Having seen neither this nor the Kubrick version of Lolita, a few weeks ago, I started to wonder, if the films are really as great as they are made out to be; so, after reading as much as I could about both films, I finally bought this film on DVD. After having watched it, I was very impressed, both by the acting and the overall film quality. The theme is based on the well-known novel of the same name, by Russian author, Vladimir Nabokov. I found it very well-presented; unlike what you might expect, you don't loathe or despise Irons' character. You may find some of his actions disturbing, perhaps even disgusting. But you understand him, and you sympathize with him. The plot is great, it evolves at a very good pace, rarely standing still at any point. I don't think there was any point during the film where I was bored. The acting is great; Jeremy Irons gives a stellar performance, as do Melanie Griffith, Frank Langella and Dominique Swain. Of all those, I think it was actually Swain who impressed me the most; maybe it's because this was her first film, and she didn't have any acting experience. Or maybe it's because, well, despite knowing that she was very young when she made this film, I was, just like Irons' character, Humbert, attracted to her. Her performance as Lolita is amazing. The cinematography is very good, at times great. The dialog is well-written and well-delivered. The characters are well-written and credible. The amount of humor in the film, however little it may be, was good. It helped the viewer ease into the somewhat uncomfortable subject of the film. The climax of the film is great; despite being hinted at, throughout the film, it came as a surprise, and truly sent a chill down my spine. Now, as I mentioned early on in this review, I have not seen Stanley Kubrick's version of Lolita; I have not read the book, either. Therefore, I can't really say if this is an accurate depiction of the story or not. But I found it to be a very good piece of cinema, and I suspect most people interested in the subject would too. I recommend this to fans of any of the actors, possibly Nabokov's novel, and/or people who are interested in the subject matter. I will advise anyone who sees it, though, to be prepared; the film is quite explicit, and some will definitely take very much offense from it. If you can sit through the film, though, you probably should. It really is great. 7/10
Review of Lolita
