As Lee said, the film was pretty controversial at its release and was operating under many restrictitions as it was, and this was just one clip. That being said, the film as a whole does a good job of establishing the sexual tension between HH and Lolita.
Also, after seeing both versions of the film, I think Kubrick's does a better job in portraying HH as a severly disturbed man with a pathological desire/need for Lolita. In fact, Kubrick makes all of his main characters more extreme in a way: HH more insane, Charlotte more pathetic, Dolores more innocent, and Quilty more ridiculous and comedic.
This version of the film was pretty controversial and had only a limited art house run when it was released. I think the difference between novel and film is part of what you are talking about in relation to the way HH looks at her. We get the fullness of his interior desire in the novel but much of this can't be translated to the screen. At the same time, it is worth pointing out that the sex scenes in the novel are not explicit in the way that pornography depicts graphic sex.
I really don't like the way this is done. Between the sappy music and the way H.H. is portrayed, I feel like it's trying too hard to romanticize something that is such an incredibly dark tale, even if it is a love story of sorts. In effect, it just comes off as very cheesy to me and insulting to Nabokov. I don't know how H.H. is portrayed in the rest of the movie, but here, upon his first vision of Lolita, I don't get any sense of the initial carnal attraction he feels for her that comes off so clearly in the book. Here, it just looks like his emotions, alone, are moved by the beauty of this little girl and not his nether regions. And though he is good looking, he doesn't come off to me as the kind of man that just goes around making women swoon. He seems a bit wimpy, for lack of a better word. Just not the way I imagined him at all.
I agree with Marcella on her saying that the movie doesn't portray Humbert as being initially sexually attracted to Lolita like Nabokov does in LOLITA. According to this scene of the movie, Humbert's attraction to Lolita seems not as "sexual" as Nabokok describes it. In Nabokov's Lolita, at first sight, Humbert describes with passion Lolita's "silky supple bare back", her juvenile breasts and her puerile hips. This scene of the movie lacks this passion that emanates from Humbert in Lolita. Although she is shown half-naked with her clothes soaked with water revealing her curves, Humbert's gaze goes to her feet instead of her breasts or her hips as the book suggests. I don't know if Dominique Swain was trying to romanticize the story by making the sexual attraction of Humbert toward Lolita less striking. Even all throughout the movie, the sex scenes are not very explicit. Probably he made the movie this way to avoid censure.
On the one hand, Dominique Swain looks almost perfect as Lolita. She really does look like a child, which makes HH's reaction to her, I felt, almost sick. At first, I didn't feel that she was what Humbert referred to as a "nymphet," but after watching the clip a second time and seeing her almost smirk with her eyes, I can see why Humbert would be almost obsessed with her.
Comments
As Lee said, the film was
As Lee said, the film was pretty controversial at its release and was operating under many restrictitions as it was, and this was just one clip. That being said, the film as a whole does a good job of establishing the sexual tension between HH and Lolita.
Also, after seeing both versions of the film, I think Kubrick's does a better job in portraying HH as a severly disturbed man with a pathological desire/need for Lolita. In fact, Kubrick makes all of his main characters more extreme in a way: HH more insane, Charlotte more pathetic, Dolores more innocent, and Quilty more ridiculous and comedic.
This version of the film was
This version of the film was pretty controversial and had only a limited art house run when it was released. I think the difference between novel and film is part of what you are talking about in relation to the way HH looks at her. We get the fullness of his interior desire in the novel but much of this can't be translated to the screen. At the same time, it is worth pointing out that the sex scenes in the novel are not explicit in the way that pornography depicts graphic sex.
I really don't like the way
I really don't like the way this is done. Between the sappy music and the way H.H. is portrayed, I feel like it's trying too hard to romanticize something that is such an incredibly dark tale, even if it is a love story of sorts. In effect, it just comes off as very cheesy to me and insulting to Nabokov. I don't know how H.H. is portrayed in the rest of the movie, but here, upon his first vision of Lolita, I don't get any sense of the initial carnal attraction he feels for her that comes off so clearly in the book. Here, it just looks like his emotions, alone, are moved by the beauty of this little girl and not his nether regions. And though he is good looking, he doesn't come off to me as the kind of man that just goes around making women swoon. He seems a bit wimpy, for lack of a better word. Just not the way I imagined him at all.
I agree with Marcella on her
I agree with Marcella on her saying that the movie doesn't portray Humbert as being initially sexually attracted to Lolita like Nabokov does in LOLITA. According to this scene of the movie, Humbert's attraction to Lolita seems not as "sexual" as Nabokok describes it. In Nabokov's Lolita, at first sight, Humbert describes with passion Lolita's "silky supple bare back", her juvenile breasts and her puerile hips. This scene of the movie lacks this passion that emanates from Humbert in Lolita. Although she is shown half-naked with her clothes soaked with water revealing her curves, Humbert's gaze goes to her feet instead of her breasts or her hips as the book suggests. I don't know if Dominique Swain was trying to romanticize the story by making the sexual attraction of Humbert toward Lolita less striking. Even all throughout the movie, the sex scenes are not very explicit. Probably he made the movie this way to avoid censure.
Response to Lolita Scene
On the one hand, Dominique Swain looks almost perfect as Lolita. She really does look like a child, which makes HH's reaction to her, I felt, almost sick. At first, I didn't feel that she was what Humbert referred to as a "nymphet," but after watching the clip a second time and seeing her almost smirk with her eyes, I can see why Humbert would be almost obsessed with her.
Yep, this is the one
Thanks, Naomie! So, let 's pretend we're still in class and please record some responses to the scene, in light of having completed Part I.