Stanley Kubrick is one of cinema's greatest enigmas. His filming methods were unique, nobody had visions like his own ones and his personal behavior was legendary. This documentary, directed by Kubrick's longtime collaborator (and brother-in-law) Jan Harlan and narrated by Tom Cruise, is a very complete one and it allows us to discover a vision of Stanley Kubrick that is not the one we had in mind.
It all starts with Stanley's birth in New York City in 1928. His relationship with his younger sister and his poor school results are the first signs that Stanley wasn't an ordinary human being.
Then, it shifts to Stanley's years working as a photographer for "Look" magazine and it quickly moves to Kubrick's first cinematic work, "Day of the Fight". However, I was a little bit deceived because we never know why and how Stanley became attracted to video cameras. We just know that he shot a movie about his favorite sport (boxing, that is) and that's all.
One by one, every movie that Kubrick made (and never made) is presented and analyzed by different people who worked with him and also who didn't (such as Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen). The movies are presented as follows: "Fear and Desire" (the only film that Kubrick didn't like), "Killer's Kiss", "The Killing", "Paths of Glory", "Spartacus", "Lolita", "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb", "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Napoleon" (a never-shot movie), "A Clockwork Orange", "Barry Lyndon", "The Shining", "Full Metal Jacket", "Aryan Papers" (which he didn't shot because of the release of "Schindler's List"), "A.I." (which was put on delay because of technical impossibilities) and "Eyes Wide Shut".
Stanley Kubrick was a very mysterious person because people rarely saw what he looked like. This documentary should satisfy them because there are many pictures of him, along with his crew members, the actors and his family.
And as far as I can remember, it's the very first time that I actually hear Stanley's voice. It begins with a 1958 interview at the CBS radio, after the release of "Paths of Glory". There are scenes with his family, which make us discover what kind of father he was. There also are scenes on the filming set and some of them are very memorable. The legendary rumors of Kubrick's bitter relationship with Shelley Duvall on the "Shining" set are materialized, among others.
There are numerous people appearing in this documentary and they comment on Kubrick's visions, his filming habits and so on. Among them, there are Sir Peter Ustinov from "Spartacus"; Arthur C. Clarke, Douglas Trumbull and Keir Dullea from "2001"; Malcolm McDowell from "Clockwork Orange"; Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall from "The Shining"; Matthew Modine from "Full Metal Jacket"; Steven Spielberg, who directed Kubrick's project "A.I." and Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Sydney Pollack from "Eyes Wide Shut". It's very interesting to watch and listen to these people sharing their memories of Stanley Kubrick and helping us to see Kubrick from another eye. These people were directly implied with Kubrick so they can't be wrong.
Some people always thought that Stanley Kubrick was a very reclusive, obsessive and bitter character but the documentary shows us a different kind of person. He's got a very good sense of humor, he was generous, he was open-minded and he was passionated with what he was doing. He was also a very intelligent man and his passion for chess is well-specified.
There are no other works that look like this documentary. It's the ultimate document to watch in order to get the most complete and comprehensive look at Stanley Kubrick's life and career. And while it's not an outstanding documentary, it's worth watching for every Kubrick fan. Those who don't like Kubrick or are just indifferent might not find that interesting.
It all starts with Stanley's birth in New York City in 1928. His relationship with his younger sister and his poor school results are the first signs that Stanley wasn't an ordinary human being.
Then, it shifts to Stanley's years working as a photographer for "Look" magazine and it quickly moves to Kubrick's first cinematic work, "Day of the Fight". However, I was a little bit deceived because we never know why and how Stanley became attracted to video cameras. We just know that he shot a movie about his favorite sport (boxing, that is) and that's all.
One by one, every movie that Kubrick made (and never made) is presented and analyzed by different people who worked with him and also who didn't (such as Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen). The movies are presented as follows: "Fear and Desire" (the only film that Kubrick didn't like), "Killer's Kiss", "The Killing", "Paths of Glory", "Spartacus", "Lolita", "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb", "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Napoleon" (a never-shot movie), "A Clockwork Orange", "Barry Lyndon", "The Shining", "Full Metal Jacket", "Aryan Papers" (which he didn't shot because of the release of "Schindler's List"), "A.I." (which was put on delay because of technical impossibilities) and "Eyes Wide Shut".
Stanley Kubrick was a very mysterious person because people rarely saw what he looked like. This documentary should satisfy them because there are many pictures of him, along with his crew members, the actors and his family.
And as far as I can remember, it's the very first time that I actually hear Stanley's voice. It begins with a 1958 interview at the CBS radio, after the release of "Paths of Glory". There are scenes with his family, which make us discover what kind of father he was. There also are scenes on the filming set and some of them are very memorable. The legendary rumors of Kubrick's bitter relationship with Shelley Duvall on the "Shining" set are materialized, among others.
There are numerous people appearing in this documentary and they comment on Kubrick's visions, his filming habits and so on. Among them, there are Sir Peter Ustinov from "Spartacus"; Arthur C. Clarke, Douglas Trumbull and Keir Dullea from "2001"; Malcolm McDowell from "Clockwork Orange"; Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall from "The Shining"; Matthew Modine from "Full Metal Jacket"; Steven Spielberg, who directed Kubrick's project "A.I." and Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Sydney Pollack from "Eyes Wide Shut". It's very interesting to watch and listen to these people sharing their memories of Stanley Kubrick and helping us to see Kubrick from another eye. These people were directly implied with Kubrick so they can't be wrong.
Some people always thought that Stanley Kubrick was a very reclusive, obsessive and bitter character but the documentary shows us a different kind of person. He's got a very good sense of humor, he was generous, he was open-minded and he was passionated with what he was doing. He was also a very intelligent man and his passion for chess is well-specified.
There are no other works that look like this documentary. It's the ultimate document to watch in order to get the most complete and comprehensive look at Stanley Kubrick's life and career. And while it's not an outstanding documentary, it's worth watching for every Kubrick fan. Those who don't like Kubrick or are just indifferent might not find that interesting.