Vladimir Nabokov

NABOKV-L post 0000654, Fri, 28 Jul 1995 14:28:27 -0700

Subject
Re: New Film version of Lolita (fwd)
Date
Body
EDITOR'S NOTE: NABOKV-L resumes its service following a holiday break
from 18-28 July. I shall be forwarding a small backlog and answering mail
that came in in the interval. Meanwhile, I pass on a couple of comments
made in response my note of July 15 which is reproduced below.
DBJ
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 1995 23:36:08 GMT
From: Roy Johnson <Roy@mantex.demon.co.uk>

In your message dated Saturday 15, July 1995 you wrote :

> A Lolita for the 90s
>
> There is a big story in the _LA Times_ of July 14th (Calendar section, pp.
> F1 & F14) on the new LOLITA film and Dominique Swain, the Malibu Hi
> sophomore-to-be whom Lyne has picked for the new Lo. Lots of interesting
> stuff, but the real gem is that Lyne wants Dominique to keep her retainer
> in: "It adds a certain charm, particularly when she clicks them at Humbert
> to annoy him."
>
Please could we have an explanation of the term "retainer" for
non-US readers. This item appeared in the UK press over the
weekend, and the only possible connexion I could read between
the two items was that Ms Swain is so young she still has
what in England is called a "brace" on her teeth - that is,
metal banding which prevents dental eccentricities

I think we should be told.

--
Roy Johnson | Roy@mantex.demon.co.uk
PO Box 100 | Tel +44 0161 432 5811
Manchester 20 | Fax +44 0161 443 2766
---------------------------------------------
EDITOR'S RESPONSE.
Roy Johnson is not the only Nabokovian to express his disquiet
over the "retainer" issue. Clarence Brown writes me that "Anyone who
would mention a young girl's retainer is capable of anything." My
dictionary defines a "retainer' as "a part on a bridge or the like by
which the bridge is attached to natural teeth," or "a fee paid to secure
the services as of a lawyer." Is there perhaps a dentist among NABOKV-L
subscribers that could put this sensitive matter to rest? Clare Quilty's
uncle?