makes it seem that Lolita used him, then took off with another man who could give her the satisfaction that she needed. Nabokov never intended for this to happen in the novel, so why is Lyne so unfaithful himself to the actual story?
The strong point of this film is the large performance of Jeremy Irons as Humbert, a man who truly loves Lolita very much and never could fight off any feelings for her. One can see the pain build up within Irons as the film progresses until the final scenes in which he finishes off Quilty (a very unnecessary scene). My favourite scene of the film happens to be near the end when Humbert is being followed by the police, drives into a farmer's field and proceeds to get out of his car and just stand there. This scene alone speaks more than the majority of the film itself.
Melanie Griffith seems miscast as Charlotte Haze (who in Nabokov's novel is fat and unattractive), I don't know of many men who would want to subdue her with sleeping pills every night in order to pass on their "husbandly duties." Dominique Swain puzzles me in the role of Lolita. She captures the whole nymphette quality, but should have been a little more subdued at times. She seems slightly more childish in her performance than Nabokov intended.
I would give a slight recommendation to the over 16 crowd who have an appreciation for the more artsy-type films like Lolita. However, it may seem quite subdued when compared to all of the hype.
6/10 stars.