Lyne (FATAL ATTRACTION) tries his hand at a more faithful adaptation of Nabokov's novel than Kubrick was allowed to attempt in 1962. In the process, Irons gives an amazing,... more
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Advantages: Better than the original (WHAT I hear you cry) Disadvantages: A little ill paced
...Stanley Kubrick bought the movie Lolita to the screen, now I'm sure i'm going to offend the world when I say that the 1997 movie, widely praised and widely condemned is a far better movie; why have I gone to this extreme? Read on....
Humbert Humbert (Jeremy Irons) takes some time out of work moving to a small town in order to work on a text book, but when he arrives at his lodgings he finds they have burned to the ground. Luckily Humbert finds himself ... ...teenage daughter Lolita (Dominique Swain) proper name Delores. Humbert is strangely drawn to Lolita, her girlish ways, devastating beauty, and heady sexuality; but as Lolita is just 13 years old Humbert must restrain himself. As he finds himself closer into the family circle Humbert engages in a romance with Charlotte, not through choice but to keep him close to Lolita. When the truth is rumbled though, and Charlotte discovers that Humbert is only ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: riveting story; Swain and Irons; musical score Disadvantages: may be disturbing
...cinematic release of Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita (I’m not too eager to do so), but I am glad I watched this latest release by Lyne. It is absolutely amazing. I didn’t think I would feel sympathy for the man, but I certainly did when he was faced with the mesmerizing strains of this flute, composed ingenuously by fifteen-year-old Dominique Swain, still wearing braces and chewing gum. You too won’t be able to help it, just like member PKWBassGuy humorously ... ...Delores, nicknamed Lo and subsequently Lolita by the man. As the young widow Griffiths is nicely appealing, but while she becomes attracted to the man, he is captivated by her innocent, beautiful daughter so lovingly embraced by the camera. Lo at first smiles openly with no seductiveness, but as she becomes aware of his fascination with her that he tries so much to hide from her and her mother, she begins to flirt with a joyful abandon. She’s rebellious ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
...versions of Vladimir Nabokov's story Lolita provided the opportunity to compare such an event and unlike in the case of Planet of The Apes, this was not a film that would be messed about with merely to appease the audience. Even though I wasn't overly sold on Stanley Kubrick's original, could a remake actually improve on it, or would the remake monster claim yet another worthless victim?
Having some time before his new teaching assignment begins, ... ...stay, Humbert is spellbound by Lolita and eventually marries Charlotte just to be near to the object of his desire. Fate conspires against him though and Lolita is sent away to summer school and Charlotte reveals that following summer school it'll be a series of boarding schools and colleges. With Charlotte dying in an unavoidable accident, Humbert retrieves Lolita and the pair settle down posing as father and daughter. Is their love genuine or is ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Fantastic portrayal of an excellent book Disadvantages: 'delicate' issues delat with
...she holds over him.
Lolita is a powerful film, shot beautifully from the point of view of Humbert Humbert. The actors have been well cast, and portray their characters admirably.
This film is definitely worth a watch, although some may not like the idea of the issues it deals with. ...
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Advantages: controversial film Disadvantages: not sure if it is a fair representation of the novel
Lolita is controversial film. Its unpredictability keeps the audience on the edge of their seats throughout. Based on Vladimir Nabokov's novel, the film centres on two characters; academic Humbert Humbert and coy Lolita Haze. Other characters such as mother Charlotte, serve merely as pawns in Humbert's game to play for the top prize - Lolita herself.
The tension the viewer feels stems from the fact that we are encouraged to sympathise with Humbert ... ...natural uneasiness aroused by the sight of an older man having a sexual relationship with a girl who is young enough to be his daughter. The film is enjoyable, but there is nevertheless something missing from it. Perhaps the character of Lolita's mother could be more credible. She is written off the script far too quickly and it is if her fate is almost too convenient. Yet the film has a thought-provoking theme and is worth a
watch. ...
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Actor(s): Jeremy Irons, Melanie Griffith, Frank Langella, Dominique Swain, Suzanne Shepherd
Director(s): Adrian Lyne
Genre: Drama
Classification: 18 years and over
Production Year: 1997
Running Time: 2 hours 12 minutes
Video Category: Feature Film
Plot: A schoolteacher marries his landlady so that he can be closer to her daughter, who reminds him of a time in childhood when he was thirteen and in love with a twelve year old girl staying at his father's hotel. Adapated from the novel by Vladimir Nabokov.
Remake Of: Lolita ( 1962 United States of America )
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): PATHE DISTRIBUTION; 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Release date: 08/05/2000
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: P 8877 DVD
Editor: David Brenner
Barcode: 5060002830307
Screenwriter: Stephen Schiff
Author: Vladimir Nabokov
Languages
Main Language: English
DVD Description
Lyne (FATAL ATTRACTION) tries his hand at a more faithful adaptation of Nabokov's novel than Kubrick was allowed to attempt in 1962. In the process, Irons gives an amazing, tortured performance as Humbert Humbert, the professor who can not control his physical desires for 12 year-old Dolores Haze (Swain). Swain also turns in an exceptional performance as the title character. Controversy surrounded the production to the point where it languished, completed, on the shelf, for almost 2 years looking for an American distributor. The film had a successful European run before making its American debut on the Showtime cable network, and finally, to a limited art house run.
Technical information
Special Features: Audio Commentary - 1. Adrian Lyne - Director, Bonus Footage - 1. Casting Session with Jeremy Irons, 2. Never Before Seen Footage, Featurette, Trailer - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer, Interactive Menus, Scene Access, Biographies
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Professional reviews
Review: "...Swain's performance as Lolita is the main reason to see this movie. She comes amazingly close to the nymphet described by Nabokov..." (Movieline, p.48, 01/09/1998)
"...Irons give a performance of sustained wit and cogent remorse..." (Rolling Stone, p.108, 03/09/1998)
"...LOLITA is a comic romp, an amusing escapade..." (Sight and Sound, p.51-2, 01/05/1998)
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Listed on Ciao since : 12/07/2000
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