The exploitation of Sue Lyon: Lolita (1962), archival research, and questions for film history

Abstract

This article examines the overlooked history of Sue Lyon and her experiences as a child film star. Lyon was fourteen years old when she was cast in the role of Dolores Haze in Lolita (1962) by James B. Harris and Stanley Kubrick. The article considers how critical feminist archival methods can be used to analyse documents in the Stanley Kubrick Archive (SKA) to uncover the conditions of production in which Lyon found herself. In the few instances that Lyon spoke out in the later stages of her life, she cited her involvement in Lolita as having had a detrimental impact on her mental health. More recently, there have been allegations of a sexual relationship between the film’s producer—Harris—and Lyon during the production. The article considers the ways in which a critical feminist approach to the use of the SKA can be used to uncover the experiences of Lyon during the film’s production and can reframe understanding of the conditions of production in Hollywood that led to the sexualisation and exploitation of a child star.