Kubrick
An Odyssey
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4.6 • 7 Ratings
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- $22.99
Publisher Description
The definitive biography of the creator of 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, and A Clockwork Orange, presenting the most in-depth portrait yet of the groundbreaking film-maker.
The enigmatic and elusive filmmaker Stanley Kubrick has not been treated to a full-length biography in over twenty years.
Stanley Kubrick: An Odyssey fills that gap. This definitive book is based on access to the latest research, especially Kubrick's archive at the University of the Arts, London, as well as other private papers plus new interviews with family members and those who worked with him. It offers comprehensive and in-depth coverage of Kubrick’s personal, private, public, and working life. Stanley Kubrick: An Odyssey investigates not only the making of Kubrick's films, but also about those he wanted (but failed) to make like Burning Secret, Napoleon, Aryan Papers, and A.I.
Revealingly, this immersive biography will puncture the controversial myths about the reclusive filmmaker who created some of the most important works of art of the twentieth century
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kolker and Abrams—film professors at the University of Maryland, College Park and Bangor University, respectively—follow up Eyes Wide Shut, their deep dive into Stanley Kubrick's final film, with an authoritative portrait of the director, who died in 1999. Kolker and Abrams trace Kubrick's pedantic working style to his days as a still photographer in his early 20s, when he "confidently ordered" such subjects as Miss America and then–Columbia University president Dwight Eisenhower "into positions that would provide the best compositions to get exactly what he wanted." Charting Kubrick's development as a filmmaker, the authors note that such stylistic hallmarks as a fondness for natural light and tracking shots can be observed in his early documentary shorts, Day of the Fight and Flying Padre, both released in 1951. Minor works, including Kubrick's 1952 feature debut, Fear and Desire (which the authors regard as sophisticated if unrefined), are examined in equal depth to later classics. The portrayal that emerges is fascinating if unflattering; the authors cover the clash of egos between Kubrick and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke as they developed the screenplay for 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick's willingness to subject A Clockwork Orange star Malcolm McDowell to excruciating pain to get believable shots, and the director's cruel treatment of Shelley Duvall while filming The Shining. Filled with striking behind-the-scenes stories and elevated by a keen understanding of Kubrick's style, this is a biography as monumental as its subject.
Customer Reviews
Not Rivering
Not wanting to be too critical, but a lacking overview of a legendary filmmaker. Researched, but not the insight I had hoped into his cinematic style, technique and thinking. How did he achieve the future in 2001? Ditto Clockwork Orange? Maybe the book is like movies where Kubrick over-researched for details but should have honed in on the story.