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Title: Flat and Dated.
Review: I commend Kubrick for first bring Nabokov's novel to the screen. However, I have to recommend director Adrian Lyne's version, with Jeremy Irons, Melanie Griffith, and the controversial debut of Dominique Swain as Lolita, over Kubrick's. This version reminds me of a Leave it to Beaver episode, no pun intended. For me, it had neither the poetic passion of Nabokov's novel or the sense of nervous guilt that Jeremy Iron's so perfectly displays in Lyne's version. Irons was perfect for the part of Humbert Humbert, you get the sense that he was obsessed by a true love for Lo. Humbert Humbert may be an anti-hero of sorts, but many people misinterpret the theme of Nabokov's novel and I can't really say that Kubrick's version did it any justice. I found it flat and dated. Nevertheless, it is worth a watch. However, I think true conesuers of Nabokov's work will find Lyne's version to be no less faithful and far more empathetic to Nabokov's vision.
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