Product Description

Prime Source of 1st handed information about Stanley Kubrik and his work. Stanley Kubrik directs uses over 350 black and white stills to produce a biography of Kubrik through his work which is, in a way a projection of his life. It includes interviews with Kubrik and people he has worked with,a commentary on his films, the origins of his ideas and assessment of the impact of his films on his reputation. It covers work such as Lolita, Dr Strangelove, 2001 : A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange as well as his most recent film, Eyes Wide Shut, a psychological thriller which is to star Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #533723 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
A prolific film critic as well as a friend of the late director, Alexander Walker has written what amounts to the only authorised guide to the work of Stanley Kubrick. First published in 1971, this updated edition of Stanley Kubrick, Director takes the reader through Kubrick's films from Fear and Desire to Eyes Wide Shut, discussing the genesis and production of each film, as well as offering an account which deals with some of Kubrick's key concerns. The director's fascination with drawing out the flaws in "perfect" plans, and his interest in communication(with its inherent tendency to break down), are among the themes discussed in relation to various films. However, Walker does not concentrate on a thematic approach, instead arranging the text chronologically, dealing with each film in turn. He is at pains to discover what makes each film distinctly Kubrick's, but at equal pains to show that this does not always mean shared themes, or even a common visual style.

Walker's analysis is assisted by a wealth of illustrations, many of them from the director's own archive, which allow the critic to make specific reference to framing effects, use of symmetry and the like. However, there are occasions where the stills are used simply to illustrate the progression of the plot, something which a viewing of the film can do rather more effectively. This confusion of purpose is typical of the book, with Walker constantly shifting between a retelling of the events of a film, and his attempts to engage with and analyse Kubrick's technique. While this lack of focus, and some puzzling problems with the book's structure, might deter readers already acquainted with critical writing on Kubrick, Walker's volume nevertheless serves as a very useful and readable introduction to its subject. --John Oates

About the Author
Alexander Walker is the author of over twenty books about the cinema and its stars, including bestselling biographies of Elizabeth Taylor, Vivien Leigh, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Peter Sellers and Audrey Hepburn. He has also written standard works on the coming of the Talkies, a monograph on Stanley Kubrick, and the fullest account to date of the British film industr from 1960 to 1985. He has been the London "Evening Standard's" influential film critic since 1960 and has been named "Critic of the Year" three times in the British Press Awards. A prolific broadcaster on television and radio, he wrote and narrated four series of "Film Star" for the BBC. Alexander Walker was born in Ireland, and educated there, on the Continent and in the United States.