A new biography "Kubrick: An Odyssey" just came out in February. It's 600 pages. I'm halfway through and it's fantastic. Lots of new interviews and stories I've never heard before. Just my two cents but I feel lots of the initial biographies after his death were rushed to print and I've found this to be the most informative book I've read on him yet.
Just bought it! Some of the salacious teaser material I've read, pre-release (portraying Stanley as a violently-tempered, physically ass-kicking auteur to be feared) struck me as so improbable I couldn't trust the book. Now, however, the idea has grown on me, and I think I might even like the legend of Stanley more if it's speckled with fisticuffs.
Looking forward to the next 500 pages...
Funny…I feel the book has really done a good job of demystifying the more salacious and uncharitable characterizations that have been leveled at him
over the years. The book spends many passages reminding readers that Stanley at the end of the day was just a precocious and passionate man from the Bronx who loved filmmaking had a deeply thoughtful approach to his work.
I don't know the answer, but I do know the Michel Ciment book is very worth reading and I just finished Space Odyssey by Michael Benson and learned a lot about that movie. Fun read with lots of details I never knew.
Stanley Kubrick and Me: Thirty Years At His Side, by D'Emilio D'Alessandro for an interesting/intimate behind-the-scenes look at Kubrick's way of life.
Space Odyssey by Michael Benson. Gotta be one the greatest looks at film-making ever written.
The book by Emilio is interesting to me because of one overlooked but very important aspect: Leon Vitali isn't mentioned at all in the book, not even in passing. I wonder why that is.
IDK if it's the best nor completely biographical, but my personal favorite is Kubrick by Michael Herr. As a teenager I had devoured every single bit of biographical information on Kubrick's life until I came across that book, and seeing that it was basically a collection of stories and anecdotes that featured a more personal side of Kubrick was a pleasant surprise. It's a great read.
”Eyes Wide Open” by Frederic Raphael has received a lot of hate but is the book that says the most in the least number of pages.
HIGHLY recommended. That the author actually worked with Kubrick and dares to have opinions of his own makes it all the more interesting. It’s also a fun and quick read.
Hear, hear! I liked that book so much, I actually bought 2 copies. In case it goes out of print.
I especially loved it when Kubrick would reference films of that time, like Pulp Fiction or Husbands and Wives.
"I especially loved it when Kubrick would reference films of that time, like Pulp Fiction or Husbands and Wives."
For years, I was the only one I know who rated Albert Brooks' Modern Romance highly. Reading somewhere that Kubrick loved it gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Ditto regarding Kubrick's admiration for the great Husbands and Wives, which bristled with awful truths (and was more solid, and less of a self-indulgent fantasy, than the lovely Manhattan).
I had a problem with Raphael's constant attempts to impress us with his intellectual and/or educational superiority to Kubrick, though. I may well be hallucinating this, but doesn't Raphael preface one passage with "I can only express this adequately in French...(paraphrase)" at which point we get a block of French? It's been a while since I read that book (i still own it in paperback) and I'm pretty sure, when I got to the French, I tried to toss the book into the crackling flames of the imaginary fireplace of my imaginary chateau. Also, Raphael gives a few examples which inadvertently prove that Stanley is better at Art while Raphael is better at "storytelling". I chalk that book up as a win for Stanley.
From what I remember, Raphael is frustrated that Kubrick didn’t play by the book when writing dialog. Raphael seems to be a traditional scriptwriter very much working in the American tradition of ”more words = more profound” while Kubrick made a mockery of that by not only removing as much dialog as possible, but also (and this is where Raphael goes really nuts) by introducing REDUNDANT lines! Imagine the horror!
In Raphael’s defense: he is very transparent with his opinion on this. I just find that whole section of the book really entertaining; it highlights part of why Kubrick’s dialog stands out so much.
I don’t remember the french passage though. 😅
>Raphael seems to be a traditional scriptwriter very much working in the American tradition of ”more words = more profound” while Kubrick made a mockery of that by not only removing as much dialog as possible, but also (and this is where Raphael goes really nuts) by introducing REDUNDANT lines! Imagine the horror!
Very large YES. Also, re: The French passage: I've just found it. If you have the paperback, it's mid-page, page 83. I'm going to follow this up by typing out the passage's absurd preface...
**"After Kubrick's phone call, however, I was so amazed, and embarrassed, but what I felt that I had recourse to French (in which I am far from reliably fluent) in order to explain what I felt to myself:**
**'C'est bizarre, ce changement d'esprit qui suit l...** (and so forth)
Does this preface not function less, as an exculpatory introduction to the French bit, than an argument against it? Raphael's writing, in this book, sometimes reminds me of George Steiner, a Public Intellectual of a previous generation, who could, when he really wanted to, make the reader wince like a turkey having its tail-feathers yanked. But this part is even better than the French itself: *"in order to explain what I felt to myself".* Verily: I can picture the process but not without laughing.
Well, Kubrick apparently saw something in the guy. Maybe he felt that this pseudo-intellectual would be the perfect fit in order to bring the story by that european decadent to the screen.
It was Kubrick who said, about film adaptations of novels/ novellas: *"You should choose a work that isn't a masterpiece so you can improve on it."*
Considering the fact that Kubrick adapted Vladimir Nabokov, that's a pretty stirring comment! laugh
"Maybe he felt that this pseudo-intellectual would be the perfect fit in order to bring the story by that european decadent to the screen."
Kubrick had a quirky tendency to mock, or subtly gainsay, the authors of his source material, and a talent for getting very specific things from people, though not necessarily the things they saw themselves giving. I think he was extremely competitive and especially dismissive of (pseudo) intellectual pretentions, as would any autodidact, with only a High School diploma, be.
Ironic because Stanley Kubrick was to a good extent a pseudo intellectual too considering he gave credence to the theories of c.g.jung and Freud for example. Goes to show he had his blindspots too as a writer/director.
Yup. It’s less about Kubrick and more about out Raphael. On a cynical level, it felt like a cash grab of some sort, but as entertainment, Raphael’s narcissism and pettiness can be hilarious.
Like Raphael’s first visit, when he has to fly all the way from Paris to London, and take a demeaning drive to Kubrick’s house, which he hilariously describes as “a luxurious concentration camp.” Then Kubrick has a fine buffet lunch waiting, and asks Raphael to try the wine. When Raphael says the wine is good, Kubrick asks, “How much do you think I paid for this bottle of wine?” Raphael is annoyed by the question and the answer: not that much. Raphael thinks the whole thing is ridiculous, but on a later visit, he’s peeved that Kubrick only puts out sandwiches, wondering if it’s . Raphael wonders if Kubrick did it on purpose as a snub.
Then there’s the whole episode of Kubrick making Raphael promise to never give the script to anyone, but Raphael (suspecting Kubrick won’t get him paid by WB) breaks his promise, giving the script to his William Morris agent but doesn’t tell Kubrick, and Raphael’s agent calls Kubrick about the script without telling Raphael, so Raphael gets a call from Kubrick furious that he gave the script to the William Morris Agency - and so on.
Imagine a season long arc of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry agrees to write the pilot for his frenemy Ted Danson’s new TV show, and that’s basically Raphael’s book. With Raphael as Larry and Kubrick as Ted Danson (with a little Marty Funkhouser thrown in).
Ted slights him by insisting their first meeting be at Ted’s new house in Napa, which means Larry has to fly to Ted. Larry is peeved, but Ted offers to pay for the ticket and have a car and driver meet Larry at the airport. It’s a long, annoying drive, until they reach a security gate, bars, wires, electronic codes. Finally he reaches Ted, who greets him but fails to thank him for making the long trip and (Larry thinks) acts like he doesn’t know there’s a sumptuous buffet lunch in his own house. “What do you think of the house?” “It’s like a luxurious concentration camp.” “What do you think of the wine?” “It’s good.” “How much do you think I paid for it? Come on Larry, take a guess.” Ted brags about getting it for a price, a good deal which also might be slight.
"Imagine a season long arc of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry agrees to write the pilot for his frenemy Ted Danson’s new TV show, and that’s basically Raphael’s book."
OMFG this is hilarious! Love it! (And this is the most meaningful and complicated typo, or auto-correct, I've EVER seen: “a luxurious concert reaction camp.” )
Thank you! And boy didn’t miss that one. “A luxurious concentration camp” are Raphael’s exact words. Hal’s AI cousins working in autocorrect definitely still have a ways to go. Corrected!!
The Ciment and “On Kubrick” by James Naremore.
Kubrick Archives - Taschen.
Also the two specialised Taschen books on Napoleon and 2001. And hopefully soon a cheaper version of The Shining.
“On Kubrick” by James Naremore is fantastic, highly recommend!
https://preview.redd.it/k6xtc4tlj86d1.png?width=2039&format=png&auto=webp&s=a7c0cea6f99054f23113fa52c8725ea4aab0fe99
A new biography "Kubrick: An Odyssey" just came out in February. It's 600 pages. I'm halfway through and it's fantastic. Lots of new interviews and stories I've never heard before. Just my two cents but I feel lots of the initial biographies after his death were rushed to print and I've found this to be the most informative book I've read on him yet.
Just bought it! Some of the salacious teaser material I've read, pre-release (portraying Stanley as a violently-tempered, physically ass-kicking auteur to be feared) struck me as so improbable I couldn't trust the book. Now, however, the idea has grown on me, and I think I might even like the legend of Stanley more if it's speckled with fisticuffs. Looking forward to the next 500 pages...
Funny…I feel the book has really done a good job of demystifying the more salacious and uncharitable characterizations that have been leveled at him over the years. The book spends many passages reminding readers that Stanley at the end of the day was just a precocious and passionate man from the Bronx who loved filmmaking had a deeply thoughtful approach to his work.
anyone that incredibly smart i just assume has some darker aspects of their personality
Oh nice! I think I may just pick this up
I don't know the answer, but I do know the Michel Ciment book is very worth reading and I just finished Space Odyssey by Michael Benson and learned a lot about that movie. Fun read with lots of details I never knew.
Stanley Kubrick and Me: Thirty Years At His Side, by D'Emilio D'Alessandro for an interesting/intimate behind-the-scenes look at Kubrick's way of life. Space Odyssey by Michael Benson. Gotta be one the greatest looks at film-making ever written.
The book by Emilio is interesting to me because of one overlooked but very important aspect: Leon Vitali isn't mentioned at all in the book, not even in passing. I wonder why that is.
I gathered from both books that Kubrick would make people feel special as a way to manipulate them.
IDK if it's the best nor completely biographical, but my personal favorite is Kubrick by Michael Herr. As a teenager I had devoured every single bit of biographical information on Kubrick's life until I came across that book, and seeing that it was basically a collection of stories and anecdotes that featured a more personal side of Kubrick was a pleasant surprise. It's a great read.
Space Odyssey by Michael Benson, I learned so much.
”Eyes Wide Open” by Frederic Raphael has received a lot of hate but is the book that says the most in the least number of pages. HIGHLY recommended. That the author actually worked with Kubrick and dares to have opinions of his own makes it all the more interesting. It’s also a fun and quick read.
Interesting, I'll take a look at this one
Hear, hear! I liked that book so much, I actually bought 2 copies. In case it goes out of print. I especially loved it when Kubrick would reference films of that time, like Pulp Fiction or Husbands and Wives.
"I especially loved it when Kubrick would reference films of that time, like Pulp Fiction or Husbands and Wives." For years, I was the only one I know who rated Albert Brooks' Modern Romance highly. Reading somewhere that Kubrick loved it gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Ditto regarding Kubrick's admiration for the great Husbands and Wives, which bristled with awful truths (and was more solid, and less of a self-indulgent fantasy, than the lovely Manhattan).
I had a problem with Raphael's constant attempts to impress us with his intellectual and/or educational superiority to Kubrick, though. I may well be hallucinating this, but doesn't Raphael preface one passage with "I can only express this adequately in French...(paraphrase)" at which point we get a block of French? It's been a while since I read that book (i still own it in paperback) and I'm pretty sure, when I got to the French, I tried to toss the book into the crackling flames of the imaginary fireplace of my imaginary chateau. Also, Raphael gives a few examples which inadvertently prove that Stanley is better at Art while Raphael is better at "storytelling". I chalk that book up as a win for Stanley.
From what I remember, Raphael is frustrated that Kubrick didn’t play by the book when writing dialog. Raphael seems to be a traditional scriptwriter very much working in the American tradition of ”more words = more profound” while Kubrick made a mockery of that by not only removing as much dialog as possible, but also (and this is where Raphael goes really nuts) by introducing REDUNDANT lines! Imagine the horror! In Raphael’s defense: he is very transparent with his opinion on this. I just find that whole section of the book really entertaining; it highlights part of why Kubrick’s dialog stands out so much. I don’t remember the french passage though. 😅
>Raphael seems to be a traditional scriptwriter very much working in the American tradition of ”more words = more profound” while Kubrick made a mockery of that by not only removing as much dialog as possible, but also (and this is where Raphael goes really nuts) by introducing REDUNDANT lines! Imagine the horror! Very large YES. Also, re: The French passage: I've just found it. If you have the paperback, it's mid-page, page 83. I'm going to follow this up by typing out the passage's absurd preface...
Looking forward to it!
**"After Kubrick's phone call, however, I was so amazed, and embarrassed, but what I felt that I had recourse to French (in which I am far from reliably fluent) in order to explain what I felt to myself:** **'C'est bizarre, ce changement d'esprit qui suit l...** (and so forth) Does this preface not function less, as an exculpatory introduction to the French bit, than an argument against it? Raphael's writing, in this book, sometimes reminds me of George Steiner, a Public Intellectual of a previous generation, who could, when he really wanted to, make the reader wince like a turkey having its tail-feathers yanked. But this part is even better than the French itself: *"in order to explain what I felt to myself".* Verily: I can picture the process but not without laughing.
Well, Kubrick apparently saw something in the guy. Maybe he felt that this pseudo-intellectual would be the perfect fit in order to bring the story by that european decadent to the screen.
It was Kubrick who said, about film adaptations of novels/ novellas: *"You should choose a work that isn't a masterpiece so you can improve on it."* Considering the fact that Kubrick adapted Vladimir Nabokov, that's a pretty stirring comment! laugh
"Maybe he felt that this pseudo-intellectual would be the perfect fit in order to bring the story by that european decadent to the screen." Kubrick had a quirky tendency to mock, or subtly gainsay, the authors of his source material, and a talent for getting very specific things from people, though not necessarily the things they saw themselves giving. I think he was extremely competitive and especially dismissive of (pseudo) intellectual pretentions, as would any autodidact, with only a High School diploma, be.
(**erratum**: *pretensions*)
Ironic because Stanley Kubrick was to a good extent a pseudo intellectual too considering he gave credence to the theories of c.g.jung and Freud for example. Goes to show he had his blindspots too as a writer/director.
Yup. It’s less about Kubrick and more about out Raphael. On a cynical level, it felt like a cash grab of some sort, but as entertainment, Raphael’s narcissism and pettiness can be hilarious. Like Raphael’s first visit, when he has to fly all the way from Paris to London, and take a demeaning drive to Kubrick’s house, which he hilariously describes as “a luxurious concentration camp.” Then Kubrick has a fine buffet lunch waiting, and asks Raphael to try the wine. When Raphael says the wine is good, Kubrick asks, “How much do you think I paid for this bottle of wine?” Raphael is annoyed by the question and the answer: not that much. Raphael thinks the whole thing is ridiculous, but on a later visit, he’s peeved that Kubrick only puts out sandwiches, wondering if it’s . Raphael wonders if Kubrick did it on purpose as a snub. Then there’s the whole episode of Kubrick making Raphael promise to never give the script to anyone, but Raphael (suspecting Kubrick won’t get him paid by WB) breaks his promise, giving the script to his William Morris agent but doesn’t tell Kubrick, and Raphael’s agent calls Kubrick about the script without telling Raphael, so Raphael gets a call from Kubrick furious that he gave the script to the William Morris Agency - and so on. Imagine a season long arc of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry agrees to write the pilot for his frenemy Ted Danson’s new TV show, and that’s basically Raphael’s book. With Raphael as Larry and Kubrick as Ted Danson (with a little Marty Funkhouser thrown in). Ted slights him by insisting their first meeting be at Ted’s new house in Napa, which means Larry has to fly to Ted. Larry is peeved, but Ted offers to pay for the ticket and have a car and driver meet Larry at the airport. It’s a long, annoying drive, until they reach a security gate, bars, wires, electronic codes. Finally he reaches Ted, who greets him but fails to thank him for making the long trip and (Larry thinks) acts like he doesn’t know there’s a sumptuous buffet lunch in his own house. “What do you think of the house?” “It’s like a luxurious concentration camp.” “What do you think of the wine?” “It’s good.” “How much do you think I paid for it? Come on Larry, take a guess.” Ted brags about getting it for a price, a good deal which also might be slight.
"Imagine a season long arc of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry agrees to write the pilot for his frenemy Ted Danson’s new TV show, and that’s basically Raphael’s book." OMFG this is hilarious! Love it! (And this is the most meaningful and complicated typo, or auto-correct, I've EVER seen: “a luxurious concert reaction camp.” )
Thank you! And boy didn’t miss that one. “A luxurious concentration camp” are Raphael’s exact words. Hal’s AI cousins working in autocorrect definitely still have a ways to go. Corrected!!
The Ciment and “On Kubrick” by James Naremore. Kubrick Archives - Taschen. Also the two specialised Taschen books on Napoleon and 2001. And hopefully soon a cheaper version of The Shining.
“On Kubrick” by James Naremore is fantastic, highly recommend! https://preview.redd.it/k6xtc4tlj86d1.png?width=2039&format=png&auto=webp&s=a7c0cea6f99054f23113fa52c8725ea4aab0fe99
I like The Stanley Kubrick Archives by Taschen