Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
May. 02,2001With commentary from Hollywood stars, outtakes from his movies and footage from his youth, this documentary looks at Stanley Kubrick's life and films. Director Jan Harlan, Kubrick's brother-in-law and sometime collaborator, interviews heavyweights like Jack Nicholson, Woody Allen and Sydney Pollack, who explain the influence of Kubrick classics like "Dr. Strangelove" and "2001: A Space Odyssey," and how he absorbed visual clues from disposable culture such as television commercials.
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Reviews
Excellent but underrated film
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
Great documentary on a great film-maker. Not perfect: you're expected to know instinctively who the interviewees are - there are no captions. Tom Cruise's voice didn't have the gravitas necessary for the narration. Some of the interviews mostly consist of platitudes, but not much detail.However, the detail is amazing. Whether you are familiar with Kubrick's history, or not, the information is very interesting. Despite the platitudes, the overall insight provided by the interviews and the observations of the narrator give you an excellent understanding of what made Stanley Kubrick a genius.
If you're a Stanley Kubrick fan like me, you're gonna love to see this. it starts with his first film and moves on to his last. Sure, it's more of a documentary about his films than the person himself, but his films were his life, so they work very well together. What more can I say, it shows his as a genius in film and as a loving father and husband, it simply summarises his life in a very simple and informative way.now to complain, there was a few things I didn't quite understand. They had censored it. Okay, removing the nudity from some of his film i can except, but to bleep the swears? And the funny thing is, they only bleeped one recording of Kubrick yelling at Sjelly Duvall (they had a few arguments, but relax it was nothing sinister), yet all the swears that were featured from "Full Metal Jacket" and "eyes Wide Shut" were not bleeped. And this is not really a complaint, but as mentioned before it is a very simple documentary. I never really felt that they mentioned what made Kubrick such a great director. they treated the matter more like a mystery instead of analysing why. But then again, it's about the man himself, not what he did in detail.My verdict for this bio-documentary is 9/10.
"Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures", is clearly a fine and well done documentary that pays a fine homage and tribute to this legendary master and unique film director. It's narrated by actor Tom Cruise and it starts by showing Stanley's very early beginnings from pictures of him growing up showing his days of school and being with family. Also much historical info is provided by showing how Kubrick done his early films, and it was also nice to learn how that Kubrick had his first job as a photographer for "Look" magazine in which that would inspire him to later direct films. Each of Stanley's films are highlighted in which this doc shows clips and footage and each picture is broken down by very well dead on analysis from the actors who played in them and many film critics and other directors give their take on many of the fine works of Stanley. Rare interviews are provided here in this doc from many that have appeared in Stanley's films like Malcom McDowell, Jack Nicholson, and even Nicole Kidman. From the man who many thought was wrapped in mystery and suspense this documentary brings light and fine info on the very private and compelling Stanley Kubrick it certainly is a tribute and homage to watch. This documentary is a must watch for any Kubrick lover, I think he without a doubt was one of our times better film directors so this is a must watch it's a great visual complement to his films combined with a intimate picture of his personal and professional life.
I find the fact Tom Cruise being chosen to do the narration was a terrible idea. Tom Cruise definitely did not help Kubrick's health with his awful acting in Eyes Wide Shut. Malcolm MCDowell would have been the best choice by far.... I mean come on. I found the documentary decent but anything on Kubrick I will watch with an open heart. I will miss his movies. Not many directors make a movie exclusively for sake of art, and the love of directing in general. A lot of people who I know have never seen Paths of Glory, which is a must see. The topic of war was really something that must of weighed strongly with Kubrick, given he made 4 movies about it. Sparticus would be another except for the fact Kubrick did it to save Kirk Douglas's production.