Lolita
Movie, 1962, The '60s, Set in Small-town America
Lolita is #6 of 13 in release order and #6 of 13 in chronological order in the Stanley Kubrick.
The story
Humbert Humbert is a middle-aged British novelist who is both appalled by and attracted to the vulgarity of American culture. When he comes to stay at the boarding house run by Charlotte Haze, he soon becomes obsessed with Lolita, the woman's teenaged daughter.
Lolita recap
Lolita (1962) adapts Vladimir Nabokov's novel about a European literature professor who marries a widow to stay near her teenage daughter. Stanley Kubrick directs, with the screenplay credited to Nabokov. The story opens with Humbert Humbert (James Mason) shooting the playwright Clare Quilty (Peter Sellers) in a cluttered mansion, then goes back four years. Humbert rents a room in Ramsdale, New Hampshire, from Charlotte Haze (Shelley Winters) and becomes obsessed with her daughter Dolores, called Lolita (Sue Lyon). He marries Charlotte, who finds his diary and runs into the street, where a car kills her. Humbert takes Lolita from summer camp on a long road trip of motels, then settles in a college town, where she is cast in a school play. Quilty keeps appearing in disguises, including a school psychologist. Lolita comes between Spartacus and Dr. Strangelove in Kubrick's career and is his first film made in England.
Lolita ending explained
Lolita ends with the murder shown at the start. Lolita vanishes from a hospital, and years later writes to Humbert asking for money; he finds her married to Dick Schiller, pregnant and poor. She tells him Quilty took her from the hospital and dropped her when she refused to appear in his films. Humbert gives her money, begs her to leave with him, and is refused. He drives to Quilty's house and shoots him. A title card says Humbert died in prison of coronary thrombosis awaiting trial. The novel's Lolita is twelve; the film ages her up to satisfy the censors.
Post-credits scenes
No. Lolita has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Lolita
Lolita is streaming on Plex and Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.5/10, Rotten Tomatoes 89%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Spartacus, before Dr. Strangelove.
- Chronological order: after Spartacus, before Dr. Strangelove.
Cast
- James Mason as Prof. Humbert Humbert
- Shelley Winters as Charlotte Haze
- Sue Lyon as Dolores "Lolita" Haze
- Gary Cockrell as Richard T. "Dick" Siller
- Jerry Stovin as John Farlow
- Diana Decker as Jean Farlow
- Lois Maxwell as Nurse Mary Lore
- Cec Linder as Physician
- Bill Greene as George Swine
- Shirley Douglas as Mrs. Starch
- Marianne Stone as Vivian Darkbloom
- Marion Mathie as Miss Lebone
Directed by Stanley Kubrick.