"Lolita: Great Novel or Not, The Movie is a Pedophile's Fantasy" by Nancy Marsden

This article argues that the film Lolita, specifically the Adrian Lyne's remake, hides behind a blissful ignorance of it's original creation in the fifties. The article explains the film's marketing as a veiled attempt to elicit erotic thrill. By describing the film as "a journey to paradise lit by hell's flames," Showtime (who produced the film), it suggests that there is something pleasurable about Lolita. The film attempts to structure Lolita as a "woman trapped in a child's body, a 'nymphet'" (Marsden 1). Does this framing allow viewers to identify with the pedophilic protagonist? It seems as though the construction of Lolita allows for a safe, excusable erotic gaze. This film differs from more modern pedophile portrayals, by demonizing the child- not the pedophile. Is this film and it's marketing really an attempt to appeal to some kind of perverse fascination with juvenile sexuality?

Starting out..

I'm thinking about writing my paper on masculinity of pedophiles in current film; I've been screening a bunch of films that deal with the topic (The Woodsman, Little Children, Lolita, American Beauty, Hard Candy) doing some preliminary research- just trying to get a sense of what is out there, which is not much. There are many articles dealing with Kevin Spacey's character in American Beauty but the topic seems generally avoided by scholars. Based on all the films I've been watching (which I admit, my roommate is getting a little concerned that every time we have some down time, I suggest watching a pedophile movie), I'm noticing several overlapping trends; The men are often desexualized. Through their sexual crimes, they have been castrated by society. There is constantly an assumption of the demonetization of sexual predators juxtaposed with an attempt to counter it and understand these men, almost feel empathetic for their struggle with immorality. There is also the positioning of pedophiles as 'others', somehow detached from humanity- a breed of some estranged man-child. The gazing at and with these predators, also poses a problematic position for for viewers. We are inclined to hate them, yes, but the films often make us sympathize. After that, we are subject to their gaze on others, and thus engage in their erotic gaze at children. Working with Mulvey's theory, I want to further explore this gaze, and maybe explore castration anxieties (which come to fruition in several of these films).