Stanley Kubrick: Une vie en images

This is and will most likely, for the foreseeable future remain the only, qualified and official life account of the late Stanley Kubrick. Stanley Kubrick was one of the few scholars of the art of film. He did not explain his work much the same way a painter seldom explains his painting, as he expressed it "I will not comment on your interpretation of it, nor will I offer any other" (not an exact quote) concerning 2001: A Space Odyssey. He was, as it has been expressed in this documentary "a man that remained silent, wheter he was applauded or damned" (not an exact quote). This documentary gives an insight into his highly private life, a privilege that has been up to now granted only to a very narrow group of people. Some do not approve of this film since it was not detailed enough, I believe that are missing the point. For example I can not see the reason for knowing what his directorial style was, it would be as seeing some mythical key to Dalis paintings in the way he hold the brush. I believe this film as such is a skilled documentary, and I must confess that I enjoyed it, and still do enjoy when from time to time I watch it again. The film only states facts and presents people who knew him with their personal and subjective opinions and experiences of him. Kubrick himself gave extremely few interviews, and thus remains and will remain as an unknown. This film is more about the shadow of the man, his legacy and his works. The title states clearly, A Life In Picures. He let his films fend for them self, he let the pictures be what they are, it is and will always be the perogative of an artist to create art. Once art is being explained it is then no longer valid. As such, his life collected so fittingly for a filmmaker in pictures is his final work, as we all leave our legacy in the trace that remains once we are gone, as our creations and the memory of us among those left behind he left his. This film is only a collection of this legacy, it is but the frame of the Stanley Kubrick project, his LIFE.

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.

This was a very well made documentary focusing on the life and the films of the late and masterful, Stanley Kubrick. Everyone from Woody Allen and Nicole Kidman to family members are interviewed throughout this piece, showing how the director was seen by those most involved in his life. The documentary seemed to go chronologically through the more famous works of Kubrick, and stopped to tell tales of Kubrick's perfectionism, his conflict, personal struggles for both the actors and the director, and even unique technological achivements Kubrick made along the way. This documentary taught me quite a bit of things I never knew about Kubrick, one the greatest directors that has ever lived, and stays entertaining while being interesting and informative. If you loved movies like "Eyes Wide Shut," "Full Metal Jacket," "Dr. Strangelove," or "A Clockwork Orange," you're sure to appreciate the behind the scenes looks at not only the set and filming, but at the directors' rollercoaster of a private life as well.

This impressive documentary covers most of Stanley Kubrick's work, through the recollections of major figures in the film industry that, somehow, came into contact with this legendary director. Tom Cruise's presentation is no good, but all the rest works. Nevertheless, the "great absent" in this picture is Kubrick himself. All the way I was waiting for a glimpse at the real, flesh and blood Stanley Kubrick talking about his work. His voice appears briefly, in a recorded speech about "2001", but he doesn't say anything, really. The absence of significant footage with the central figure of this documentary, enhances the mystery surrounding the resources and hidden agenda behind most of his films. Anyway, while watching carefully one of the many pictures of Kubrick's childhood - the one where he's playing the piano with his sister, you can see something beyond those apparently innocent, childish eyes, something that reminded me of the kid in "The Shining".

Because of his reclusive nature, Stanley Kubrick was never the best choice of subject for a documentary, in life as well as in death. Then again, that depends on who's behind the camera - in this case, the late director's brother-in-law and collaborator Jan Harlan, who also appears as one of the interviewees.

Harlan's choice is very simple: skip any attempt to understand the man and just focus on what we have, namely the pictures (hence the film's title). Not just the movies, but also the photos he took in his youth, before discovering cinema. This aspect is covered through comments by friends and family members. Fans, however, are probably more interested in what people have to say about the films, and so we've got some of the key cast and crew of almost all of his movies (one notable exception is Dr. Strangelove, given Peter Sellers and George C. Scott died a long time before Harlan shot the documentary) describing their experiences. In addition, other filmmakers express their sincere admiration for Kubrick, with heaps of praise coming from Scorsese, Spielberg (who directed the Kubrick-inspired A.I.) and Woody Allen (the original choice for Sydney Pollack's role in Eyes Wide Shut).

All possible anecdotes surrounding the man and his methods are recounted with joy, and the effect his films had on culture and society are explored in detail. Hearing Allen's first impressions of 2001 is refreshing (he didn't like it at first), whilst Scorsese's reaction to Paths of Glory is a perfect tribute to that picture's power ("It was so honest, it was shocking!"). The most famous controversy remains that surrounding A Clockwork Orange, and it's almost touching when Kubrick's widow recalls his decision to withdraw it from theaters in England until his death. We don't learn anything new about the great director, but hearing it from those people completely justifies Harlan's effort.

That said, there is one little problem in the film, and that's the fact that everyone is completely incapable of saying anything bad about Kubrick. Okay, maybe his death has something to do with it, but after dozens of occasions during which both Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall berated him for how he treated them on the set of The Shining, hearing them say it was generally a positive experience is surprising to say the least. The closest anyone comes to a bit of criticism is when Malcolm McDowell, always the ultimate Kubrickian icon, describes their relationship like this: "I loved him one moment and wanted to kill him the next!".

Overall A Life in Pictures doesn't add much to what we knew about one of the world's best filmmakers, nor does it take anything away. But remembering him through his work and the people who appeared in his movies is the most appropriate way to make a chronicle of his eventful life.