The Stanley Kubrick Archives

by Alison Castle (Editor), Stanley Kubrick

The Kubrick files
From the archives of cinematic genius

In 1968, when Stanley Kubrick was asked to comment on the metaphysical significance of 2001: A Space Odyssey, he replied: It s not a message I ever intended to convey in words. 2001 is a nonverbal experience... I tried to create a visual experience, one that bypasses verbalized pigeonholing and directly penetrates the subconscious with an emotional and philosophic content.

Now available as part of our Bibliotheca Universalis series, The Stanley Kubrick Archives borrows from the director s philosophy. From the opening sequence of Killer s Kiss to the final frames of Eyes Wide Shut, it allows the masterful visuals of Kubrick s complete films to impress through a sequence of compelling, mesmerizing stills. We uncover Kubrick s creative process through fascinating archival material, including set designs, sketches, correspondence, documents, screenplays, drafts, notes, and shooting schedules.

Accompanying the visual material are essays by noted Kubrick scholars, articles written by and about Kubrick, and a selection of Kubrick s best interviews. The result is a visual, archival, and scholarly journey through masterworks of 20th century cinema and the meticulous mind of the director behind them.

About the series:
Bibliotheca Universalis Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe at an unbeatable, democratic price!
Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in 1980, the name TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible, open-minded publishing. Bibliotheca Universalis brings together nearly 100 of our all-time favorite titles in a neat new format so you can curate your own affordable library of art, anthropology, and aphrodisia.
Bookworm s delight never bore, always excite!"

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Biography, Art, Media Tie In, Collections, Reference

868 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Steven Godin · Rating 5 out of 5]

850+ pages of pure cinematic gold. Deep analysis of every Kubrick film, plus interviews, articles, film stills, behind the scenes footage, essays, and more - a rare noted conversation between Kubrick and Joseph Heller discussing Dr. Strangelove and Catch-22 being one of many great highlights. I didn't even realise that a part of Barry Lyndon (arguably the most gorgeous looking period film ever made) was filmed literally down the road from my old family home (7 minutes of footage shot in Royal Victoria Park, Bath). Learning more about Kubrick's early work you could see, even then, his relentless pursuit of perfection was evident - later on, the 148 takes for a scene in The Shining being a record breaker. It's pretty much a flawless book on his films, and as a huge Kubrick fan it's put me right in the mood for a Friday afternoon/early evening Kubrick double bill - Picking from what would probably be my top five -

A Clockwork Orange
Barry Lyndon
Lolita
Paths of Glory
2001

(Take a look at that Netflix, Amazon, AppleTV, etc... and you can only dream)

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a book that is truly worthy of the legendary film director Stanley Kubrick. It's an incredibly informative, yet straightforward, piece of work. You get over 800 pages full interviews & essays on Kubrick's films & plenty of information from the man himself. There are also a huge amount of wonderful photographs, many of them rare, that give even more insight into his films. If you are a fan of Kubrick then this is, quite simply, a must read.

[Ioana Lily Balas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is exceptional if you are into Kubrick films. Going into this, I didn't know much about Kubrick as a person, but only about his creations. I knew I was a huge fan of his films and that I appreciated the artistry behind them but about the man - nothing.

This book gave me a lot of insight into the processes he was using, it goes into quite a lot of technical detail when it comes to image placement, lighting setup and features of different cameras available at the time. I also liked that they were honest and open when it came to on set relationships and approaches, and how Kubrick was developing the actors and bringing the best out of them. Moreover, I had no idea about some of the projects he was considering, such as 'AI' or 'Napoleon'! It is humbling to see that someone as talented and as iconic as Kubrick also had his ambitions that he ultimately couldn't reach, even after substantial emotional investment.

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

'' To make an entirely film by yourself, which initially I did, you may not have to know very much about anything else, but you must know photography''
Stanley Kubrick

This book It is part biography, part cinematography with a great deal of archives. Kubrick was known for not being very opened about his art. Yet, the editor manages to put together everything relevant that was said by Kubrick and his colleagues about his body of work.

Each part is divided by movies from his amateurish ''Fear and Desire''(1953) to his masterful ''Eyes Wide Shut'' (1999). I guess what makes Kubrick a category of filmmakers of his own is his total control of almost every aspect of his movies from pre production to theatrical release (at least from Lolita in 62' onward as far as one can tell).

He lived a life in full and his legacy is well displayed in this glossy volume.

Valuable book.

[Trey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have two books in my collection that can be properlly be refered to as Tomes. Recording the Beatles is one. This is the other. To say that this book thoroughly covers, in excruciating detail and beautiful prints, the career of Stanley Kubrick is a massive understatement.

[Samuel Andrade · Rating 5 out of 5]

the definitive guide to Stanley Kubrick's dreams and ambition.

[Ben De Bono · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really wonderful companion to Kubrick's filmography. The essays and interviews are good, albeit with little information not found elsewhere, but the real draw are the photos. About half of the material in the nearly 900 pages are full color photos. They capture behind the scenes moments, various shots from Kubrick's life, notes he left about different projects, and more. If you're a Kubrick fan, this collection is a must own

[Drew Raley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My prized possession. The greatest of all film books and a beautiful artifact to hold in hand. My mom got me this for Christmas while the limited edition was still available. Thanks mom!

[Anton Klink · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is massive, thorough and superb. So why do I rate it only 4 stars out of 5? This book will mainly appeal to fans of Kubrick movies and I can't count myself among them. I only borrowed the book from the library since I enjoy movies in general and I am a fan of "Spacey Odyssey", the background of which I found fascinating to read. However I don't care much for Kubrick's other movies so the appeal was only limited for me. Nevertheless, having leafed through the rest of the book, I appreciate the quality and work behind the book, so for anyone with even slight interest in Kubrick the man, movie maker and artist, this is highly recommended.

[Michael Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

a book that has so much detail and care put into it that stanley kubrick himself would be proud of

not only did this book cement the idea to me that kubrick was a great filmmaker, but also that he was a human. before reading i had an idea that he was a bit of a strange fellow, and in a way, he wasn't exactly normal, but he definitely wasn't the person people made him out to be. as he put himself 'I have a wife, three children, three dogs, seven cats. I'm not Franz Kafka, sitting alone and suffering.'

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a great read-along with Blank Check's Kubrick series, even though it covered a lot of the same material JJ's dossier ended up providing on the podcast. Pretty spectacular stuff. I'd love to look at a lot of these photos and archival material again, though I'm not sure I see myself revisiting these essays (which are fine but far too rudimentary in terms of plot and context).

[Kyle Staubs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stanley Kubrick was a true artists and unfortunately was only appreciated after his death. This book was awesome to drive into all his films and projects he never got off the ground. Definitely a most read if your a movie buff and love his films.

[cristian m · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing thorough insight into the thought, work, and life of an artist unlike any other. Kubrick is the director most close to my heart, and this book was a treasure to read.

[Alexander DeLarge · Rating 5 out of 5]

La cabra de cabras. El mejor director de todos los tiempos, con cada página dimensionas la trascendencia de su obra, sus decisiones, su carácter y sus ideas. Humano en todos los sentidos.

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read for anyone wanting to obsessively dive into Kubrick’s filmography and filmmaking like me. The essays for each film ranged from “a little interesting” to “super interesting” so all told I’d call it a very satisfying look into every single one of his films until and after his death. Maybe even more valuable than the essays were the photos included in this, some fantastic high quality stuff from behind the scenes of the films or from Kubrick’s personal life.

[Javi · Rating 5 out of 5]

He aprendido más de cine con este libro que con todos los años que he estudiado. Maravilloso, recoge perfectamente la filmografía y la figura de uno de los mayores genios de la historia. Gracias Stanley.

[Aditya Watts · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rip-Off.
Nothing of worth here if you're a film maker already familiar with Kubrick's work. Half of the book is fuckin' screenshots from his movies. As I said. Rip-Off.

[Peng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually 4.5/5, just rounded down for goodreads scale.

The in-depth details and images would have made this already essential, but it's also assembled by Castle with such thorough chronological background that makes it a great read. However, this would have been full 5/5 for me if not for two issues:


1) Each film has a central essay detailing from its conception to its release, so I was anticipating the one for 2001, only to disappointingly find out that it's the only one that breaks away from the format, and is composed of timelines and disparate essays on different elements of the film instead.

2) From Barry Lyndon onward until Eyes Wide Shut, each film's central essay is by Rodney Hill, whose writing is tad too hagiographical on Kubrick for my taste. For example, the theatrical release part of his essay -- on every single Kubrick film he writes on -- always points out how Kubrick's films were misunderstood upon initial reception by some circles, preemptively dismissing the criticisms by bringing up praises from critics who "get it", which gets eye-rolling by the third or fourth time he uses this already.

Also, I was looking forwards to reading about the treatment of Shelley Duvall on the set of The Shining. Considering the involvement of his estate and family with the book, I didn't expect that section to be seriously disparaging towards Kubrick or anything, but past essays haven't shied away from mentioning the frictions or differences Kubrick can have with other actors, like Spartacus (Kirk Douglas and the film's British actors) or Lolita (Shelly Winters). But all Hill mentions, in a positive tone, is why Kubrick casted Duvall for the role, which feels crossing the line from too hagiographical to borderline dishonest for me.


This is still engrossing in details and gorgeously put together though, even through sections of Kubrick films that I'm not a big fan of (eg. Lolita), so that I'm very glad I blind-bought it.

Trivial side-note: this book has a ton of BTS stills, and as I was reading through it, I was curious to see Kubrick's switch from his early, relatively fresh-faced look to his more common, older bearded image in later career. I know it's an age thing, and the film's production took over a few years, but it's funny to see from the pictures how most of that transformation seems to take place primarily over his time on 2001.

[John Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased The Stanley Kubrick Archives as a companion for a revisit of Kubrick's entire filmography. It was perfect for that purpose, though if you want a deep dive into any particular film, you'll need to investigate the notes at the end of each essay. On the contrary, if you're just breezing through, there are hundreds of high quality pictures here to represent the films, including stills, production documents, and behind the scenes photos. It's a Taschen art book after all, and that means sleek production and solid critiques.

As for the essayists' takes on Kubrick, they emphasize that he was not a cruel, perfectionist taskmaster, but rather an artist who knew that the final print would be forever, and thus must be of the highest quality. Nor was Kubrick a pessimist or misanthrope, but rather a realist who insisted on dealing with human nature as he saw it. And as a technician, Kubrick was a photographer at heart who generated striking images by inventing (or becoming an early adopter of) pioneering cinematographic techniques.

Finally, I'll point out some chapter-specific highlights of the book. The first few essays pay due attention to Kubrick's early life and his increasingly accomplished early films. If you've seen those movies, you know they aren't masterpieces yet still have a lot to offer. Several essays point out connective themes between films in various stages of Kubrick's career. The Dr. Strangelove "pie scene" which was filmed but left on the cutting room floor is an interesting read, and Kubrick's scathing letter to the New York Times (whose film critic called Kubrick a fascist after viewing A Clockwork Orange) is perhaps Kubrick's most passionate and insightful defense of his of work. Appropriately, 2001: A Space Odyssey gets the most attention, a full 90 pages comprised of seven distinct essays. And the book even explores three of Kubrick's unfinished projects, his abandoned Napoleon epic (which morphed into Barry Lyndon and was recently repurposed by Ridley Scott), AI (which became a warmer, less philosophical Steven Spielberg production), and a Holocaust film in the early stages of development.

If you're a casual fan, this book is worth a read. If you're serious about collecting and analyzing Kubrick's work, this probably belongs on your shelf.

[Sven Schoenung · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book prominently advertises the collaboration of Christiane Kubrick and the Kubrick estate on its cover, and it is likely this association that the book draws both its greatest strength and greatest weakness from.

First, the strength: the book succeeds in its aim of being a 'Stanley Kubrick Archive'. It is filled with exclusive material from Kubrick's archives -- letters, notes, scripts, storyboards -- as well as behind-the-scenes photographs of Kubrick the Director and day-to-day photographs of Kubrick the Person. None of this material would likely have made it into the book without the collaboration and authorization of Christiane Kubrick and the Kubrick estate.

However this collaboration has likely also led to the books biggest weakness: in trying to please the estate with her depiction of Kubrick the author essentially turns her book into hagiography. You will not find a critical word from her in all of the 700 pages and very little of other people's criticisms. Omitted is the disappointment that Malcolm McDowell felt over Kubrick's sudden cessation of contact after the conclusion of A Clockwork Orange. No mention of how Kubrick treated Shelley Duvall during the filming of The Shining in order to elicit the performance seen on screen. On the few occasions where the book does present other people's criticism it engages in apologia at best and dismissive brush-offs at worst (as is the case with the treatment of Pauline Kael's writings).

Less significant, but more annoying is the book's tendency to summarize every one of Kubrick's films. This makes sense for his early works (the documentaries, the first few features) since they aren't widely available. However, anybody interested enough in Kubrick's work to buy this book can be excepted to have seen all of his films starting with Paths of Glory, making these summaries tedious and boring to read though.

All that said I still recommend this book for the archival material. Just forget about the text.

[Seán · Rating 1 out of 5]

Besides a few pictures and a couple interviews with Kubrick, this is a pretty awful book.

The people that were assigned to write about each film injected their own thoughts into their respective sections. Thoughts I could not have cared less to hear about, thoughts which are stated as fact that I flat out disagree with. The writing style of a Wikipedia article would be much preferred over what this ended up being.
If you’re looking for some real insight into the making of these films there are documentaries on the blu rays for them that are barely even 10 minutes long which go into far more depth than this book does.

50% of the writing in this book is dedicated to describing the story of each of his films scene-by-scene. I’m not sure who this is for as the only two categories of people who could possibly be reading this book have A) already seen the films or B) not seen the films.
Category A) doesn’t need the description because they’ve seen the fucking film.
And Category B) is clearly interested in watching it if they’re reading about behind the scenes of a film they’ve never seen, so they could really do without your shitty overlong summary spoiling it for them.

A summary of the film can be fine, but this no-joke consisted of half this book. The other half wasn’t too interesting either.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have spent the better part of this year slowly winding my way through a revisit of Kubrick's entire filmography while consulting this massive tome before and after screenings of each film. As I anticipate the arrival of Criterion's new 4K release of Eyes Wide Shut, I figured it was time to finally bring my time with this compendium to a close, powering through the final portions which were largely (though not entirely) comprised of insights and trivia I'd already gleaned elsewhere (the massive Kolker and Abrams book, their comparatively svelte Eyes Wide Shut piece, the Napoleon Taschen archive release, etc.).

Revisiting the work of Kubrick is something that's become a periodic practice over the years for me, and it's one from which I always emerge having discovered something new - about the films, sure, but also about just who I am, where I'm at in life, what I value, what I'm bringing into these films I already know so well as I revisit them. This time around, the gargantuan amount of accompanying reading material has pushed me towards a more complete understanding of Kubrick's creative process, sure, but also a larger idea of who he was as a person.

[Alexander Pettry · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I do enjoy reading books and have enjoyed many in the past, this is probably the only book I dreaded finishing. Stanley Kubrick is often regarded as the greatest filmmaker of all time who not only rejuvenated the world of cinema but has yet to be emulated. "The Stanley Kubrick Archives" is the definitive guide for any admirer of the legend and his legacy. Starting from the birth and upbringing of Kubrick, the book guides us through the complexity of each of Kubrick's films including ones that never even made it to production. Including rare and archival photos and interviews, we get to see how the magic was brought to the screen and even debunks many myths surrounding the director. Laced with pathos and logos, "The Stanley Kubrick Archives" is the ultimate companion peace for any fan of Kubrick; film; and the arts.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting compendium of reviews, interviews, synopses, and copious photographs that works as the perfect companion for watching the great master's films. The interviews are the most fruitful component, as they shed light on the inner workings of Kubrick's mind. The many and varied photos are disconnected from the text, so one could take or leave those (behind-the-scenes footage is more informative and engaging anyway). So if you're interested in tracking through Kubrick's filmography, and want something a bit more lavish and deeply researched than Wikipedia, this is the ideal tome for you. Note that most of the information can be had free on the internet now though, which somewhat dents this book's value.

[Matt McKeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, produced with the cooperation of the Kubrick estate, is a survey of the directors films from "the Killing" in the 50s to "Eyes Wide Shut" his last film. It chock full of sketches, stills, scripts, scene descriptions, transcriptions of interviews, and gives a closeup of the director's decisions and viewpoint.

Its very much a defense of Kubrick. I love Kubrick films and have seen, I think, all of them, some repeatedly. But he's not infallible, so while its interesting to read a defense of Ryan O'Neal in "Barry Lyndon" he's a blank faced clothes horse. In "A Clockwork Orange" he softened Alex, (Malcolm McDowall). No rape of ten year olds, as in the novel.

Good look into a director who refused to compromise.

[Rick Zinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have admit this was more of a read long while going through Kubrick’s 16 movies. Watch the movie and read the chapter of the book dedicated to the movie. I knew very little about Stanley Kubrick other than he let the movie speak for itself and was rarely interviewed. He Comes across as a curious man, a heavy reader who turned books into often masterpieces.

I don’t what to review Kubrick’s movies here, find me on letterboxd for that. The BTS pictures and analysis of his films contained in this book are wonderful. I you like movies,read this. If you like Kubrick, read this. If you like photography, read this.

I had so much fun rewatching his movies and reading about them afterwards.

[Stefanos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would love to own the original big & super pricy version of this book, but I enjoyed this smaller version nevertheless. There are a ton of previously unpublished pictures in there, along with detailed plot summaries filled with production details, behind the scenes facts, bits and pieces about Kubrick and an SK interview on every chapter(movie).

I will not complain about the small form factor of this version because it keeps the price low, but I will complain about its small page count. 860 pages are not enough to cover a detailed analysis of the 13 masterpieces. Really, they aren’t.

[Ryan Splenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This carefully collated compilation of writings, interviews, essays, photographs, and artifacts on Stanley Kubrick's illustrious career is the perfect reference for any fan. Each movie is thoroughly covered, including behind-the-scenes information and plenty of supplemental visuals that give more context about the making of each film. The interviews (with Kubrick) that often accommodate each movie/chapter provide the most value and give the reader a glimpse into the mind of this movie genius. A highly recommended read for all movie fans.

[Jose Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A journey through Stanley Kubrick's entire filmography. It doesn't delve too deeply into any one film, because if it did, it would require a book for each one. You can appreciate every moment and every challenge each project entailed, seeing his vision evolve and observing how he discarded other projects due to scheduling conflicts. What truly makes the book special is the extensive collection of photographs taken by his wife. It also includes interviews conducted during the making of some of his most important films, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mammoth tome covering the career of one of the greatest directors ever. Lots of illustrations accompany a general essay for each film with excerpts from interviews conducted with Kubrick around the time of each one. There is something for every type of film buff, whether you like a bit of insider gossip or the effect of a certain type of camera lens on a shot, and even analysis of the films he started researching but never made. One for fans really.