Lolita . Austin Chronicle . 07-27-98

Lolita

DIRECTED BY: Stanley Kubrick

REVIEWED: 07-27-98

Kubrick ... If that doesn't get you into the theatre, then go away. If you listen to the rumors, if you have investigated at all, you've heard that Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick's latest with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, is a study of the psycho-sexual mind. Well, here Kubrick shows you how a seemingly normal man can be wrapped around the sexually aware pinky finger of a lollipop-sucking teenage tart. James Mason plays the man, the human man that gives into his 'dark side.' This is a Mason film people don't often see. He plays a fragile man, a lustful man, a perfect man for Lolita. Sue Lyon plays the squirming precocious teen who all men dread/adore. Also strong in the film is Shelley Winters as the mother of this ... little girl. One of the reasons this film amazes me today is how much sexual tension exists on-screen. Kubrick never bursts the bubble with torrid sex hop; instead he keeps the lid on tight. This film boils.

--Harry Knowles

Full Length Reviews
Lolita
Lolita
Lolita

Capsule Reviews
Lolita
Lolita

Other Films by Stanley Kubrick
A Clockwork Orange
Dr. Strangelove
Eyes Wide Shut
Paths of Glory
The Killing
The Shining

Film Vault Suggested Links
After Life
Spent
The Accident

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