Lolita

Quilty!

What, what?

Are you Quilty?

No, I'm Spartacus.

Have you come to free the slaves

or something?

Are you Quilty?

Yeah. I'm Quilty, yeah, sure.

Say, what you...

...what you putting your gloves on for?

Your hands cold or something?

Shall we have a little chat before we start?

Before we start?

All righty.

No, no, listen...

...let's have a game, a little lovely game

of Roman Ping-Pong...

...like two civilized senators.

Roman ping...

You're supposed to say, "Roman pong. "

Okay, you serve. I don't mind.

I just don't mind.

Come on.

Bet you didn't know I had that.

Roman Ping-Pong.

Kind of tricky serve to handle, Captain?

Kind of tricky.

One of the champs taught me that.

My motto is:
"Be prepared. "

Say, you Jack Brewster? Are you?

You know who I am.

What's that? That's 3... 3-love.

I'm really winning,

you want to get a rally going there.

You know, I'm not accusing you, Captain,

but it's sort of absurd...

...the way people invade this house,

without even knocking.

...change service. I'll take the serve again,

if you don't mind.

I sort of like to have it up this end,

you know.

They use the telephone.

What's that? That must be...

I'm really winning here. I'm really winning.

I hope I don't get overcome with power.

That's about... 6-1 maybe...

...let's say 6-1, no 6-2,

I'll give you another point...

...6- 2, but I'm still winning.

You really don't remember me, do you?

Did you ever notice how the champs,

different champs, use their bats?

You know, some of them hold them

like this, and everything.

Do you recall a girl...

...called Dolores Haze?

I remember one guy didn't have a hand.

He had a bat instead of a hand.

He was really sort of wacky.

Lolita!

Lolita...

Yeah, yeah, I remember that name all right.

Maybe she made some telephone calls,

who cares?

Hey, you're a sort of bad loser, Captain.

I never found a guy who'd sort of

pull a gun on me when he lost a game.

Didn't anyone ever tell you...

...it's not really who wins,

it's how you play, like the champs.

Listen, I don't think I want

to play anymore. I wanna get a drink.

I'm just dying for a drink.

I'm just dying to have a drinkie.

You're dying anyway, Quilty.

All my friends always put their

smokies out in the drink.

It's so unsanitary.

Quilty, I want you to concentrate.

You're going to die.

Try to understand

what is happening to you.

You are either Australian...

...or a German refugee.

This is a gentile's house.

You'd better run along.

Think of what you did, Quilty,

and think of what is happening to you now.

That's a darling little gun you got there.

That's a darling little thing.

How much a guy like you want

for a darling little gun like that?

Read this.

What's this, the deeds of the ranch?

It's your death sentence.

Read it.

I can't read, mister.

I never did none of that there

book learning, you know.

Read it, Quilty.

"Because you took advantage of a sinner

"Because you took advantage...

"Because you took...

"Because you took advantage

of my disadvantage"

That's a dang...

...blasted, darn good poem you done there.

"When I stood Adam-naked... "

Adam-naked!

You should be ashamed of yourself,

Captain.

"Before a federal law

and all its stinging stars. "

Tarnation! You old horn toad.

That's mighty pretty.

That's a pretty poem.

"Because you took advantage... "

It's getting a bit repetitious, isn't it?

"Because... " Here's another one:

"Because you cheated me

"Because you took her at an age...

- "... when young lads... "

- That's enough!

Say, what you took it away for, mister?

That was getting kind of smutty there.

Do you have any last words

before you die, Quilty?

Listen, Mac...

...you're drunk...

...and I'm a sick man.

This pistol-packing farce is becoming

a sort of nuisance.

Why don't you and I sort of settle this

like two civilized people...

...getting together and settling something?

Instead of... All right, put 'em up.

Do you want to die standing up

or sitting down?

I want to die like a champion.

Right in the boxing glove.

You ought to be more careful

with that thing.

Listen, Captain, why don't you stop

trifling with life and death?

I'm a playwright, you know.

I know all about this sort of tragedy and...

...and comedy and fantasy and everything.

I've got 52 successful...

...scenarios to my credit...

...added to which, my father's a policeman.

You look like a music lover to me.

Why don't you let...

Why don't you let me play you

a little thing I...

...I wrote last week.

Nice sort of opening there.

We could dream up some lyrics maybe.

You and I dream them up together...

...you know, share the profits.

Do you think that'll make the hit parade?

"The moon was blue, and so are you,

and I tonight...

"... she's mine, yours...

"... she's yours tonight...

"... and the moon is... "

Gee, that hurt me, that...

You really hurt me.

If you're trying to scare me,

you did a pretty swell job already.

My leg'll be black and blue tomorrow.

You know this house is roomy and cool.

You see how cool it is.

I intend on moving to England

or Florence forever.

You can move in.

I've got some nice friends

who could come and keep you company.

You could use them as pieces of furniture.

There's one guy who looks

just like a bookcase.

I could fix for you to attend executions.

How would you like that?

Just you there, and nobody else,

just watching, watch.

Do you like watching, Captain?

Because not many people know...

...that the chair is painted yellow.

You'd be the only guy in the know.

Imagine! Your friends,

you could tell them...

That hurt!

Having recently arrived in America...

...where so many Europeans have found

a haven before...

...I decided to spend a peaceful summer...

...in the attractive resort town

of Ramsdale, New Hampshire.

Some English translations I had made

of French poetry...

...had enjoyed some success

and I had been appointed...

...to a lectureship at Beardsley College,

Ohio, in the fall.

Friends had given me several addresses

in Ramsdale...

...where lodgings were available

for the summer.

Mr. Hofsteader said that

you're going to be staying all summer.

Well, that was only a tentative plan.

Monsieur, if what you're needing

is peace and quiet...

...I can assure you, you couldn't get

more peace anywhere.

Yes, it is very...

It's very peaceful.

Now, this would be your room.

It's what you might call a studio,

well, you know, a semi-studio affair.

It's very male...

...and quiet.

We're really very fortunate

here in West Ramsdale.

Culturally, we're a very advanced group...

...with lots of good Anglo-Dutch

and Anglo-Scotch stock...

...and we're very progressive intellectually.

That is immediately apparent.

I do hope you'll want to address our club.

There's a nice view from this window...

...of the front lawn.

A good place for you to do your writing...

- Shelves for your books.

- That's very nice, yes.

I am chairman of

the Great Books Committee.

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