There was good reason for anxiety when Adrian Lyne, the crass director of "Nine 1/2 Weeks," "Fatal Attraction," and "Indecent Proposal," decided to tackle Nabokov's celebrated yet all-but-unfilmable novel of a middle-aged professor's sexual obsession with a 12-year-old girl. The results, while not an artistic triumph, are surprisingly good, given an outstanding performance by Irons, a fine bit of acting by 15-year-old Swain (said to be 14 in this movie), and remarkably sensitive and restrained direction by Lyne (save for the farcical murder of Quilty, as taken from the book). I assume Lyne can take some of the credit for the lovely soundtrack as well, spiced with Fats Waller, Lena Horne, Count Basie, Red Ingle, Louis Prima and others. Griffith is too grating as the mother, Langella suitably annoying in the role of Quilty. But see this film for Irons's ravaged, obsessed, and ultimately self-defeating Humbert. Truly excellent.
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The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus
