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The Stanley Kubrick Archives
by Alison Castle (2008).
Made in cooperation with Jan
Harlan, Christiane Kubrick and The Stanley Kubrick Estate.
Published by TASCHEN.
ISBN-13: 9783822822845
The making of this book has been
something of an odyssey: two years of traveling through time and space to the
heart of Stanley Kubrick's universe, where I not only had the unprecedented
privilege of having access to his archives, but also the invaluable guidance of
those who were closest to him. Kubrick's wife, Christiane, and executive
producer, Jan Harlan, were not only immensely generous in allowing me to
"excavate" the various parts of his St. Albans estate where the
archives are stored, but they were also exceedingly kind, supportive, and
helpful during the entire process. In addition, I was very fortunate to have
the aid of Anthony Frewin and Leon Vitali, Kubrick's longtime assistants, who
tirelessly answered my questions and offered invaluable advice and assistance.
Endeavoring to uncover each and
every artifact that could cast light upon Kubrick's creative process, I scoured
the archives, gathering the most illuminating items, from bits of paper covered
with hurriedly scribbled notes to photographs taken by Kubrick on the sets of
his films. Hunched over hundreds upon hundreds of contact sheets with my loupe,
I was able to select images that had never been printed before, let alone seen;
rifling through screenplay drafts I found references to scenes that were never
filmed, and among the photos I found images of sequences that were abandoned;
reading Kubrick's notes and letters, I discovered not only clues to his thought
processes but also his curious love affair with various types of stationery,
typewriters, and pens. Searching through the often chaotic mountains of
material was an exhilarating experience: each and every "discovery"
was like a minor miracle, a defining moment, an epiphany.
Part 2 of this book features the
result of this gleaning: an eclectic collection of material that represents the
nuts and bolts of Kubrick's creative history. To help guide readers through the
expedition is a selection of articles and essays by noted Kubrick scholars as
well as a generous selection of material "from the horse's mouth"
(i.e. Kubrick letters, essays, and interviews), refuting the popular
misconception that Kubrick was a recluse who didn't or wouldn't talk about his
work.
The items presented in Part 2
offer valuable insight into Kubrick's filmmaking process, though the most
important material from the archives is unquestionably the films themselves.
Kubrick once said, "The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection
for it, not our ability to explain why it is good." Part 1 offers plenty
of opportunities for readers to test their affection: from Killer's Kiss to
Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick's twelve feature films are represented by a vast
selection of stills (not including his first feature, Fear and Desire, which he
withdrew from circulation). The stills, which were scanned directly from the
film reels, are presented chronologically, unadulterated and without text.
In an interview about 2001: A
Space Odyssey, Kubrick made a statement that reflects one of his central
tenets: "Reactions to art are always different because they are always
deeply personal.... [T]he film becomes anything the viewer sees in it."
The goal of this book is to allow readers the chance to explore Kubrick's
archives intuitively, absorbing the various puzzle pieces and assembling them
into a personal interpretation. This is, I hope, the way Stanley Kubrick would
have wanted it.
