FED: Viewing confirms pollies views on Lolita

AAP General News (Australia)
04-01-1999
FED: Viewing confirms pollies views on Lolita

CANBERRA, April 1 AAP - A special Parliament House screening of Lolita has confirmed the
views of coalition MPs that the controversial movie should be banned.

The government backbencher who has led the crusade to have the movie banned, South
Australian Liberal Trish Draper, said seeing the film confirmed her belief its R18 rating was
inappropriate.

"It was very grim and disturbing; the film is very sad, very awful," she said.

"One or two comments were that it was boring, but I would say it was more dreary, similar
to the book, slow moving."

Mrs Draper welcomed news that the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) would
review its classification.

The review would follow the day after the film's April 8 national release, distributor Nix
Co said today in a statement which invited audiences to take advantage of advance screenings
over the Easter weekend.

Mrs Draper said the screening she organised in the parliamentary theatrette was attended by
about 20 or 30 people.

The audience was mostly coalition MPs and senators but also included staffers, she said.

A furore in Labor ranks over parliamentary resources being used for what was intended to be
a private coalition function was defused when opposition sports spokeswoman Senator Kate Lundy
arrived uninvited.

Senator Lundy left before the end to attend a division in the Senate.

New South Wales Liberal Alan Caldman stayed to the end and declared the movie remake of
Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel was awful.

Queensland Liberal Kay Elson said she found the film boring and suggested those thinking of
going to the movie to keep their money.

"The end was violent which is the only thing I wouldn't want my children seeing," she said.

AAP sc/gl

KEYWORD: LOLITA DAYLEAD

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