Lolita

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

It took more than two years for Lolita to make it to the big screen. Major distributors wanted no part of the controversial film about a middle-aged man's sexual obsession with an adolescent. However, the film emerges surprisingly short on titillation. Instead, Lyne remains true to Nabokov's lyrical prose. Irons' Humbert Humbert elicits both empathy and outrage, and he doesn't pretend to justify or condone his actions. It's a daring, fabulous performance. Swain is equally convincing as the 12-year-old nymphet who seduces and lets herself be seduced. A thoughtful, intelligent film that far exceeds expectations.