He made just 13 feature films and somehow built a reputation as one of the most obsessive directors ever.
Trailer for “Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- Kubrick made Shelley Duvall do the famous baseball-bat staircase scene in “The Shining” 127 times. The shoot became notorious for the huge number of takes Kubrick demanded.
- While making “Eyes Wide Shut,” Kubrick reportedly had Tom Cruise walk through a doorway 95 times before he was satisfied.
Watch “Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures”
You can rent “Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures” on Apple TV or Prime Video. See the latest streaming options on JustWatch.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 90/100
- IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 89/100 (Users); 86/100 (Critics)
Release Date: May 2, 2001
Director’s Note: Jan Harlan directed this 142-minute documentary. Harlan was Kubrick’s brother-in-law and one of his closest collaborators.
Other Unique Stuff
- Kubrick’s first serious career was a staff photographer for Look magazine while still a teenager. That background helps explain why nearly every frame of his later movies looks so carefully built.
- “2001: A Space Odyssey” became one of his biggest technical swings. Kubrick worked with science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke and special-effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull to create space imagery years before CGI existed.
- “Full Metal Jacket” looks like Vietnam but Kubrick didn’t go to Vietnam to make it. Much of the movie was shot in England, including at the abandoned Beckton Gas Works in London.
- Kubrick’s last movie was “Eyes Wide Shut,” starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. He died in March 1999, only days after showing a cut of the movie to Warner Bros., Cruise and Kidman.
Wrap Up:
If you love Kubrick’s movies, this is a guided tour through his brain and career. I like seeing the gap between the mythical mad-genius recluse and the Stanley described by the people who actually knew him well.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc