Friday, October 30, 2009
After watching both film adaptations of the novel Lolita, I noticed several differences between the two films. In the Stanley Kubrick film, Lolita seemed to be warmer toward Humbert. At the end of the film, she even seemed slightly sad to see him go. In fact, it even seems as though she contemplated leaving with him. Adrian Lyne portrayed the relationship between Lolita and Humbert in a completely different way. She seemed colder towards him in the newer film, and was not affected at all when realizing she was never going to see Humbert again. Why do you think the relationship between Lolita and Humbert is portrayed so differently in the two films? Which portrayal, if any, do you feel is more reflective of the relationship the two shared in the novel?
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The relationship between Lolita and Humbert is portrayed so differently in both films because both directors had completely unique visuals once they read the novel. When any reader indulges in a story or book, that person visualizes something different from the next. Both directors made their adaptation based on the novel, yet they tweaked it in the way they thought would make the film better. Personally, I don't believe Kubrick's film followed the novel as well as Lyne's; as discussed in class, Quilty is in Kubrick's film quite often which is not the case in the novel or Lyne's film. The relationship between Lolita and Humbert is best portrayed in Lyne's film; their relationship was abnormal yet at the ending of the novel and film, Humbert truly loves Lolita and wants her back whereas Lolita just wants his money and would prefer to go back with Quilty.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between Humbert and Lolita is portrayed so differently in both films because the directors had different interpretations of the novel. Both film makers had diffferent visions, for example how they portray the different characters. They visualized what the characters looked like, and those images stick with them while watching the movie. The Stanley Kubrick's Lolita seemed a more Hollywood version of the novel because of how dramatic events were placed in the story. I don't believe his version of the film accurately depicts the relationship of Humbert and Lolita in the novel, because of how differently the characters are portrayed. Lyne's film portrays the relationship between Humbert and Lolita better. The movie takes into account the more serious side of Humbert and Lolita's relationship. Humbert and Lolita's story is a story of deception gone wrong, when Humbert kills Quilty. This aspect is seen more in the potrayal of Lyne's movie as apposed to Kubrick's.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the portrayal of the relationship between Lolita and Humbert is more accurate in the Kubrick film than it is in the newer version. Despite the many problems that existed between the two of them, Lolita had a soft spot for Humbert and wasn't as cold as she was made out to be in the recent movie. She loved him because she wasn't aware of the fact that their relationship was wrong. Even though Humbert used manipulation to bring Lolita so close to him. she wasn't aware of this and she truly did care about him.
ReplyDeleteEach movie director is going to have their individual interpetation of a novel and how it should be adapted. It is interesting to observe the different presentations of Nabokov's novel Lolita. i think the relationship between Humbert and Lolita is a controversal issure because of the different variations presented. For example when watching the films we can acknowledge Humberts facial expressions and emotions towards his lust for Lolita. When reading a text the audience does not get to experience that there is a true possibility of love in this odd couple.
ReplyDeleteBoth movies show us a Lolita that we do not see in the novel mainly because we really can't see her at all in the novel. We only get Humbert's description of her, while in the films we get to see her entirely. Her mannerisms and her attitude towards Humbert are now revealed to us, but are also dependent upon the filmmakers' interpretations of Lolita's character. In Kubrick's version we see a Lolita more attached to Humbert than the colder version of Lolita Lynne provides. Neither are wrong, they are just different versions of a person acting in response to Humbert's character.
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