The Stanley Kubrick Archives

Book Description

Stanley Kubrick The first book to explore Stanley Kubrick's archives is also the most comprehensive study of the filmmaker to date

Part 1: The films
In 1968, when Stanley Kubrick was asked to comment on the metaphysical significance of 2001: A Space Odyssey, he replied: "It's not a message I ever intended to convey in words. 2001 is a nonverbal experience…. I tried to create a visual experience, one that bypasses verbalized pigeonholing and directly penetrates the subconscious with an emotional and philosophic content." The philosophy behind Part I borrows from this line of thinking: from the opening sequence of Killer's Kiss to the final frames of Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick's complete films will be presented chronologically and wordlessly via frame enlargements. A completely nonverbal experience.

Part 2: The Creative Process
Divided into chapters chronologically by film, Part 2 brings to life the creative process of Kubrick's filmmaking by presenting a remarkable collection of material from his archives, including photographs, props, posters, artwork, set designs, sketches, correspondence, documents, screenplays, drafts, notes, and shooting schedules. Accompanying the visual material are essays by noted Kubrick scholars, articles written by and about Kubrick, and a selection of Kubrick's best interviews.

Customer Reviews:

Whoa!.......2007-09-16

Lucky me! I scored a copy of this and I have to say it is the best book on an artist I've ever seen. The previous reviewers weren't kidding--this thing is huge! Too large and heavy to be read anywhere but on a large flat surface, but that's not a complaint, unless you're lugging it across an airport like I did.

A spectacular book that you'll refer to repeatedly. I pored over it for hours. The first half is devoted to an incredible array of pristine stills from each film. The second half is focused on every film with a plethora of on-set photos and interviews with cast & crew. The book is helpfully tabbed by film.

A stunning look into one of the greatest of all filmmakers. So well designed that my friends were awed by its beauty. And that 70MM film strip--holy cow! IMHO, it's worth the price for just for that.

Do you like perfection???.......2007-08-12

One of the most beautifully produced books I have ever seen!!! Worth every cent. This is the kind of book you set aside in a special place, so you can revisit it and continually discover something new. Five stars is not enough. An essential addtion for anyone who is interested in the work of Stanley Kubrick!!!
PERFECT!!!

Genius.......2007-06-01

The book is definetely a work of art. Congrats, Taschen, for such a well done job. You will find photos, storyboards, interviews, texts, articles and sorts of wonders from the Stanley Kubrick universe. The strip from a 90mm copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey is a delightful gift for appreciators of his masterpiece.

Absolutely worth-having.

Beautiful luxury item.........2007-05-17

As others have mentioned, this is a tremendously well put together book, with the tab system making it easy to get to the sections on the particular film you've just seen or are interested in. The essays, for the most part, are well written and engaging, and do a good job of enhancing the movies and giving you a context for the circumstances under which the movies are made. I've been using the book while watching each of one of Kubrick's movies, and it's a great way to get more out of each.

The size of the book is impressive from a collector's perspective but frustrating from an reader's - you do really have to read the book in a particular position, otherwise you may damage it. That said, the size of the book does enhance the tome's first half, featuring shots from the movies themselves. This might seem a bit dull, but for Kubrick, who actually grew up a photographer, it's well worth the time to flip through and marvel at the compositions.

Finally, I had wondered before buying the book if it was still in its first run with the filmstrip - as of May 2007, it is. I recommend sending a question to Amazon to ask - they quickly got back to me to let me know that the book I was buying did have the film strip.

Of course, the book is a bit pricey, so you certainly do need to be a devoted Kubrick follower to make it worth it. There are a number of other quality books with similar essays to the ones you'll find here, but the whole package - filmstrip, largeness of the book, screen shots, and the essays - combine to make the overall item something very special, and well worth it for those who can't get enough of Stanley.

LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK.......2007-03-28

The other reviews of this remarkable book have more or less summed up what I would say so I've approached it from another angle: I've uploaded eight photos to give you an idea of what this highly visual (and costly) book looks like. Amazon doesn't display images numerically so you'll have to see them at random. Click 'customer images' under the cover.

If you are buying a used first-run copy do check with the seller that Mr Kubrick's film strip is in its sleeve and the CD is also included, photo one shows them in position. Some reviewers have rightly said that owning a bit of '2001' from Kubrick's personal collection gives the book extra kudos.

Photo two will give you an idea of how the book is organised. There are two sections, each with a series of colored tabs. His twelve movies have a tab each and in the first section there are eight hundred stills, black and white and color depending on the film. Photos three, four and five are some of the spreads from Dr Strangelove. The second part of the book covers each movie in detail with an amazing collection of visual material to back up the text. Photos six, seven and eight show some pages about the background and production of Dr Strangelove.

The back of the book has a fifty page Appendix A, B and C. A covers three unmade movies: Napoleon, AI and Aryan Papers. B has three essays. C is a chronology of Kubrick's life.

This is a BIG book, opening to thirty-three inches wide and at over fourteen pounds in weight it really can only be read on a table. Needless to say being a Taschen book it is beautifully designed and printed and if you do buy a copy the Kubrick experience will be quite overwhelming and long lasting.

The Encyclopedia of Stanley Kubrick (Library of Great Filmmakers)

Average customer rating:

For the Kubrick fan
Well, why not?

The Encyclopedia of Stanley Kubrick (Library of Great Filmmakers)
Rodney Hill , and Gene D. Phillips
Manufacturer: Facts on File
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0816043884

Customer Reviews:

For the Kubrick fan.......2003-08-22

This is a book of Kubrick facts and trivia, arranged in easy-reference format. The authors are opinionated about their subject, which is good --- they clearly love writing about these movies and everything that went into them. For the non-fan, this book could be tedious. Entries on actors veer off into complete discussions of the Kubrick movie in which they starred, minor details are repeated, and a few entries seem to be too technical or industry-based to be worth mentioning.

(For example, Kubrick says that at the end of Lolita, Humbert realizes that he loves her --- he's not just feeling lust for her. Kubrick calls this the most poignant moment in the story. This particular quote is repeated in the book at least five times.)

If you've read every other book about Kubrick, get this one. If not, read the books by Ciment, Walker, Herr, LoBrutto, and Baxter first.

Well, why not?.......2003-06-20

Bronx-born Stanley Kubrick spent much of his professional life in England where he made some of the most controversial and original films ever to grace the silver screen. This uneven but fascinating book is in a sense a tribute to the man and his work. This is not the first encyclopedic treatment of a top movie director published by Facts on File--they have also done Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles. Perhaps this format--an "encyclopedia"--will catch on. At any rate, it is fun to leaf through randomly or perhaps one could actually proceed alphabetically.

The entries of course all have some connection with Kubrick. Included are actors who played in his movies, and people related to him and his friends and other people he worked with. There are also entries on movie business phenomena like "antiwar themes" and "censorship." There is an interesting entry on Steven Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence (2001) in which I learned that the original conception came from Kubrick. There are a number of black and white photos spread throughout the text and some line drawings, mostly of Kubrick and the actors who played in his films. Often the photos are stills from the movies. It is interesting to see Kubrick at various stages of his career and how time changed his appearance. My favorite photo is of George C. Scott and Stanley Kubrick playing chess on the set of Dr. Strangelove underneath the "War Room" mock up. By the way, Scott is reported to have gained respect for the younger Kubrick when Kubrick beat him at chess.

There is rather a lot of repetition in the entries, some of it unavoidable of course because entries overlap in content. However the entry for Sue Lyon, for example, who was Kubrick's Lolita, contains a summary of the plot of Lolita to the exclusion of the rather sparse information about Lyon. Also the editing and proofreading of the entries is not first rate. The text was begun by Rodney Hill and then taken up by Gene D. Phillips, which may account for some of the avoidable repetition. Some of the entries were written by John C. Tibbetts and others tagged with initials and identified as "Contributors" near the back of the book.

Clearly the strength of the book is in the light it sheds on Stanley Kubrick and his life in film. The detail is fascinating and the writing, in spite of the repetitions, is engaging. There are nice pieces on George C. Scott, James Mason, Peter Sellers, Malcolm McDowell, Nicole Kidman, Shelley Winters, Arthur C. Clarke, etc. as well as essays on all of Kubrick movies. Included are behind the scenes information about what went on during the shooting of the films, how the films were conceived and how they progressed. I was intrigued to learn that Kubrick was able to get a fine performance from the otherwise undistinguished Sue Lyon partly because he sometimes allowed her to use her own vernacular instead of words from the script. Also interesting was the difficulties that Shelley Winters experienced (from her viewpoint!) in working with James Mason and Peter Sellers in Lolita (1962). The relationship between Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, who wrote the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey and worked with Kubrick on the screenplay for the film, is interesting to follow. One realizes again that at the base of Kubrick's film creations is an abiding interest in science and human psychology.

Bottom line: an irresistible companion to the films of Stanley Kubrick, one of cinema's greatest directors and one of my personal favorites.

Stanley Kubrick: A Biography
Average customer rating:

A filmography more than a biography

Forensic Biography

Excellent Introduction to Kubrick, but written before Eyes Wide Shut and his death.

Light & Smoke & Mirrors

How to write a book about a filmmaker

Stanley Kubrick: A Biography
Vincent Lobrutto
Manufacturer: Da Capo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0306809060

Amazon.com

In 1962, an MGM trailer teased its audience by asking "How Did They Ever Make a Movie Out of Lolita?" Readers of this book, which recounts the life of Lolita's director, might ask, "How Did They Ever Write a Biography of Stanley Kubrick?" Kubrick is the most reclusive of celebrities, a man who seems mysterious even to those who have known and worked with him. Vincent Lobrutto's engrossing and beautifully researched biography succeeds in tracing this meticulous and brilliant visionary from his childhood and early career as a photographer for Look magazine to his creation of masterpieces such as Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and Full Metal Jacket. Lobrutto concludes his book by discussing projects that have not yet been realized: Eyes Wide Shut, a film about sexual obsession, the Holocaust drama Aryan Papers, and the most eagerly awaited of Kubrick's prospective movies, the science fiction film A. I.

Customer Reviews:

A filmography more than a biography.......2007-03-16

Published in 1999, prior to the release of "Eyes Wide Shut" and the death of his subject, Stanley Kubrick, Vincent LoBrutto's biography arrived, however unfairly, at the wrong time. Since Kubrick did not grant LoBrutto the kind of access a strong biography needs, he had to do the nasty gruntwork that makes biographical writing, particularly of the deceased, such a demanding, but ultimately rewarding adventure. We can only speculate, but now that Kubrick has been dead for nearly eight years, that perhaps Christiane Kubrick and their daughters would grant access into the secretive, obsessive world that made Kubrick such a mythic filmmaking figure.

Instead, we have a text that owes to LoBrutto's extensive knowledge of cinema more than it does to the insight of Stanley Kubrick. The book starts off poorly, reading like a catalog of events and dates, lacking any real musical sensibility for his use of the English language. LoBrutto hits his stride when describing the making of Kubrick's breakthrough film "The Killing." From there, LoBrutto's research into the depths of Kubrick's approach to filmmaking is rewarding. We learn about Kubrick's use of specific movie cameras, lenses, his approach to scoring films, "needle-dropping," his approach to lighting and his encyclopedic absorption of the subject matter pertaining to the films he made.

However, as a "biography," a study in human character, LoBrutto's book is thin. We learn little about Kubrick's attitudes towards his Jewish heritage. His first two marriages are passed over without any real depth. His obsessive nature and the creation of his own closed-off world, akin a filmmaker's Xanadu, are provided little to no psychological depth or inquiry. Kubrick comes across in LoBrutto's text as a reserved, calm guy who really didn't antagonize anybody. This overly consistent portrayal of his subject leads me to believe that, since Kubrick was still living at the time the author was writing this book, that LoBrutto was fearful of getting sued or blacklisted if he wrote anything too critical of the director. For these reasons, the book does not receive my overwhelming recommendation. But for aspiring directors, this books is a marvel, providing wonderful glimpses into the habits, approaches and skillsets of America's greatest film director.

Forensic Biography.......2007-01-04

Even though, as others have correctly observed below, this biography was written some time before Stanley Kubrick's death, Lobrutto is about as well equipped to write definitively about this one-of-a-kind filmmaker as anyone would be.

Kubrick died just after completing "Eyes Wide Shut," and those who were critically unkind to that effort would conclude that he'd about run out of steam.

It's understandable. The more we learn about Kubrick's personal life here, the less we understand his art. He was and remained an extremely private and elusive man, and simply pursued his various compulsions as they occasioned. The results are what we see on the screen, of course.

Lobrutto's a good writer; you'll enjoy the effort a great deal.

Excellent Introduction to Kubrick, but written before Eyes Wide Shut and his death........2005-10-11

I got this book in 1998 to read a bit about the man before he was to pass away a few years later. For this reason the book is probably a bit dated now and does not cover his Eyes Wide Shut production. However in terms of insight I remember this is a great guide for introducing us into the life and times of the man. It covers his youth and upbringing and how he got into the film making scene. There are many references to Kirk Douglas and film financing, including Kubrick's interaction with Hollywood. In terms of a historical reference, this book was very interesting and I would recommend it in terms of being able to give us an account of the ins and outs of this man's life. The photograph section is quite well detailed with lots of early stuff. However the one downside to the book is that it never touches on Kubrick's motives. Anyway Kubrick was an illusive character. I have seen maybe two very small 1 minute interviews with the man in my life. If you are looking for insider information then you may want to read something like, Eyes Wide Open : A Memoir of Stanley Kubrick (Paperback)
by Frederic Raphael, although this book was denounced by Kubrick's family, and to be taken with a pinch of salt, it is still interesting none the less.

Light & Smoke & Mirrors.......2004-06-11

This was the first full biography of Stanley Kubrick I read, buying it in hardback as soon as it was published. There had been very little biographical info on the director until his death in 1999 and I think I read most of the books about his films up to that point.
I was disappointed with this bio. It got to the point where the last sentence in every third paragraph read, "And there was only one man for that job, and that man was Stanley Kubrick."

I found John Baxter's bio, also called STANLEY KUBRICK, much more entertaining and enlightening.
If you've seen Kubrick's daughter's short film, "The Making of THE SHINING," on THE SHINING DVD, you get a glimpse of the rewriting frenzies that went on--a genuine shock to me since Kubrick's films appeared so tight and controlled ("We make it up as we go," Jack Nicholson jokes as a Kubrick assistant literally cringes), a look at the director's temper when a scene doesn't go right, and the scenes featuring his disregard for Shelley Duvall border on cruelty.
All of this is more than you'll find in LoBrutto's biography.

How to write a book about a filmmaker.......2003-06-09

If you want to know about Stanley Kubrick, outside of viewing his films, this is THE book !

This book fills in the blanks, about this enigmatic filmmaker, with a very concise, pre-history, to his notariety as director of such films as "Paths of Glory" and "Dr. Strangelove".

It is from these "roots", that his story REALLY begins !

Be patient to get to those "famous" years, for it is this story, that explains, the "how" and "why" he is regarded so highly.

Stanley Kubrick: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series)
Average customer rating:

One Awesome Book!

The "Seinfeld" of Celebrity Interview Books

Great source for Kubrick fans, but repetitive

Excellent

Vital to anyone's Kubrick library

Stanley Kubrick: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series)
Stanley Kubrick , and Gene D. Phillips
Manufacturer: University Press of Mississippi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1578062977

Customer Reviews:

One Awesome Book!.......2006-04-06

For fans of Kubrick's work, this book is essential. The man only did a few interviews in his existence and semed to despise every minute of them but this book provides some essential information and opinion from one of the greatest filmmakers ever. Hearing his philosophies alone completely blew me away! By the end of the book I was wishing there were more interviews. Get it.

The "Seinfeld" of Celebrity Interview Books.......2005-10-17

You've heard many times that "Seinfeld" was "a show about nothing." That's pretty much what you get here...

Kubrick loathed publicity and hated doing interviews even more. Since he himself had been a photojournalist, of sorts, before starting his career making movies, this is a little paradoxical, but understandable.

I don't doubt that just about every documented Kubrick interview ever done is, in some way, represented in this book - but it still ends up a mighty slim volume. Students of Kubrick will not learn much here that has not already been cited, in secondary source, in the great number of other Kubrick "biographies" and critical treatises.

And you cannot help believing that this is exactly what Kubrick wanted. Over and over again, in this book itself, he insists that the movies he made were to stand on their own merits. Talking about movies meant nothing to him - making them was everything.

Great source for Kubrick fans, but repetitive.......2005-03-09

There is a huge amount of Kubrick in this one. Parhaps the most complete collection of things he has uttered to the press throughout his career. It covers all his fascinations, all obsessions and great visions for the modern mankind - and it unveils the gradual loss of hope, dienchantement with how the modern world develops.
But, being a collection of interviews, it is also slightly repetitive and many topics are discussed several times, so for non-scholars this can be increasingly boring while they advance.

Excellent.......2002-09-20

In Stanley Kubrick: Interviews (University Press of Mississippi), we have more of the voice of Kubrick than anywhere else. The interviews go chronologically and run the gamut from short three-page profile throwaways to massive, 30-page question-and-answer marathons. Many are worth noting: Jeremy Bernstein's profile dates from 1966 but is still fresh and amazingly well-written and candid, and Eric Nordern's interview with Kubrick for Playboy is insightful and worth reading for the Master's (mostly incorrect) predictions of immortality and space travel by the year 2001. Another excellent interview comes from Joseph Glemis, who talks to Kubrick about all of his films up to Clockwork Orange, and there are two interviews with Gene Siskel that are worth reading, too.

Simply put, this is a fine volume that should belong to every Kubrick fan. Most of these interviews, if not all of them, are long out of print and the book is 98% worthwhile. Moreover, reading the words of Kubrick is like reading poetry-he did retain the right to extrapolate and modify his answers before any interview was published-with each sentence and word well chosen. Only complaint: there are no interviews with Kubrick regarding The Shining; why this film was left out is curious. Gorgeously printed with a spartan design, sturdily bound, set in Stone serif, rag right, this is a very reader-friendly book.

Vital to anyone's Kubrick library.......2001-07-24

Considering the fact that Stanley Kubrick rarely gave interviews, this book is a godsend. Compiling articles and interviews over a span of several decades, "Stanley Kubrick: Interviews" offers a fascinating insight into one of the cinema's greatest directors. Many of these have been widely reprinted already, but it's great to see them all in one collection. Once you've bought this book ...get the Stanley Kubrick Collection DVD box set!

Average customer rating:

Like the movie, great production values
Do You Like The Future?
A behind the scenes once removed
A must -have book for 2001 fans
Highly recommended!

2001: Filming the Future
Piers Bizony
Manufacturer: Aurum Press, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1854107062

Customer Reviews:

Like the movie, great production values.......2006-08-10

Its large format, crisp color reproduction, and amazing depth of detail make this one of the best 2001 books available. In fact, I had to own just one, this would be it.

In this age of computer generated imagery, it's fascinating to read in detail how 2001 pulled off its brilliant and never-dated space visuals with entirely manual processes. Seeing the incredibly huge and complex film sets, the detailed models and animations, and innovative camera techniques used give me a new appreciation for the magnitude of the film's greatness.

What is largely missing from this book is insight into Kubrick's source ideas and meaning for 2001. It's probably too much to ask for that in addition to the books fantastic production story.

Do You Like The Future?.......2005-10-09

This brilliant book's visuals alone make it worth adding to your collection of film books. Of course, Kubrick fans need it the most.

But what the book also speaks to, beyond Kubrick's compulsive fascination with technical accuracy in film, is how the effort in making this movie addressed our ambitions and fascinations in the 1960s. In a time where old social conventions were breaking down, right and left, 2001 spoke to a new optimism created by space exploration and its seemingly limitless potential.

"Capturing the imagination." Good movies achieve that goal, don't they? In this case, a fanatical dedication to research, and to placing on film the most accurate and, in a weird way, understated views of a human future in space, creating something really new in moviegoing experience.

In its time, that effort became quickly subsumed by two divergent audiences: people who wanted to enhance their drug experiences with visuals, and people who wanted to be in space. Of course, these audiences made the movie very, very successful.

Today, we have left this movie's technical accomplishments in the dust. We can depict space travel and its related phenomena (like weightlessness) in a relatively effortless way. Film special effects pour out, today, in ways not imagined in 1967. You could read this book as a quaint history tract in movemaking technics.

I read it beyond that, though. It spoke to the excitement and optimism with which many of us viewed our future. We ate this stuff up; we could sit through two reels of a spacecraft docking and think the time just flew by...

How do we feel about the future today? It is now highly unfashiomable to label yourself a "futurist" any more. It seems our future is all behind us now.

Thank God these things run in predictable cycles. Collective optimism about our future in space is just around the corner. I hope I live long enough to see and enjoy it...

A behind the scenes once removed.......2005-09-01

I found Piers Bizony's book fascinating and I'm continually amazed at the work this film achieved for its day (and today in many respects). It defined the genre. It's filled with great stills, diagrams, and behind-the-scenes photography of the filmmaking process.

However, if you're looking for a book that gives you an inside peek on the filmmaker and his decision making process for the story (or authentic insight on the story itself), you'll be disappointed. 2001 is a complex storyline with metaphore upon metaphore and the Bizony never seems to achieve a 'true' account by Kubrick on the film's meaning. It's more guessing, speculation, and hypothesis that add to the voices weighing in regarding this important film. I suppose in some respects, it adds the mystery and weight of story... and will remain that way with the passing of Kubrick in 2000.

A must -have book for 2001 fans.......2005-08-02

A terrific book, full of spectacular photos and diagrams,
and including an entertaining and informative text. First class!

Highly recommended! .......2005-07-13

Very few movies of the late twentieth century stand up to the test of time in the way of 2001: A Space Odyssey. This book tells the inside story of how this ground breaking film was made, and how it changed the outlook of a generation.

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Spartacus: Film and History

Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Stanley Kubrick 's epic film Spartacus has enjoyed iconic status in cinema history and strongly influenced modern perspectives on ancient Rome. This book examines the film from different historical, political, and cinematic perspectives. The chief ancient sources on the slave revolt led by Spartacus are included in translation. Contributors explore the film 's representation of history, the political climate at the time of its making, the history of its production, censorship, and restoration, its place in film history, and its enduring appeal. For the first time, the book offers suggestions for a new version of the film that comes even closer to the filmmakers ' original intent than the restoration currently available.

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Well Observed and Honest
short but articulate. Mike Herr gets it
A sketch of Kubrick's personality, nothing more
A nice companion to the life of Kubrick
A glimpse of genius

Kubrick
Michael Herr
Manufacturer: Grove Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0802116701

Book Description

From the apocalyptic satire of Dr. Strangelove, to the epic vision of 2001, to the dystopian nightmare of A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick produced a wide-ranging body of work cherished by film lovers the world over. The critical controversy surrounding his highly anticipated final picture, Eyes Wide Shut, has confirmed his stature as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. In Kubrick, author and screenwriter Michael Herr gives us a personal look at the allegedly reclusive, compulsively brilliant director. He also recounts the evolution of their unique friendship, from their first meeting at a screening for The Shining in 1980, to their collaboration on the screenplay for Full Metal Jacket, through their years of marathon phone conversations on topics ranging from film and technology to philosophy and literature -- the last of which occurred mere days before the director's death. In describing Kubrick, Herr strips away the myths surrounding his friend, revealing a man who was not introverted and misanthropic (as the media and his biographers claimed), but instead warm, gregarious, and endlessly inquisitive. He was also profoundly complicated. Though he loved America -- and even embraced such pop culture touchstones as professional football and TV sitcoms -- he permanently emigrated to England because of his distrust of Hollywood. Though he disdained elitism, he would allow only the most brilliant and talented inside his inner circle. He had a tremendous love and respect for the actors and screenwriters he worked with, but his style of filmmaking often led to bitter confrontations. Filled with personal insights and previously untold anecdotes, Michael Herr's Kubrick is a probing view into the inner life of one of the most provocative visionaries of modern cinema, a man whose creative passion and powerful intellect changed the art of filmmaking forever.

Customer Reviews:

Well Observed and Honest.......2006-03-03

It is hard to say what people expect of any book about Stanley Kubrick, much less a memoir. The film genius was eccentric and monkish -- perhaps necessarily so to be able to accomplish his exhaustively meditated film products, delivered with an attention to detail and nuance that would make most men insane. Then if you got close enough to respect what was really at work with the guy, people accuse you of worship. Herr's book-length essay has received such unfair treatment.

The little book is well-observed and candid. You get Kubrick in dashes and glimpses, but when you get him you're there. Herr has appreciation both for the pressures and realities of the film industry, and the necessary space Kubrick needed to survive in it. Truth be told, doubtless very few people ever got close to the elusive but essentially cordial directer. Eccentricity is not the same thing as lunacy and Herr makes that clear, and stands up for a world in which geniuses have the space they need to do their work and, yes, occasionally fail as all men do. While terse, when Herr hits he hits deeply, and his record of his encounter is not one that can be easily forgotten.

short but articulate. Mike Herr gets it .......2006-01-01

Michael Herr writes so good but too short. however i give this one 5 stars just because i never would have read about Kubrick if not for michael herr. this book might get you interested in a brilliant film maker as well as his films.

A sketch of Kubrick's personality, nothing more.......2005-03-09

Most books on Kubrick analyse his movies, rather than recount how he was. Michael Herr seemingly knew Kubrick well, so those who seek some traits of personality of the great filmmaker should be satisfied. But don't expect much. Herr mostly talked to Kubrick on the phone (or, rather - Kubrick talked to Herr).
There are a few anecdotes, a kew quotations, and that's it.

A nice companion to the life of Kubrick.......2004-03-04

This book should be used as a companion while studying Kubrick, as Herr discusses Kubrick as a man and a friend rather than going into Stanley's films in depth. The book is well written, flows easily, and brings the legendary director to life.

A glimpse of genius.......2002-04-12

Michael Herr wrote this book to restore some balance to the discussions of Stanley Kubrick after his death -- as Herr notes, "The strangely contentious and extremely disrespectful tone that lurked inside so many of the obituaries and tributes was unpleasant to the many people who loved Stanley, but not surprising." The reviews of Kubrick's final, and probably unfinished, film Eyes Wide Shut didn't help -- with a few exceptions, the critics seemed happy to use the film to confirm all of their preconceived notions of Kubrick's life and art.

Herr's book offers a pleasant defense of his friend, as well as some interesting and amusing anecdotes, but little more than that. Personally, I'd hoped he would reveal more about how he and Kubrick worked on Full Metal Jacket, but the film is seldom talked about directly, though it is often mentioned, tantalizingly, in passing. Ultimately, the book is little more than a long magazine article put into hardcover; it's nice to have, and would make a fine gift for a Kubrick fan, but it's definitely not a "must-have" book.

Stanley Kubrick: A Biography
Average customer rating:

Enigma

A Suetonian Biography!

Enjoyable read for non-expert movie lovers.

A look at the man, not the movies

Readable, enjoyable--not terribly deep

Stanley Kubrick: A Biography
John Baxter
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

Enigma.......2004-06-28

Stanley Kubrick was an enigma of a man. Because of the secrecy that shrouded his life, there is much that fans of his work may never know. John Baxter's work is gives insight mostly into Kubrick's films and their creation.

Baxter's first two chapters seem irrelevant and tedious in the scope of the book. They only serve to allow Baxter to praise Kubrick's work. After these chapters, we are introduced to Stanley's growth and development in films. Kubrick's early films which he thought were bad in hindsight, show his growth and experimentation. Going through his other films, I found the chapters which discussed "A Clockwork Orange" and "2001" to be the best presented. This is adventageous because these are his best loved films.

I believe that it was merciful for "Eyes Wide Shut" to be given so little coverage since Kubrick never truly was able to put his final stamp on the film. He tinkered with work often up until days before its release. Aside from his horrid choice of actors, his death left this work unfinished.

Kubrick's idiosincrisies, including his fear of cars, flying, and distrust for machines, are discussed in the book. While they may seem irrevelant, these discussions help us to know who Kubrick was. The discussions are no more irrelevant than some sections of the book which talk about events regarding his movies that have little to do with the overall picture. Also, I felt it was unnecessary to go into discussion of every script he rejected. Some ideas he rejected to quickly to be important enough to mention.

I was grateful that Baxter mentioned "Artificial Intelligence", being developed by Kubrick. Fans are curious as to how his final script may have looked. I am certain that it would have been better than Speilberg's.

A Suetonian Biography!.......2002-09-22

Uncompromising to Stanley Kubrick, STANLEY KUBRICK: A BIOGRAPHY (c.1997) by John Baxter, is a first order inquiry which took the Suetonian view towards biography and depicted its subject as a gelid autuer director motivated by an obsessive/compulsive need to control his environment in order to materialize his artistic vision on film. John Baxter focused on the opinions, observations, and views of those who worked for Stanley Kubrick; and also those who claimed to have been alienated by him.

Apparently following the advice of former British prime minister Lloyd George when that prime minister stated: "All biographies should be written by an acute enemy", John Baxter picked up on every error, mistake, and indecision of Stanley Kubrick in the course of his career. This gave Stanley Kubrick a historical perspective which included a somewhat realistic account of the man behind some of America's most influential motion pictures ever produced.

Yet biography is not history and John Baxter's work contained some obvious logical and historic errors as when he included a photograph indicating actress Ms. Suzanne Christiane as Kubrick's future second wife; or in his bibliography giving Vincent LoBrutto's book of Kubrick a copyright of 1996 - yet in Lobrutto's work, the T.P. verso indicated 1997 as the copyright.

Kubrick's intelligence, or motive, was also brought into question by John Baxter as he included in his book an explanation of Kubrick's compulsive notetaking by erudite British actress Ms. Adrienne Corri that "All this notetaking is just a way of accumulating what other people know" and also, "He (Kubrick) was not an intelligent or a curious man". But one need only to have seen in 1968 the premeire of '2001: A Space Odyssey' in 'Cinerama' (with the wrap-around screen) to be convinced that there was a brilliance behind its direction. But Baxter alluded to brilliance only in the sense of a Bobby Fischer or of a Thomas Edison - that is, brilliant in a limited and focused capacity.

While John Baxter's bibliography on Stanley Kubrick included some obvious short-comings to the careful reader, it also contained some undeniable eyewitness observations of the subject's character.

A good book to read in accompany with John Baxter's view is: 'STANLEY KUBRICK: A Biography'(c.1997) by Vincent LoBrutto, which gives a kinder Plutarchian view of its subject. It would be advantageous to also read: 'STANLEY KUBRICK: A Life In Pictures' (c. 2002) by Mrs. Suzanne Kubrick, with her objective collection of mostly black & white Kubrick photographs, mostly shot in his studios.

With new information appearing all the time, the definitive biography on Stanley Kubrick has yet to be written (there are 400 biographies on Mahatma Ghandi) and both John Baxter and Vincent LoBrutto's account are good starting points on the life of Stanley Kubrick.

Enjoyable read for non-expert movie lovers........2001-09-05

Helps you realize why you love Kubrick, if you can read between the lines and if you don't get fixated on the tales of Kubrickophobism. While entertaining, they are not all that the book is about. The author does not present Kubricks work in 5-syllable Aestheto-socio-philosophical terms, nor does he fuss about the geometrical aspects of panning and scanning, yet he encourages you to re-visit Kubrick, and multiply your viewing experince!

Not a text book, for sure!

A look at the man, not the movies.......2001-07-27

Not being a Kubrick fundi and not knowing all that much about the man behind the (enormous) myth, I found this book readable and interesting. I have to agree that it does not contain much in the way of analysis of Kubrick's movies, but that is probably not what the author had set out to do. It would have been a colossal and much less accessible work had he dealt at length with each of the movies.

What I cannot understand is the reaction of some of the reviewers, saying that the author was intent on crucifying Kubrick. That was certainly not my impression when I read the book, but then I do not regard Kubrick as per se a wonderful person becasue he made acclaimed movies. He comes across as a much warmer and more human person than I expected, give his reclusive lifestyle, but also as someone who had some flaws, like an inability to start and finish projects. And that is also what was said about him after his death, so I think Baxter is maybe not that far off the mark in his portrayal.

Readable, enjoyable--not terribly deep.......1999-07-30

I found Baxter's book an enjoyable read, lively and somewhat informative, though apparently not the work of awesome scholarship that Lubrutto's book is. I haven't read that tome yet, but will soon, fascinated as I am by all things Kubrick. I didn't have the reaction that others have had concerning Baxter's feelings toward Kubrick. As far as I could tell, he seemed to have an appropriate level of respect. Baxter is obviously not a film scholar or someone too well versed in the technical side of filmmaking, but he keeps the book moving along briskly. This certainly a good start-up for someone new to Kubrick's films.

Stanley Kubrick: Visual Poet 1928-1999 (Midsize)

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Nice piece of Information!
Kubrick's career, in pictures

Stanley Kubrick: Visual Poet 1928-1999 (Midsize)
Paul Duncan
Manufacturer: Taschen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3822815926

Customer Reviews:

Nice piece of Information!.......2004-01-01

This book is not a very orthodox look at kubrick's work,but you will have a nice read about his career early stage as a photographer.
The author talks about how Kubrick made it all the way up to be one of the greatest (or the gratest?)filmakers ever,and also talks about each of his films with some interesting details and stories of the director,so give it a shot...you'll enjoy it!

Kubrick's career, in pictures.......2003-12-14

This is a book-length essay on the films of Stanley Kubrick, accompanied by an enormous number of beautiful photographs. Most of the photos are stills from the films (as you might expect), but there are also quite a few shots of Kubrick at work. The examples of his work for Look magazine and stills from his first two movies are a nice touch.

The essay covers familiar ground for those who know his career: Growing up in New York playing chess and composing photographic essays, the early noir films, and then the classics: Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001, The Shining, etc. The entire body of work is covered, including Eyes Wide Shut. The final pages feature promotional posters for half of the films and an extensive bibliography of books and articles for further reading.

If you're a Kubrick fan, you'll enjoy this. You won't learn anything new, but that's okay. If you aren't a fan, this book will make you want to see Kubrick's films --- the photos from the 2001 soundstages, in particular, will make you want to rediscover that film.

Kubrick: Inside a Film Artist's Maze
Average customer rating:

What's up with that awful blurb?

Only if you are a true Kubrick fan

Good scholarship, occasionally overwhelming

For Kubrick Fanatics Only

A wonderful view

Kubrick: Inside a Film Artist's Maze
Thomas Allen Nelson
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Customer Reviews:

What's up with that awful blurb?.......2005-01-25

I was a little surprised to surf to Amazon and read that Kubrick hadn't made a film worth a damn in the last 30 years of his life, so naturally I had to click on the link and see what was going on. I actually read this book several years ago when I was at the height of my fascination with Kubrick, and remember it being quite good if perhaps a little dense at times. The latter may have more to do with my own reading level at that point than any fault of Nelson's (it was around the end of middle school or start of high school for me). It's still on my shelf so I may give it another look sometime.

To say that Eyes Wide Shut was anything less than a stellar film, indeed one of Kubrick's very best, will be laughable in a few more years. The critical reappraisal continues, Kubrick's films always were late bloomers...

Only if you are a true Kubrick fan.......2004-01-11

I was so so offended by the slackness and cheekiness of this book that I absolutely had to write a review... The writing style is so bad it will make your head spin like a top. The sentences run on forever, and Professor Nelson can't seem to keep to a point at all. He spends most of his time impressing himself instead of trying to communicate with readers. Don't bother with this one unless you are a true Kubrick diehard.

Good scholarship, occasionally overwhelming.......2002-09-20

Kubrick: Inside a Film Artist's Maze by Thomas Allen Nelson ...is one of the best Kubrick books available. Nelson discusses all of the films, and devotes a chapter to each one beginning with Lolita. There are photographs, too, but the printing is so lousy for these that they are easily ignored. The text is the most important material here. Nelson is an astute critic, and his text is informed by a comprehensive knowledge of film history and the realist and formalist schools. Although he uses the term mise en scène more times that I would care to tell you, his prose is immediate, conversational, and engaging. Here's one example from his 30-page essay on The Shining:
Early in the film, for instance, they learn how to negotiate the corridors of the hotel ("to leave a trail of breadcrumbs," to quote Wendy), and in once scene Danny moves in a circle around the Colorado Lounge on his Big Wheel tricycle, while Jack tends to remain stationary within its center. Wendy and Danny explore the hedge maze and complete a circular journey that travels into and out of its diabolical design. Jack, on the other hand, imitates what Borges characterizes as the death-in-life of the "North" (that is, northern European intellectualism)-that yearning for a totally rationalized world without those crevices of unreason that arouse despair in some and imagination in others-rather than the "South's" desire to traverse the maze and engage its multiplicity, to confront fate and choice, and to outface oblivion in an act of creation.
Whew.

For Kubrick Fanatics Only.......2001-03-03

Did you ever wonder why the carpeting in Room 237 in "The Shining" was green and purple? Or why the camera moves on the dolly from left to right in "The Killing"? Or who that artist Ryan O'Neal was referring to during the art-room scene in "Barry Lyndon"? I never did, and I imagine most people don't either. Which is what makes this book so problematic. Stanley Kubrick was a legendary perfectionist, and his work seems to have inspired a similar level of meticulousness in authors who write about him. This book analyzes Kubrick's 10 feature films down to the minutest detail (his first two brief features and "Spartacus," in which he was a director for hire, have been wisely glossed over), and the effect can be a bit stultifying. To be sure, the author comes up with some interesting tid bits about the great filmmaker's work, but just how accurate is all this? Kubrick has been known to pooh-pooh this sort of treatment of his work, and it's easy to see why: In writing about "Full Metal Jacket," Nelson refers to a scene where the character named Cowboy is dying and there's a burning building in the background that looks like the monolith in "2001." The author says that is Kubrick's way of signalling an evolutionary moment. In fact, Kubrick said in a 1987 Rolling Stone interview that the structure's resemblance to the "2001" monolith is just a coincidence. Even more bizarre is the book's near-total absense of any criticism. It is almost entirely descriptive. He mentions in the postscript that "Eyes Wide Shut" is one of Kubrick's "finest achievements" and he criticizes parts of "The Shining" but otherwise fails to note what works and what doesn't in these films. There are some fun parts in this book, but it is weighed down by its leaden prose and heavy-handed academic style.

A wonderful view.......2000-11-26

There can be no greater praise for a book about Kubrick than to say that it is worthy of its subject. This one is. The opening chapter gives the bare biographical facts, and attempts to dispel a few of the myths about Kubrick's personality - not least the idea that, for example, a man's real or journalistically endowed flying phobia should have the least relevance for a viewer or a critic of his films. The next chapter analyses the early films up to the first masterpiece, Paths of Glory; and each subsequent film (except for the compromised Spartacus) has a chapter to itself. Nelson's critiques are detailed, comprehensive, thoroughly readable and constructive - which is to say, favourable. He appreciates the films and wishes others to appreciate them too. This revised and expanded edition contains, in the first chapter, a charming tribute to the director and, in two new chapters, analyses of Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut which show that, in the intervening years between The Shining and the present, Nelson's abilities have diminished as little as Kubrick's. All the essays in the book can be read and enjoyed for their own sake - I was especially fond of the one on A Clockwork Orange, long before I was able to see the film itself - but they will also make you long to be back there in the dark, sharing the artist's vision with the eyes Nelson has widened for you.

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