Lolita (1997)

Director:

Adrian Lyne

Writers (WGA):

Vladimir Nabokov (novel)
Stephen Schiff (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 September 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A forbidden love. An unthinkable attraction. The ultimate price.

Plot:

A man marries his landlady so he can take advantage of her daughter.

Plot Keywords:

Forbidden Love | Lolita | Love | Landlady | 14 Year Old

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Jeremy Irons	...	Humbert Humbert
Melanie Griffith	...	Charlotte Haze
Frank Langella	...	Clare Quilty
Dominique Swain	...	Dolores 'Lolita' Haze
Suzanne Shepherd	...	Miss Pratt
Keith Reddin	...	Reverend Rigger
Erin J. Dean	...	Mona
Joan Glover	...	Miss LaBone
Pat Pierre Perkins	...	Louise (as Pat P. Perkins)
Ed Grady	...	Dr. Melinik
Michael Goodwin	...	Mr. Beale
Angela Paton	...	Mrs. Holmes
Ben Silverstone	...	Young Humbert Humbert
Emma Griffiths Malin	...	Annabel Lee (as Emma Griffiths-Malin)
Ronald Pickup	...	Young Humbert's Father

Also Known As:

Lolita (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for aberrant sexuality, a strong scene of violence, nudity and some language.

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Brazil:14 | Chile:18 | France:-12 | Germany:18 (w) | Hong Kong:III | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Austin High School - 3500 Memphis Avenue, El Paso, Texas, USA

Company:

Guild

Trivia:

Over 2500 girls, including Christina Ricci and Melissa Joan Hart, tried out for the title role.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the jawbreaker scene, the jawbreaker is at first bright yellow, then in the next shot, is white.

Quotes:

Humbert: What are you eating?
Lolita: It's called a jawbreaker. It's supposed to break your jaw. Want one?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Indie Sex: Extremes (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Amor

Why Lyne's Lolita is Controversial

When the 1997 version of Lolita was widely censored in the US, many asked why the reaction was so strong to this film. After all, the novel was published in the US in 1958, Kubrick's film version appeared in 1962, and we hear more shocking tales of sexual depravity every day on the daytime talk shows. But after seeing Lyne's brilliant version of Lolita, I can see how he manages to breathe fresh controversy into this familiar story. Lyne's lascivious lens eroticizes Lolita's every movement and pose. The viewer is forced to see her through the eyes of Humbert and to feel his obsession and desire. We are co-conspirators in his crime, and at the end we share his shame. Rather than shocking us (and having us pull away in revulsion), Lyne draws us in and makes us face the Humbert in ourselves. This is an incredibly powerful film.