Product Description

This title is finally available again - in a special anniversary edition! This is the first book to explore Stanley Kubrick's archives and the most comprehensive study of the filmmaker to date, divided into 2 parts.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 1 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.Part 1 features 800 film stills scanned directly from the original prints and interpositives. Part 2 presents about 800 items from the archives, most of which have never been published before. It includes essays by Kubrick scholars Gene D. Phillips, Michel Ciment, and Rodney Hill. It presents selected articles and essays, including interviews with and essays by Stanley Kubrick. It offers illustrated Kubrick chronology.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15894 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 544 pages

Review
"The Stanley Kubrick Archives showed up one morning in our offices, where my editor and I circled it like curious apes." - Time Out, New York"

About the Author
Alison Castle received a BA in philosophy from Columbia University and an MA in photography and film from New York University (NYU/International Center of Photography masters program). The editor of TASCHEN's Some Like it Hot and The Stanley Kubrick Archives, she lives in Paris, home of the world's best cinemas.

Customer Reviews

Superb, superb book.
If you're a fan of Kubrick -- or even of only ONE of the many films contained within -- then you NEED TO HAVE THIS BOOK. Period.

I like the majority of Kubrick's output, but I admit that I purchased it largely for "2001" (the first movie I was taken to see as a child...bizarre choice, I know.) In terms of that film, the photographs (most of which I've never seen -- amazing in itself) are incredible; the shots of the mooted end scene "Aliens" are (for me) worth the price of purchase.

One thing: the first run of this comes with a cutting of frames taken from Kubrick's own personal 70mm print of the movie. While I'm thrilled to have this (mine is of Dave and HAL conversing: double bonus), imagining Stanley lacing up the very print I have in my house for a personal showing, I'm a little upset and disturbed that Kubrick's widow would allow such a case of, for want of a better word, artistic vandalism.

Still. If you buy this book, you simply won't regret it.

LOOK INSIDE THE BOOK


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. 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 two shows them in position. Owning a bit of '2001' from Kubrick's personal collection gives the book extra kudos.

Photo six will give you an idea of how the book is organised. There are two sections, each with a series of coloured tabs. His twelve movies have a tab each and in the first section there are eight hundred stills, black and white and colour depending on the film. Photos four, seven and eight 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 one, three and five and 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.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

A great book for a great director
My wife got a sore arm lugging this thing home for Christmas. It is without doubt the most intellectual paperweight I've ever owned, and will no doubt be the last (of many) Kubrick books, which I have purchased and devoured over the years. It is a great tome, with the kind of nitty-gritty 'behind the scenes' details that real Kubrickphiles want. The Interview CD is great (already uploaded onto my Ipod - thankyou) and my filmstrip image is excellent. I had the opportunity to meet Christiane Kubrick some years ago at a 'By Means of Music' concert in honour of Stanley. She was very nice and autographed a book I had with me. Having met her the SK archives feel slightly more personal in some way. Ever since I was a boy growing up in Sydney and reading Gene D. Phillips' account of Stanley's films, I have known that filmmaking is what I want to do. This book is just one more inspiration. I would suggest that you order online like my wife did and save a bit of money.