LOLITA (1962)

1. What was the original change to the novel that Kubrick and producer James B. Harris proposed to shoot in order to get the Production Code Authority to allow them to make the film?

To have Lolita and Humbert Humbert get married in a state such as Kentucky or Tennessee, where marriage to minors was legal.

2. What wound up being the major change from the book that ultimately allowed Kubrick to make Lolita under the strict censorship standards of that time?

Making the character of Lolita older. In the book, Lolita’s age ranges from just nine at the beginning to 14 by the end. By making Lolita already a teenager and more overtly sexual, Kubrick was able to skirt the censors and make the film.

3. How old was Sue Lyon when Lolita was filmed?

Lyon was 14 years old. She turned 15 before the film was released in 1962.

4. How many different accents/characters does Peter Sellers employ in the film?

   Sellers, as Quilty, disguises himself as a state policeman and as a German school psychologist, Dr. Zempf. He uses a flat American accent as Quilty and the policeman, slips into a Southern accent in the opening scene and employs a German accent as Dr. Zempf.

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