Lolita

1. What is the plot? In the movie Lolita, a man by the name of Humbert has just recently moved into the house of a widow, who's husband died a few years before. The widow and her daughter rent out the room to Humbert, and soon the widow falls in love with Humbert. However, Humbert has in return fallen in love with the widow's daughter, Lolita, who is merely a high school student. Humbert can't bring himself to confess his love for Lolita, but this doesn't keep the widow back. As the movie progresses, the widow expresses her profound love for Humbert, but Humbert tries to distance himself from her as he tries to get closer to Lolita. When the widow believes that her daughter's attitude and rebellious ways has gone too far, she sends her away to an all girl's camp. While away, the widow and Humbert get married, but Humbert still reminisces of Lolita. When the widow finds Humbert's diary where he secretly writes his thoughts and fantasies of living with Lolita alone, she runs off into the thunder storm brewing outside where she is hit by a car and killed. Humbert goes to the camp and picks Lolita up, telling her that they are going to visit her mother in the hospital where she is sick. After just a few days on the road, Humbert confesses that her mother is dead. After however, Lolita gives in to her love for Humbert, and they live together for a while. As the movie progresses Humbert's older age difference diverges him into a sort of controlling, mental state over Lolita. Eventually, Lolita leaves him for another man. After some time she sends a letter to Humbert asking for money. Humbert visits Lolita, and after some talking, Lolita tells Humbert the man whom she left Humber for. And the final scene, which is a repeat of the opening scene, Humbert finds and kills the man whom Lolita had been in love with the whole time.

What is the theme? The theme of this movie is of self-control, and deceitfulness. In a sense one could say that the theme is that Humbert needs to accept that his life with Lolita was not meant to be, that he is in actuality restraining her.

The following scene in Lolita is a great example of actually both the plot, and the theme and tone of the movie. In this scene Humbert and Lolita are driving through a mountain range, almost desert-like, and are being followed by a mysterious car. In an attempt to try and lose the car, Humbert speeds up, but this results in a flat tire. They come to a stop, however soon after the other car arrives and stops just a few 10 meters behind them. Then after sitting, almost at sort of a stand-off, the car turns around and drives away.  1) The first element I want to look at is the contrast in the scene. Although the movie is in black and white, Stanley Kubrick still manages to use lighting and contrast to his advantage. You can see that Humbert is wearing almost all black clothes, as everything else, including Lolita, is outfitted in bright colors, some white. This symbolizes the difference in character, Lolita being care-free and relaxed, and Humbert being almost dark, psychotic, tense.



2) Is positioning. In this shot Humbert is closer to the camera than Lolita. Lolita moves to the back of the car, which creates tension and distance between the two. Again, this reveals the direction their relationship is headed in.



3) Props. Although there may not seem like much in this scene, there is one prop I believe is key to shedding light on character. The big steering wheel that Humbert has his hands tightly gripped around, is massive, and helps display the subtle movements coming from Humbert's nervousness. And moves more so when he is driving fast, creating more tension, almost making the audience feel they are going to crash, much like their relationship will.



4) Sound. The sound in this scene before the tires pops, consists of a violins play on the lower register, repeating a simple motif, while other violins are slowly and smoothly progressing chromatically upwards, giving an eerie, mysterious mood. Added to the mysteriousness, is the sort of confusion and chaos that the windy sound coming from the open window.  5) Dialogue. The dialogue in this scene seems simple at first. Humbert and Lolita argue over the fact that he saw her talking to a man in a car at the gas station in the scene before. However, underlying this dialogue is more characterization, adding to Humbert's psychotic breakdown and controlling aspect to his attitude.  6) Cinematography. The whole first half of the scene consists of just one long shot of this conversation between Humber and Lolita. This simple choice helps create more tension between the two characters.  7) Clothing. When Lolita moves to the back of the car, she puts on a sweater, one similar to that of little red riding hood's. This gives Lolita the appearance of almost helpless and clueless to Humbert's secrets of control and obsessiveness.



8) Editing. Only after Lolita tells Humbert that she feels she is getting sick does the shot change from the front of the car. And this play into cinematography as well, but this simple one cut shows that they the feeling and tension of the situation is changing. And in the shot they are seen more as equal as he feels Lolita's forehead expressing care for her well-being.