Richard Corliss (1944–2015)

Perhaps my favorite entry into the BFI Film Classics series, Richard Corliss' book on the Stanley Kubrick film adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita is an unflinching examination of two great artists from different forms of artistic expression. Corliss, former Tim magazine editor and film critic, displays a passion and knowledge for Kubrick and Nabokov that allows him to compare and contrast both them and their works in unflinching detail, warts and all.

The beginning of this reportedly truncated version of Corliss' original piece starts with the 99 line poem Pale Film, which is then referenced line by line throughout the book, with lines and phrases standing in for subject headings. This is in direct homage to the 999 line poem Pale Fire from Nabokov's novel of the same name, in which the deceased poet's work is deconstructed with dubious expertise by his neighbor. This sort of layered homage to Nabokov's work is just the first hint that the author is a student of literature as well as film.

Corliss makes no excuses for any shortcomings that Kubrick's Lolita might suffer in adapting the novel, and instead looks at how the censorship of the time delayed the printing of Nabokov's novel in certain states, and partially influenced the the tone and content of Kubrick's retelling, from the screenplay through casting and direction. Historical and biographical influences are weighed as much as the craft of both novelist and filmmaker, fully informing a nearly flawless critical analysis that will impress readers regardless of whether their sympathies lie with the author or auteur.… (mehr)