Lolita, 1962 Stanley Kubrick.
Kubrick arrives at this film on the tails of the cinema epic Spartacus, in the intervening two years he was put forward for the Marlon Brando project One-Eyed Jacks but negotiations broke down. Lolita is the first Kubrick film to be shot in the U.K and it’s an incredibly difficult project, knowing the the censorship boards of the U.K and the U.S will scrutinise this film rigorously Kubrick walks a fine line. Commercial success depends on the rating of the film and the perception of censors.
James Mason plays prof Humbert Humbert, if there is a voice that’s most recognisable it’s the silky tones of James Mason appearing in over 100 films over a long career, Mason received three Oscar nominations over his career but never won. By the time of filming Lolita Mason was a well established Hollywood star having received an academy nomination in 1955 for A Star Is Born.
Sue Lyon was only in 15 at the time of filming, in fact she was too young to attend the New York premiere for the film and had to wait until the latter London premiere in the September of 1962 when she was 16 to attend a premiere. Sue Lyon was a model for the catalogue JC Penny, Kubrick spotted Lyon in the Tv show Loretta and suggested to his partner she should audition for the role of Lolita.
Shelley Winters is entering the middle of her career, at the beginning of it she had been in Beautiful Cheat and Cover Girl after a dip in her career she’s found a new niche playing bad mamas her role as Charlotte Haze being the latest in a string of such roles. With a 50 year career Shelley knows how to reinvent herself and deliver a performance. Already an Oscar winner (The Diary Of Anne Frank) she would go on to win a second latter in her career.
Ok the film it’s self, I’m not going to tell you the plot or the premise if you are not familiar the you can google it, instead I’ll look at the performances of the four main protagonists noted above.
James Mason has a difficult task a film surrounded in controversy the audience already has a preconception about the character of Prof Humbert Humbert and to a degree he plays up to it you do find him repulsive at times but then there is the torment as he’s trapped between the two women and they both play their games with him in the middle. As the film develops you start to get on side and even feel sorry for his character as Lolita manipulates him and bends him to her will.
Shelley Winters as the matriarch in the household is interesting desperate for a relationship 7 years after the passing of her Husband she overlooks Prof Humbert Humbert’s infatuation with her teenage daughter if it means she can have a relationship of her own of course jealousy gets worse until it leads to her accidental demise. Shelley’s performance is good there are times when it seems a little to much like a performance and unnatural, I’m looking back after 60 years of cinema so I might be a bit harsh.
Sue Lyon was a child at the time of her performance but you would find it difficult to imagine. A mature performance with subtlety and simply perfect at playing the manipulative Lolita.
Stanley Kubrick, I’m not sure that I can judge a genius it’s like a child judging Shakespeare but I’ll have a darn good go. As mentioned above it’s a difficult task the book was mired in controversy on its publication and I’m sure all eyes were on the film and the censors were giving no quarter with their appraisal. Getting a brilliant performance from the teenage Sue Lyon as she explores adult themes in the film and making her look and act like a woman much more mature couldn’t have been easy but it’s outstanding. Of course James Mason was a seasoned professional by this point but you can see the Kubrick moments as he’s delivering a line to Lyon and she’s blowing bubbles with her gum it’s Kubrick getting the reaction and frustration of the moment out of Mason. The camera work is obviously top draw the tight closeups that bring you into the relationship or the comedic hotel room scene with the cot as Lolita sleeps. All the set ups are measured and draw you into the film and have as bigger roll as the actors.
Kubrick was one of the 20th century’s top directors he would push his performers to get the best for his productions, he knew how to get what he wanted and studied the performer in order to get it. His films would become cinematic icons of the 20th century and I hope to explore them with you in a series of blogs over the coming months.
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Have fun stay safe 👍🏼
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