All the acting in Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" is top notch, but I could not get enough of Sue Lyon's sleepy/sexy gaze, the suspicious eyes and crooked smile, the flip talk and deep voice. She was given a bad rap at the time because she's of course much older than the character was in Nabokov's book (critics seemed to blame this on Sue!); however, she's more than capable in the role, at times excellent, always a presence and a very exciting one. James Mason--despite a monotone British voice which exudes masculinity but little inflection--is a decent Humbert Humbert, the lover of little girls (when I read Vladimir Nabokov's book, I pictured Rex Harrison). Shelley Winters is a scream as Lolita's mother, though the picture really picks up once she's gone. Peter Sellers is indeed overused as Humbert's walking paranoia, and the story-threads involving his character fail to come together. Still, the photography, most of the writing, Kubrick's direction, and Nelson Riddle's score are marvelous, as is Sue Lyon. What a temptress this one is! *** from ****
Review of Lolita
