When discussing Lolita, the word disturbing comes to mind. However, the movie is not disturbing to me in the way that it is for most people. Stepping back from the film and taking a look at the plot, one finds that this is nothing more than a story of unrequited love. It's when people look at the age difference between the characters that they become disturbed. Not so in this case. I was indeed disturbed by this film. How could anyone not be? However, what disturbed me was the utter helplessness of Humbert when in the presence of Lolita.
When Humbert first meets Lo, she is lying in the grass under a sprinkler. Her wet clothes cling to her body and you almost get the sense that she is really much older than she is. The great thing about this scene is the camera travels up and down Lo's body as if she's some centerfold only to end on her face where she smiles revealing a retainer. From the very beginning, the viewer sees the transitional phase this girl is experiencing.
Lolita's sexuality is played up in the film in several ways. Short dresses and shorts show off long legs. Two-piece outfits bare a flat stomach and shapely shoulders. But what I noticed most of all was her bare feet. Her toes are always painted bright red, a color of passion. She also seems to use her feet a lot to test Humbert's interest in her. When she delivers the breakfast, Lo deliberately steps on Humbert's foot and then tests his loyalty by saying, "don't tell mom, I ate your bacon." Later, Lolita is seen using her feet to push Humbert around, essentially in the direction she wants him to go in.
From the beginning of the film, the viewer gets the sense that Humbert is a very dependant person. The book talks about his father owning a luxurious hotel and all the lady-friends that cooed over and petted the young boy. Then young Humbert loses his first love in a very tragic way. Then, many years later he meets Lo, a young girl very similar in age and appearance to Humbert's first love.