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Humbert Humbert (Jeremy Irons) is a professor of French literature, a man whose roots lie in all of Europe and whose intellect and refinement make him very attractive to women. Humbert is haunted by his childhood love, Annabel, who died of typhus after their short affair. Even after her death, Humbert lets himself be submerged in Annabel's mystique -- a mystique that to him represents the possibility of a life in paradise.

As the film begins, Humbert is moving from Europe to a small New England town. Due to unforseen circumstances, he is forced to board with a widow and single mother,

Charlotte Haze (Melanie Griffith), whose gaudy and open personality instantly irritates the quiet, reserved Humbert. And then Humbert meets Charlotte's daughter, Dolores (Dominique Swain). He is immediately overtaken by memories of Annabel and becomes strangely enamored with the girl.

Dolores, nicknamed Lo or Lolita, is a spunky, strong-willed adolescent. She becomes close to Humbert in an apparently innocent sort of way -- sitting close to him on a swing, jumping in his lap while he writes and asking him to convince her mother to not punish her. But when Charlotte, in a misguided effort to win Humbert's affection for herself, sends Lolita off to boarding school, Lolita runs to him, jumps into his arms and kisses him passionately. Humbert later realizes that he is as much the object of Lolita's misguided love as she is of his.

In order to ensure that he remains in close contact with the girl, Humbert marries Charlotte. Through a bizarre twist of fate, he becomes Lolita's legal guardian as well as her stepfather. Even so, an affair begins between the two of them -- an affair that, while definitely illegal and by most traditional standards immoral, does not seem superficially as predatory as it actually is. When Humbert tries to explain to Lolita why she can't tell her mother, or anyone else, about their activities, Lolita shrugs, says, "It's called incest, dad," and walks into a hotel-room closet.

Lolita and Humbert set off together on a trip across America, stopping at random motels in small towns, visiting oddball tourist attractions and buying lots of useless junk. They are followed by a darkly mysterious playwright, Clare Quilty (Frank Langella), whose motives are beyond Humbert's reasonings. Eventually, the relationship between Lolita and her stepfather becomes rocky, and the tragic portion of Lolita ensues.

Swain, in her portrayal of the character Humbert calls his "nymphet," is absolutely incredible. This is a film debut that surpasses Anna Paquin's performance in Jane Campion's The Piano . Swain is flawless and carries off the role even as it changes from not-so-innocent schoolgirl to scarred and world-weary young woman. She deserves awards for her performance; here's hoping Oscar has the balls this spring to appreciate a brilliant actress in a controversial movie.

Irons, as usual, is excellent in his role as the good-natured but sinister professor. In playing a man torn by his past and inextricably twisted into a present he knows to be wrong, Irons is expertly expressive of the complicated emotions involved in Lolita . Griffith is also entertaining as the garish Charlotte, but not too much can be said about her portrayal of a pretty flat character.

The screenplay for Lolita , written by Stephen Schiff, is an excellent blend of blindingly funny wit and deeply distressing psychological drama. While it does not glorify pedophilia, Schiff's script does give careful treatment to the intricate relationship that arises between Lolita and Humbert.

Without being explicitly judgmental, the screenplay subtly villanizes Humbert for his destructive influence on the girl, but valorizes him for his steadfast devotion to her welfare. This devotion, however, turned into obsession, is the force that drives all of Lolita 's characters into ruin.

Much of the magic in this version of Lolita is in Lyne's direction and Howard Atherson's photography. Lyne takes a fabulous script and a nearly perfect cast to create a compelling, disturbing and provoking movie. Atherson uses lighting to great effect -- sunlight shining through falling water gives Annabel and Lolita an angelic look; darkness broken by the sharp brightness of insect lamps and permeated with cigarette smoke expresses the sinisterness of Quilty and Humbert -- eventually making a visual chef d'oeuvre of a film.

While it is sometimes difficult to watch Lolita  because of its almost light-hearted treatment of a very serious subject, the film is eventually properly critical in its treatment of pedophilia and incest. It's also a version that successfully adapts the actions of the novel without selling out its intentions. Lolita is a successful film, one of those rare movies that can make you laugh, make you think and ultimately disturb you in the deepest parts of your being.

This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the October 16, 1998 issue.