Synopsis

A European literature professor moves to New Hampshire and rents a room from Charlotte Haze, whose teenage daughter Dolores immediately fascinates him. After marrying Charlotte to remain close to the girl, Humbert's obsession intensifies when tragedy removes the last barrier between them. He takes Dolores on a cross-country journey, disguising coercion and exploitation as romance while their relationship steadily deteriorates.

Factoids & Trivia

• This 1997 film is the second major screen adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel, following Stanley Kubrick's 1962 version.

• Screenwriter Stephen Schiff wrote the screenplay as his first movie script. Earlier commissioned versions by James Dearden, Harold Pinter, and David Mamet were not used.

• The production was filmed between September 5, 1995, and February 8, 1996, with locations including New Orleans, Austin, El Paso, and Las Cruces.

• The film faced considerable difficulty securing a U.S. distributor because of its subject matter and the fact that Dominique Swain was a minor during filming.

• Adult body doubles were used for intimate material involving Swain. Production also used physical barriers during scenes requiring close contact with her co-star.

• Unlike the 1962 film's more comic and suggestive approach, this version presents a darker and more direct adaptation of Humbert's abuse and manipulation.

• The film premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in September 1997. In the United States, it first aired on Showtime on August 2, 1998, before receiving a limited theatrical release.

• Ennio Morricone composed the score, adding an unexpectedly lyrical and romantic quality to a story built around obsession, control, and unreliable narration.