STANLEY KUBRICK

Yes, I'll be going on about Kubrick for a while now. My complete and utter disenchantment with the modern film industry has had me return to the work of this man, if only to remind me why I loved cinema so much.

Ah, but where to begin? It has been said of rock critic Lester Bangs that his reviews were quite uninteresting when he dealt with artists he admired and respected. His true talent, it seems, lay in lambasting artists and albums he didn't like. Like everything else, it has shades of truth but doesn't really tell the whole story. I too am in a difficult position for it would be quite easy for me to label each and every one of his films with adjectives like "genius", "fantastic", "masterpiece" etc. Yet it would make for a boring read (not to mention writing this stuff).

For me, Kubrick is the ultimate film director. His films are a complete cinematic experience in and of themselves combining acting, sound, cinematography and editing that reads as an exhaustive movie-making course. Kubrick took everything that was good about his predecessors from the golden age of Hollywood and improved on their expertise in a completely new and even more impressive set-up. And, like the best of them, he did this while keeping an eye on commercial success. For Kubrick, having large numbers of people turning up in movie theaters was the only way he could maintain his independence and make the films he wanted to make.  In that respect he is the one of the most successful independent movie directors of all time.

Of course, others like Coppola, Scorsese and Lucas also started out as independents yet their most successful and rewarding movie projects were vicious, protracted battles against the studios who paid for their extravagances (If you don't believe me, watch The Godfather with Coppola's comments on, it's just one long bitch-fest). No so with Kubrick who enjoyed an healthy and productive relationship with his employers. Something Robert Rodriguez certainly kept in mind.

Before we tackle the films themselves, I think it's important we take a look at some of the most useful tomes written about the man. This is by no means a complete list, only that of works I have actually read.

Michel Ciment: Kubrick: The Definitive Edition. This beautiful coffee-table book was first published in 1983. It was reedited several times until the final 2001 edition including material on Kubrick's last two pictures (Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut). Ciment discusses the director's most important films and offers several interviews with Kubrick and some of his main collaborators, accompanied with a wide selection of pictures. Perfect starting block for the Kubrick amateur.

Thomas Allen Nelson: Kubrick, Inside a Film Artist' Maze. In my opinion, the definitive book about Kubrick's work. Originally published in 1982, it has been expanded in 2000 to include chapters on FMJ and EWS. Nelson's opus offers a comprehensive analysis of Kubrick's films, as almost every frame Kubrick shot is given a thorough examination. Note, however, that this is not a book for beginners. It is quite academic in tone (though not without a sense of humor) and makes for a sometimes arduous read. Nevertheless efforts on the reader's part are more than adequately rewarded. I haven't read the new edition, but it's certainly on my shopping list.

John Baxter: Stanley Kubrick: A Biography. Kubrick's life was pretty straightforward when you think about it. His is not the life of a dissolute rock star/movie star/star star full of twists and turns, lucky breaks and reversals of fortune. Baster's book shows a deep and profound respect for its subjects whilst not shying away from revealing the madness behind the methods. While it is full of tasty anecdotes, it does not work as a general debunking of the man and myth. Like many a great artist, what Kubrick thought about life can be found in his films.

Gene Daniel Phillips & Rodney Hill: The Encyclopedia of Stanley Kubrick. Ever wondered who John Alcott was, or James B. Harris, or what director Kubrick replaced on Spartacus? This is the book for you. While not exhaustive, this nifty little tome is a grab-bag list of every major Kubrick collaborators, film sources, film techniques and critical reception of his work. It's basically a very useful reference book for everything and everyone the director met in his long life. Also includes profiles on his films as well.

Frederic Raphael: Eyes Wide Open: A Memoir of Stanley Kubrick. Ever wanted to know how working with Kubrick would be like? Frederic Raphael was Kubrick's co-scriptwriter on his last picture Eyes Wide Shut, here Raphael exposes the rewarding yet tortuous relationship he entertained with the director while writing his very last opus. An exciting read for anybody looking for a bird's eye view on Kubrick's genius and working methods. Essential.

Michel Chion: L'humain, ni plus ni moins. Kubrick have always been accused on being a "cold" filmmaker and is often denounced for his overly cynical and detached views on humanity. Here, composer and author Michel Chion offers a counterbalanced point of view on the author of A Clockwork Orange, Chion vierws Kubrick's work as far more humanistic than previously thought. Note, however, that Chion is not above slaughtering sacred cows and often offers a very different point of view from previous reviewers. Available only in French.

OK, now that we've dispensed with the academia, next time we'll take a look at one of his films....why not The Shining (winter is coming after all).