PATHETIQUE

there is a myspace page honoring the films of stanley kubrick (pictured far left with sue lyon) and it is staggering. for a director who made just over a dozen movies, raccoon eyed stan seriously excelled. he did not create the 'monster' named humbert humbert who narrates the story of 'lolita', or the nymphet who disorders his academic life. the novelist vladimir nabokov did that. what this filmmaker did do in his 1962 masterwork was allow us to watch a pathetic wretch of a man make his feeble attempts to live with himself till they lock him away to die in his cell of a coronary. the film ends just shy of the arrest that follows his killing of his nemesis, clare quilty, played by peter sellers. there are not enough words to fully describe the performance of said enemy but one does come to mind. hilarious.

shelley winters eats the role of lo's mom alive. who cares if sue lyon in the title role is a great actress or not. she drives james mason's virile arrogant humbert to distraction from the tips of her painted toenails to the roots of her peroxided hair. 

towards the end of the film when lolita makes a casual attempt to consider the feelings of the soul sickened humbert, she offers, 'i'm sorry i lied so much, but i guess that's just the way things are.' it is one sublimely just dessert.