Search - Stanley Kubrick - A Life in Pictures Collectors Box Set (DVD & Book) on DVD

Kubrick's odyssey finally realized

G. Sarabia | Hightstown, NJ USA | 07/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"STANLEY KUBRICK: A LIFE IN PICTURES is as good a documentary as one can make, especially about a master film director like Kubrick. Dealing with his life from growing up in the Bronx to his last days making and refining EYES WIDE SHUT, LIFE IN PICTURES has interviews with cast members, production crew, writers, composers, etc. Jack Nicholson, Malcolm McDowell, Shelley Duvall, Tom Cruise among others are the actors interviewed. Wendy Carlos, musician who orchestrated the classical music in CLOCKWORK ORANGE, is also interviewed, as is Jan Harlan (producer and brother-in-law), Christina Kubrick (Kubrick's wife and a painter), Gyorgy Ligeti (composer's music used in many Kubrick films), and many more invaluable interviews. There are also clips from every single Kubrick production, comments and revelations (particularly about CLOCKWORK's controversy in Great Britain), reaction from critics like Richard Schickel and other film directors such as Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese, and so much more. Anyone who is a Kubrick fan cannot be without this 21/2 hour documentary...invaluable only skims the surface, it is essential."

Thank you Christiana Kubrick

D. A. Magee | STL, MO, USA | 03/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A Life in Pictures is a superb and much needed documentary of the legendary filmmaker, Stanley Kubrick. The film follows the traditional format for biographical documentaries and starts with Kubrick's youth and his early influences. It progresses steadily through all of his films and finally to his death. The thing about this documentary, about one of the worlds most reclusive and misunderstood filmmakers, that makes it so good is the insight into his personal life, provided by his wife, Christiana Kubrick. I think that she understood some of the things that the fans would really be looking for in this film, and that is to say the glimpsing into the kind of man that Kubrick really was, behind the camera or at home. There are lots of great interviews and the film is very tasteful and respectfully done. This is definately one for the fans, but those who are just curious will also enjoy it. Thank you Christiana Kubrick for sharing this DVD with the fans."

The few people who really knew Kubrick helped to make this d

M. B. Alcat | Los Angeles, California | 04/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Who was Kubrick? Few people can answer that question with a certain degree of certitude. After all, Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) was a very private person, someone who didn t give too many interviews and whose work is often defined as outstanding but ambiguous.

All the same, do not worry. The few people who really knew Kubrick, for example his family and a few close friends, helped to make "Stanley Kubrick - A Life in Pictures", an engaging documentary that tells us about his life, influences, films and odd habits. Jan Harlan, the director, was not only his longtime executive producer, but also his brother-in-law.

I certainly doubt that after watching this dvd you will have a clear picture of who Kubrick was, but I am sure you will end up knowing quite a bit more about him and his movies. Furthermore, you will enjoy watching a well-made and highly interesting documentary, that is worth both your time and your money. Heartily recommended!

Belen Alcat"

Portrait Of An Enigmatic Filmmaker

Erik North | San Gabriel, CA USA | 11/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stanley Kubrick is one of those film directors around whom speculation has always swirled. He was never comfortable in the Hollywood system; he chose, from 1960 until his death in 1999, to live and work in England; he rarely gave interviews; and in comparison to many other filmmakers, including those that admired him, he made relatively few movies. And yet, it is all those very things that made him a legend in his line of work. All of that, plus his close-knit family life, are explored in great detail in STANLEY KUBRICK: A LIFE IN PICTURES.

In this lengthy but fascinating documentary made by Kubrick's brother-in-law Jan Harlan, we get to see how Kubrick grew from a budding Bronx-born photographer at Look magazine into his early efforts at filmmaking; his relationship with producer James B. Harris that produced three stunning films (THE KILLING; PATHS OF GLORY; LOLITA); the frustrations of working on SPARTACUS, the only film of his that wasn't firmly under his hand; and the often difficult subject matter he chose to make films about. Fellow directors Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Alex Cox, and Woody Allen share their thoughts on Kubrick's iconoclastic brand of filmmaking, while collaborators like Michael Herr and Arthur C. Clarke share their experiences on working with him. And so many others here give us a glimpse into what made Kubrick tick, including his wife Christiane.

This documentary is about as thorough a portrait of a filmmaker as there has ever been, and that's no small feat given how enigmatic Kubrick often seemed to be. His view of humanity may not have been particularly ideal as he depicted it in his films, but that's because the reality of humanity is itself often not ideal. And just to think of the wide range of topics the man covered: bizarre love stories (LOLITA; EYES WIDE SHUT); horror (THE SHINING); epic science fiction (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY); political satire (DOCTOR STRANGELOVE); 18th-century manners (BARRY LYNDON); Vietnam (FULL METAL JACKET)...not many filmmakers today, except for the great ones like Spielberg and Scorsese, can boast of such accomplishments in so many different genres and subjects.

Kubrick may no longer be alive, but STANLEY KUBIRCK: A LIFE IN PICTURES ensures that his legacy will be an enduring one for all time. Highly recommended viewing."