Kubrick's ABANDONED "Napoleon" - The Greatest Movie Never Made

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SEX lenses, 50,000 Romanian troops, a lost manuscript in a salt mine, and the mythos of Stanley Kubrick all combine into the most fascinating ABANDONED film that was considered the "BEST film ever made." Join us as we dig into Stanley Kubrick's ABANDONED "Napoleon" film!
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🖥️Editor: John Owens, Jacob Owens
✏️Writer: Elwood, John Owens
📚Researcher: John Owens, Elwood
🖼️Thumbnail Squad: Tim LaPointe
🤖A.I. Programs Used: Runway
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0:00 The LOST Kubrick script
1:56 Stanley Kubrick's ABANDONED "Napoleon" Film
2:28 2001: A Space Odyssey
3:08 Kubrick persuades MGM to let him research "Napoleon"
3:25 Kubrick's thoughts on other Napoleon films
4:00 OBSESSION - The Auteur Directors Addiction
5:01 How would Kubrick's work be viewed today?
5:44 Doctorate level RESEARCH
6:29 Kubrick creates a new photo cataloging system
7:00 Kubrick notes all 50 characters' positioning during the life of Napoleon
7:31 The Budget Problem
7:47 The 50,000 Extras and Location Problem
9:08 The Uniform and Costume Problem
9:37 The Set Construction problem
10:23 The Actor Problem
10:58 The Sea Battle Problem
11:18 The Cinematography and special lenses for sex scenes
12:10 MGM, Industry changes, and Napoleon ABANDONED
13:48 No one ever fully knew why Kubrick never made Napoleon
14:24 The Death of Kubrick
14:43 The inspiration of Ridley Scott and Spielberg
15:19 Spielberg's Announcement
15:46 Unabandoned in the near future?
Disclosure - Some of the links in the description box are affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, if you use those links to purchase an item, I will receive a small commission. I appreciate your support :)
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#Napoleon #abandoned #FrameVoyager

[@FrameVoyager]

Which ABANDONED film should we cover next?

[@conorstapleton3183]

Jodorowsky's plans for Dune.

[@michaelcoy311]

The Day the Clown Cried. The misjudged Holocaust movie Jerry Lewis hid away in a vault

[@FrameVoyager]

Oh that would have been this month's episode if they didn't push Dune out lol. We have that one in the works for next year 😉

[@tubbylumpkins4885]

Paul verhoeven's Crusade.

[@scolveldynasty]

Coyote Vs Acme got revived but maybe a video about that and WB's current reputation

[@whoaitstiger]

Stanley Kubrick: Historical accuracy is paramount. I will hire a renowned expert to advise me. I will assemble index cards to meticulously keep track of the positions of each character over the course of Napoleon's life. Ridley Scott: So Napoleon rocks up on his motorcycle and he's like "Nuke the pyramids!"

[@heyitssimo6021]

He is the guy that helped fake the moon landing. F him

[@Cancoillotteman]

Let's hope Spielberg gets it right !

[@fpsVAMPZ]

Is it that bad?

[@jake5773]

​@@fpsVAMPZas someone who has watched/read a lot about Napoleon from actual historians, yes it's that bad.

[@whoaitstiger]

@@fpsVAMPZ I've heard nothing but complaints from people who are enthusiastic about history.

[@tomdanks3427]

Napoleon needs a ten season series a movie is simply not long enough

[@_Azurael_]

Probably duable with a Trilogy. Series would be good, but the budget could kill the project. You can have a full season just on 1 campaign and even then some cuts would need to be made.

[@why-hf6gc]

⁠@@_Azurael_true, maybe a season per war? Something like that would be nice, but I doubt they’d keep the project alive/give them enough money to keep the production polished throughout. Could definitely be done though.

[@Cancoillotteman]

Honestly I would rather go for a full French Revolution series, in which Naopeoni Bonaparte gets introduced (and actually initially mocked) as this small Italian accent artillery officer during season 2. Season 1 should end on Louis the XVIth losing his head in a combined scenery with the battle of Valmy at the same time (not exactly historical timing note, but I like the narrative it creates, the "there is no way back now"). Season 2 should be the Terror; starting with the execution of Marie Antoinette & the Dauphin, the Chouans revolts in Vendée, machinations plots and betrayals, battles on the Rhine, battle of Toulon where we should get introduced to Bonaparte and some of the caracters who will matter later, ending on the death of Robespierre Season 3 should cover part of the Directorate (roughly 1794 - 1796), starting with the attempted Royalist Coup crushed by Napoleon, the different scientific advancements and struggles (metric system etc), the war on the Rhine; Poland getting finally anexed by Russia, Prussia and Austria (which allows us to introduce Polish caracters who will play a role later on) and of course main focus : the campaign of Italy. I'm gonna write my ideas a bit faster for the rest but you get the gist Season 4 : Egyptian campaign, Haitian revolt begining, introducing us to Toussain Louverture, Admirals Villeneuve and especially Nelson, ending with the Coup d'Etat of 1799 Season 5 : Consulate, assassination attempts, Corronation as Emperor, Trafalgar, ending on Austerlitz. Season 6 : Prussia, Poland, all the way to Tilsit Season 7 : Wagram, Portugal, Spain invasion(s) and revolts, ending on the declaration of war against Russia Season 8 : Russian campaign, the burning of the city, disastrous retreat, Rezina Bay, culminating in Leipzig Season 9 : The losing wars : 1813 - 1815. 3rd episode should be his abdication. End of 4th episode he leaves Elba. 5th episode : claiming France and trying to negociate peace, to no avail. 6th : mobilisation and manoeuvering, with every caracters saying goodbye to their loved ones. 7th : Build up of tensions, closing secondary plots (American-Canadian war, Haïti revolution, the Tzar denying Poland its promessed independance and crushing the Decemberists (yes 10 years too early i know, but i think it fits well here). 8th : Ney beats the British at Quatre Bras, Napoleon beats the Prussians at Ligny. 9th : showdown at Waterloo. 10th : conclusions, negociations, and peace treaty. Napoleon dies in Saint Helena. Or at least that's how i see it in 10 minutes, of course could be improved.

[@Thatguy57364]

Thats why the og silent film was 5 and a half hours

[@fh854]

The form is so much weaker in a series…

[@guilhermeferraz9954]

So Kubrick basically saw Napoleon and said "He's literally me"

[@FrameVoyager]

Pretty much. Seems to be a common theme among Auteur directors lol

[@MrZombiekiller23]

Its crazy we arent in the Kubrick's Napoleon timeline but we gotta be stuck in the RIDLEY SCOTT'S Napoleon timeline, we gotta figure out the multiverse so we can see the Kubrick version... this is humanities mission edit: FINALLY finished the video and holy shit were getting a Kubrick inspired Napoloen mini series with Spielberg at the helm?!!? and I just rewatched band of brothers and the Pacific recently! Hopefully were in good hands but I guess thats what I thought with Ridley Scott lmao we shall see great video!

[@FrameVoyager]

Assemble... the Avengers 👀

[@gjk2012]

I hate when kids mention timeline comments and they always think about those comic book movies instead of Back to the Future. We truly do live in a fucked up timeline!

[@FrameVoyager]

@@gjk2012 I hate when older generation gatekeep on what references are ok to use. Every generation has their stories they relate to and quote from. Nothing fucked up about that

[@autisticlegionnaire3624]

@@FrameVoyager My younger self agrees with you while my contemporary self sneers naaaaah

[@FrameVoyager]

@@autisticlegionnaire3624 😂😂😂

[@blushslice]

Kubrick was truly a creative and business genius, probably won’t see another like him ever again

[@FrameVoyager]

I think many might look back on Nolan in a similar fashion in 40-50 years. But yeah, cinema has juse evolved for sure

[@MichaTheLight]

Kubrick also established his own style his movies have certain feel. Kubricks Napoleon would have been epic. I guess Kubrick realized that the project would require a three or four movie series with each part 2 hours in running time. May this was to Herculean for Kubrick with his perfectionism the costs may exceeded every offer given by producers. Sad that the audience back then didn't was receptive to Napoleon movies, I guess the giant flops of previous movies prevented the making. The 70's were the great time of scifi

[@kentbetts]

@@MichaTheLight Anthony Burgess was interested in getting more movie money for his writing. After A Clockwork Orange, Burgess wrote a novel on the life of Napoleon, titled Napoleon Symphony, after Kubrick mentioned he wanted to do a Napoleon movie. Kubrick soon switched to a novel titled Barry Lyndon, the first novel by Thackeray. Which I think was at least as charming and worthwhile as a Napoleon film. Casting Ryan O'Neal was interesting. And strangely, the studio was so disappointed when Barry Lyndon flopped that Kubrick was able to purchase the film from the studio for $10 million.

[@claudiojijon4951]

I think of this multiple times a week. I even have its script saved in my notes. We really missed out but at least we got Barry Lyndon out of it.

[@realizedvisions]

Barry Lyndon is a masterpiece, so..... some consolation there.

[@kentbetts]

And Napoleon Symphony, a novel by Anthony Burgess.

[@jimnewcombe7584]

Anthony Burgess (author of "A Clockwork Orange") wrote "Napoleon Symphony" with the intention of it serving as a script for Kubrick, and the book is dedicated to him; but the novel is literary and probably unfilmable, because Burgess tried to get the musical motifs and rhythms of Beethoven's "Eroica" (itself originally dedicated to Napoleon) into the novel.

[@migangelmart]

I have this novel but I haven't read it! Now would be the perfect time. Thanks for reminding me. Napoleon is always referred to as "N" in the novel iirc.

[@Melvinshermen]

I heard this one

[@Melvinshermen]

No actually Kubrick did not like the script. And also i remember Burgess got this falling out with a clockwork orange

[@jimnewcombe7584]

@@Melvinshermen Yes, well, Burgess created A Clockwork Orange. Kubrick didn't fully understand the intention of the book, and refused ever to speak about the film, leaving the more eloquent Burgess to defend the principles behind it.

[@Melvinshermen]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@jimnewcombe7584no talk i am about script Burgess did for Kubrick, and he stanley just rejected, yes the book was orginal was script. But the reason was not because it unfilmable. The reason was because Kubrick did not like it. Ok it did say i think sort right with unfilmable, but i don’t it was main reason. To quteo stanley himself. the [manuscript] is not a work that can help me make a film about the life of Napoleon And also what i heard Burgess got hudge fall out with Kubrick more so then king. What i heard he got death threat, i don’t want to sound cringe, but he got basic cancelled culture before that was thing. And Burgess wrote a play Which got this f you to stanley. A man bearded like Stanley Kubrick comes on playing, in exquisite counterpoint, 'Singin’ in the Rain' on the trumpet. He is kicked off the stage

[@UnderTheCovers1]

I'm pretty sure you got it wrong, Kubrick was a huge admirer of Abel Gance's Napoléon (1927 film). It says so in the trailer. What Kubrick had issues with that film was its historical accuracy. Hence, Kubrick wanted to make Gance's Napoleon for a modern audience.

[@shiven513]

This

[@jdghgh]

That is a relief to hear. I was bewildered that Kubrick disliked that masterpiece!

[@denroy3]

Modern audience? That's a joke on you.

[@DapperDill]

@@denroy3Modern at the time.

[@FrameVoyager]

I mean... that could be true but we have several sources that had him saying quote " “But I found it to be really terrible. As far as story and performance goes it's a very crude picture."" Maybe he respected it? But from most of the stories he didn't like it.

[@alexandergraham6912]

The Kubrick screenplay was extraordinary. So much about the existential flaw of humanity, of mankind...a historical version of 2001's themes..it would have been, indeed, a twin magnum opus masterpiece and raised the boundaries of cinema to unheard of new heights. Scott looked at its searing genius...and ran away. Tells you everything you need to know.

[@lamentate07]

Yeah but we got Barry Lyndon instead, which is an incredible film.

[@NavAK_86]

Calm down. I'm a Kubrick fan too but not all his movies are masterpieces. Who knows how it would have turned out.

[@Ro7ard]

That is just an entirely new level of pretentiousness. Give your head a shake

[@zero-pl3tt]

@@NavAK_86 Honestly i'd say all of his movies beginning with Dr Strangelove were masterpieces, which ones do you do you think aren't?

[@java4653]

​@@lamentate07LOL. Barry Lyndon is terrible and a good a litmus test for Delusional Hero Worship vs. actual criticism.

[@rohanmarkjay]

I never thought much about Napoleon except that when you visit France. His influence is everywhere from the Napoleonic Code on the wide boulevards and road of Paris and France. He was clearly a very important figure to the French. Almost someone who defined France as a nation on the world stage. That is all I knew about him and did not care. Until I came across one day how Kubrick was obsessed with Napoleon and wanted to make a movie about him in the early to mid 1970s. He had done all the research and to Kubricks' shock the big Hollywood studio turned his Napoleon project down a movie that was personal to Kubrick. I suppose Kubrick saw himself walking in Napoleon's footsteps as film director. Kubrick saw a lot of himself in Napoleon. Anywhere after that I was fascinated If Kubrick was obsessed with Napoleon then their must be something about him that is very interesting. Because I find Stanley Kubrick a very interesting and absorbing person.

[@S1eeperServ1ce]

Spielberg will make Napoleon human. Spielberg will absolutely feature Marshall’s and I for one would like to see Marshal Ney again! Dan O'Herlihy played a great Ney in Waterloo but unfortunately Waterloo wasn’t a good day for Ney. Only days earlier he had defeated Wellington ; the only Marshall who managed to do so. More than anything I want to see young Napoleon in Italy and Austria , serving along side contemporary colleagues, rivals and friends. After that I want to see Napoleon’s relationship and soldierly banter with senior commanders like Ney, Murat and watch how they all worked miracles to narrowly escape Russia - with Marshall Ney’s pivotal role featured. What about the fate of the last loyal Marshall’s? Napoleon was a genius of his age but he got to his zenith with his Marshall’s and his Infantry and Cavalry. Napoleon would have been aware of this and so modern audiences should be thus informed. I trust Spielberg to capture all of the above. Kubrick was a genius of his time and Spielberg is the ultimate artist of his. Ridley Scott dropped the ball. The movie is trash. Go watch Waterloo !

[@tedwojtasik8781]

The issue with filming something like Napoleon is scope, there is just too much in the life of Napoleon the task would require at least a six hour movie and hundreds of millions of dollars. IMO, the best way to approach this would be minimalistic. Just an aged Napoleon in his estate on St. Helena in conversation with the Islands governor. One room, two men, that's it.

[@storungz]

I really like that idea! Seems like it would do well a stage performance (play) with a film counterpart to come later.

[@nineofive.2573]

Read half of the script a while back and the imagery I was getting was masterful it was like Kubricks likeness scene wise was popping into my head through the script, it’s a shame this won’t be made, for now probably.

[@avdcam]

George Miller's Justice League sounded so interesting, Superman Lives as well. But most recently the WB abandoned films like Batgirl you have already covered now includes the Coyote vs Acme film. Maybe you could even get interviews of crew who have released behind the scenes content.

[@FrameVoyager]

We are already working on one for the Coyote vs. Acme movie haha. Weird story. But doubt I could get any interviews, everyone is always under some sort of NDA especially in this situation. The others sound good too though!

[@avdcam]

Yah, I checked again for the bts footage and noticed the copyright pull by WB arleady struck it. Mirrors still exist, but damn. NDA makes sense too, since they would have already signed during production. @@FrameVoyager I would def give the other comment about jodorowsky's Dune a check too, excellent documentary already on the film project and how it's development led to so much creative work by the likes of HR Giger and more, leading to inspiring work for Alien and Star Wars. Interesting story for sure. Superman Lives also has a pretty indepth doc too. Okay, so this is a weird one that I thought was abandoned but actually finally saw a release. It's titled 5-25-77, and was shot in 2004 but released, finally, last year. It was screened at TIFF nearly 10 years ago in an unfinished state, but finally was finished, it seems last year. Staring a young John Francis Daley, wild story that one.

[@FrameVoyager]

Oh yeah, I've been holding on to the DUNE video for a while. That would have come out this month if they didn't move Dune 2!

[@avdcam]

Oh nice nice. Can't wait.@@FrameVoyager

[@math3068]

@@FrameVoyager +1 here to a video about George Miller Justice League

[@DonHornsby]

Thanks for this episode. I have read about Kubrick's desire to film "Napoleon" for decades. It was great to see a presentation focusing on this lost film. I wished that he would have made it when he wanted to in the early 1970s.

[@thomasjamison2050]

In my experience of extensively researching a really significant historical figure, one can get to the point where one decides that doing the job fully and accurately is beyond the scope of single lifetime. Then one's only choice is settling for less, and that can be very much less enticing given what one has learned about the scope, depth and influence of the character.

[@jjrossitee]

Could you do a video about the mass hallucination that caused so many terrible super hero movies to be made in the 21st century?

[@poindextertunes]

i recently got into The Boys. Its not bad. Still formulaic tho

[@jjrossitee]

@@poindextertunes the thought of watching more super hero based content gives me no hope for humanity.

[@withnail-and-i]

​@@poindextertunesIt might be good, but why isn't there OTHER good stuff than superheroes

[@tancreddehauteville764]

A great shame that Kubrick never did it in the mid 1990s.

[@Thespeedrap]

He could've done a lot more movies between FMJ and EWS.

[@OceanlinerDesigns]

Really glad to have found your channel! Devastated this was never made, it would have been a seminal work I think!

[@FrameVoyager]

Glad you found us too! And agreed, I think it's always fascinating to kind of think "what could have been." But if it did work out we may never have gotten some other Stanley Kubrick classic films.

[@dangreene3895]

I don't think you could ever make a accurate movie about Napoleon , the movie would have to be nine hours long and cost thousands of Millions of dollars to produce , no way it would ever get the audience .

[@McLarenMercedes]

You could make a trilogy. Alas the only genre any studio would agree to make three films for is the fantasy/comic genre. Sad but true. Real historical personalities don't have the same appeal. You also don't need a budget of 1000 million dollars. 100 million dollar per film could suffice since modern CGI could create "period accurate" cities, battlefields and palaces and a lot of the production could be outsourced.

[@HagbardCeline23]

So what about Spielberg's upcoming 7 hour TV series on Napoleon using Kubrick's screenplay as the basis?

[@Channel-jh1zw]

To get the real scope of it, I'd imagine you'd have to make a movie like Waterloo over 60 times.

[@BR-ty3hx]

That thumbnail is stuff of nightmares 😂 another great vid Voy!

[@FrameVoyager]

Jack Nicholson is the stuff of nightmares 👀👀👀 Appreciate it!

[@iseeu-fp9po]

15:19 - Didn't expect the music of Edvard Grieg. :)

[@FrameVoyager]

😉

[@arupsan]

If Kubrick was born today’s timeline this would have been quite a normal task in terms of logistic and creating 50000 soldiers etc … Big VFX studios would have made his dream possible the way he want it …. In fact Ridley Scott version very promising….too

[@FrameVoyager]

Oh very! Stanley Kubrick even mentioned how VFX would be able to help in do this before he died in 1999. This would have been an epic film though, can you imagine 50,000 extras on screen for massive battle scenes? The logistics would have been a complete nightmare haha. Ridley Scott's does look promising! We have a couple video of his coming out between now and next week

[@arupsan]

@@FrameVoyager I mean we don’t need to shoot 50000 crowd this days .. Full CGI crowd along with environmental challenges Yes he already had an idea back in 1999 I suppose , but little later Spielberg and his team Denis muren , George Lucas Tippet etc took over the main VFX related movies

[@arupsan]

@@FrameVoyager BTW thanks for your videos and details explanation …looking forward to more like this

[@FrameVoyager]

Appreciate it! We have a few more series we are starting like this here soon. Trying to along with our film production coverage do some storytelling videos as well in this niche. It's fun to do!

[@HauntakuTV]

No, Stanley would despise studios for being so lazy.

[@FrameVoyager]

Hope you guys enjoy the new style intro to the video! We're trying to lean a bit more into storytelling for these videos!

[@CNC-Time-Lapse]

I'm really liking the format. :)

[@FrameVoyager]

Appreciate it!

[@JeanMarcAbela]

You guys are killing it on every level.

[@FrameVoyager]

@@JeanMarcAbela appreciate it!

[@user-dg7df3sv7r]

I only just discovered you today 🤓🥳😍

[@andydufresnefromshawshank5866]

After seeing Ridley Scott’s Napoleon movie focusing on Napoleon’s entire military career, shows that this movie would’ve been the same. Probably a bit better due to it being more historically accurate than what we got and with 100s of thousands of extras. But the movie with a 3 hour long script shows that it’ll feel like Lord of the Rings trilogy being squashed into a single 3 hour movie

[@robinsonrex1280]

Felix Markham? Golly gosh, I have one of his books on Napoleon, I didn't even know that he so renowned that he was relied upon by a renowned director. I still sits on my shelf, makes me want to read it again.

[@jedgould5531]

13:50 He figured WB would have similar reservations, even about distribution. 0:22 A “close friend” would have known Kubrick was off his Napoleon obsession (1:41 “his friend?”) After exhaustive and fruitless research, perhaps Stanley finally accepted circa 1970 audiences weren’t interested in a Napoleon bio pic (pronounced BIO-pic btw not bi-OPIC 0:40). Quite interesting that the Kubrick Napoleon script was found in a salt mine. Next time bring a bigger light. I wonder if someone is up to breaking in to assorted storage mines.

[@jedgould5531]

Interesting series. Like the intro.

[@FrameVoyager]

Appreciate it! The "his friend" was more of a line from the account of it haha. The word biopic is actually said both ways and literally anywhere you look someone tells you to pronounce it the other way lol. Believe me I asked around from some of my friends and writers in the U.K., France, and Germany and did some looking into the word. No one seems to agree on it lmao

[@anthony-0101]

Ok so I was in the industry for two decades. I know, I know, “trust me bro,” but whatever, here’s the harsh truth: it was always pronounced bio-pic, as in “biography picture.” Never heard bi-opic before KZbinrs started pronouncing it that way, and honestly it sounds as wrong as someone saying “Yo-Ooh-Tube”

[@TheRealNormanBates]

@@anthony-0101 well that is very e-sot-eric.

[@richardcahill1234]

Abel Gance's NAPOLEON is arguably the greatest film that ever got made.

[@ludwik7326]

Definitely one of my favorites, and to think it was suppose to be the first of a whole series

[@ktom5262]

Arguably.

[@christopherf8912]

This! This is the greatest tragedy film has ever suffered. The fact that this could have been is the most tantalizing film we will never see.

[@elizabethpengson8244]

I Met guy working with Kubrick in London in 1974.. he was prepping the movie then.. BUT in an interview.. Kubrick alluded.. he watched Waterloo w/Rod Steiger.. he thought it was great.. he couldn't better it.. so he abandoned this project & did barry Lyndon instead

[@robertprice2148]

I think Kubrick's Barry Lyndon has much in it to be admired. Not least that it got the great Ken Adam his oscar. Good video BTW, thanks for making and posting. I will subscribe.

[@FrameVoyager]

Appreciate it! Glad you enjoyed the video

[@thomasbroadbent9518]

Hey I really appreciate these videos, I think you guys have something special. Thanks for scratching my film itch!

[@FrameVoyager]

Appreciate it! We have a lot more coming to help with that itch

[@RomainSandt]

Awesome video... Two little notes : would have been nice to put on footage from what movie it's from and when you said he could rent palaces in France and Italy. You showed the Elysee, the president Palace 😊. I'm about sure a big production can't storm inside and take over the place. Just a slight issue of safety. Only the courtyard where journalist film all the time often appears in movies.

[@FrameVoyager]

Ah, yes I didn't catch that for the palace actually. Was trying to find somewhere reasonable lol. That's definitley not it But basically any footage I showed was from those few napoleon films I showcased at the beginning. But noted for next time.

[@RomainSandt]

@@FrameVoyager it's ok. The storytelling is on point, and the subject interesting. I'll look up my self what movies the footage can be from. Some seem to have quite spectacular scenes.

[@FrameVoyager]

@@RomainSandt Yeah! They are pretty interesting. I listed them in the video if you wanna check them out there. One is a french version of Napoleon from the 50's, another is a german one, and then Gances 1927 film, Waterloo, and a russian version I think? It's kind of crazy how many were made tbh

[@user-uo3io3hp6n]

that intro is chilling

[@FrameVoyager]

😎😎😎

[@user-uo3io3hp6n]

@@FrameVoyager 😎👍

[@spudwas]

Oh.....let it be "Clearwater." Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins (who wrote Spielberg's first theatrical film "The Sugarland Express") was about to make a film called "Clearwater" with Steven Spielberg producing and Matthew Robbins directing for the first time. The film was to be made after Jaws was released. I personally heard Spielberg talk about the film in an interview back in 1975. Also in the official AFI interview magazing , Hal and Matthew describe the story as 'An apocalyptic future with escaped convicts finding a train in the middle of the forest, working together to fix the train, then start their journey on the train to find what is out what is out there. They described it as kind of Kurosawa influence. I've been waiting years to see this film or get a hold of the script. Why it was never made is a total mystery. Hope it perks your interest. Thanks.

[@patrickkealy4387]

Its too bad that Kubricks version was never completed. I watched the Ridley Scott version yesterday and man oh man what a trainwreck.

[@arupsan]

Right timing

[@FrameVoyager]

😏

[@stamatisspinos]

Brillant video. Keep going

[@FrameVoyager]

Appreciate it! We've got a whole list of them to cover

[@Astyeer]

Excellent video

[@FrameVoyager]

Appreciate it!

[@YouTubeIsForQueers]

Do they still use a salt mine to keep a bunch of random film related material? I’m assuming they do that because it remains cool inside the mine to preserve the contents inside??

[@therecalcitrantseditionist3613]

That and the salt pulls the moisture out of the air, allowing film and paper to rot at a significant slower rate.

[@willard39]

Man, I'd love to see a Jack Nicholson lead Napoleon movie.

[@FrameVoyager]

Right? That would have been fascinating

[@nonye0]

Jack Nicholson? are u high? he's too old? even joaquin is too old for napoleon jeez.

[@FrameVoyager]

@@nonye0 jack Nicholson was 33 in 1970? And Joaquin Phoenix is 49 currently. Napoleon took power at 35 and died when he was 51. They are both within the correct age range

[@nikiTricoteuse]

That would have been amazing!

[@Thespeedrap]

Who knows what a missed opportunity.

[@mrfrisk007]

thanks for this really interesting video :)

[@jaimehudson7623]

At 1:21 - 17 minutes of deleted scenes from '2001'? How many of us fans would trade their soul to see those minutes?

[@ricksgrandauditorium8790]

Well done, sub earned.

[@MarkMiremont777]

Steven is doing more than anyone else living today to support the genius of the late, great #StanleyKubrick.

[@timewa851]

? does that need to be done ? I now appreciate SK ending his filmography with 'Eyes Wide Shut'. His humor & sensibilities were far beyond Spielberg .

[@punchtalestudio]

Napoleon shadow looming over works so much better than an actual flick about him aka The duelliists

[@CameronBrooks]

So did he still get the army extras / costume deal for Lyndon?

[@OsFanB94]

The Ridley Scott film is an abomination. A miss on all accounts. Kubricks research and script is what everyone who wants to see a real Napoleon movie needs. A 6 movie set of 1792-1815 each ranging 2-3 hours would be the greatest movie series of all time. Film it LOTR style over the span of a few years.

[@bwmcelya]

Napoleon. Stanley didn’t live long enough. He could have lived longer but he didn’t want to go through the agony of stopping smoking. Neither do I. Nice video. Thanks.

[@mynameisforrest]

Jodorowsky's Dune is also up there

[@hagerty1952]

1:25 Wait! They found the edited-out 17 minutes from 2001? Is it available to see anywhere?

[@francisbacon7738]

Such a shame it would have been a timeless masterpiece.

[@mitsuomits9077]

11:33 those lenses that he "hunted down" were from NASA. Those are the exact same ones that he used to film the candle scene in Sumersby. In fact. He had those cameras for a long time and was wanting to use them. None othe camera could do the job of these ones with candle ligh.

[@zorafilms]

I like ridley scotts direction in sputting in the faces of hostorians and the audiance for hos refusal to make a mostly accurate Napoleon movie.

[@newhorizon4066]

The 'master' simply followed the maxin "Don't bite more than you can chew." Good business/common sense, usually found in folks not having oversized ego.

[@WarDog793]

Ach! What a damned shame Kubrick did all that research and groundwork/advance preparation and then MGM got chickenshit and stiff-armed him. Kubrick proved in _Barry Lyndon_ what he could do with visionary cinematic technology and huge battle scenes, etc. To learn Spielberg had intentions of picking up the movie and doing it right as a limited series is even more disheartening. Oh well, no one is *forcing* me to go see Scott's -Napoleon,_ and I'm seeing nothing but bad reviews on YT about that.

[@jonasdauerbrenner6432]

i highly recommend the napoleon movie from 1927..

[@choppergirl]

I thought Napolean was Dynamite

[@FrameVoyager]

This napoleon actually used the Dynamite though 🙃🙃🙃

[@andycummings-music]

Napoleon deserves whatever a "bi-opic" is.

[@FrameVoyager]

A word that no one can agree on? Sounds about right haha

[@marktaylor6491]

I would have given the role to Al Pacino.

[@suziecreamcheese211]

Good thought. I couldn’t see Jack Nicholson in the role.

[@marktaylor6491]

@@suziecreamcheese211 It's basically 'Michael Corleone on horseback'.

[@mrbenoit5018]

I like fire trucks and moster trucks. Walter Clemens

[@johnzeszut3170]

Yes - at the conclusion of the film Napoleon is banished to the "Overlook Hotel"...

[@Meine.Postma]

I guess we got Barry Lyndon instead. RIP Ryan O'Neil

[@user-dg7df3sv7r]

Wow - THANK YOU!!!

[@FrameVoyager]

👍👍👍

[@Elainerulesutube]

I heard it was going to be a t.v. mini-series.

[@FrameVoyager]

20 hours or something like that. People laughed at the idea of Kubrick even touching tv though haha

[@DW-nb2zc]

With the epic Barry Lyndon Kubrick would've killed it with Napoleon

[@anthonykology1728]

how about a documentary on the salt mine storage facilities 😂?

[@therecalcitrantseditionist3613]

Ive always seen this film not getting made as a tragedy. But i also just cannot wrap head around jack Nicholson playing Napoleon. I don't have much confidence in the Scott film. The Duellists is a great film, but almost all his other films has great set up, mixed lots of nonsense that kill it for me. Was gladiator a good film? Yes, could it have been 100x better if he had better tastes in certain things? Absolutely. Kingdom of heaven could have been good too. But the way he cheapens his characters to be cliche and gimmicky. As well as the ways he fictionalizes people the past in ways that make them feel modern makes me skeptical it will be good. Even tho he has disappointed me with some projects. Spielberg is a significantly better director imo. So i do have hope it can be good. But we shall see it it ends up being band of brothers or kingdom of the crystal skull.

[@Gguy061]

I can't imagine Jack Torrance or McMurphy as Napoleon. And his idea of show maps and shipwreck footage instead of actual sea battles sounds like a terrible idea. This is something better left to the age of digital effects, where things like that can be done more cost effectively

[@coala1980]

Kubrick abounded the project for two reasons War and Peace 1965-1967/which the western media wrote out as a failure which is laughable/and Waterloo 1970 which made it impossible for another popular movie to be made about Napoleonic time period. I was born in 1958 and remember watching all of this movies on big screen wondering how somebody can create such big scenes for movies. If Stanley waited maybe for ten years maybe but by then he was a depressed mess not wanting to communicate with outside world and making just small horror movies.

[@RaySqw785]

evryone is exited about making his view on the greatest historic commander, Abel Gance masterpiece is for staying The Napoleon film another century without so much dificulties

[@ericdoe2318]

0:14 why the gas mask?

[@FrameVoyager]

Probably so they wouldn't breathe in all the dust or whatever gets kicked up in the salt mine. Since it was still pretty active

[@twcc406]

@@FrameVoyager True, primarily you wouldn't want to breathe in spores, plus on a secondary level you wouldn't want to breathe out damp air.

[@FernandoLopez-tx6lr]

the book is fun. Heavy, though

[@aarocka11]

Wait, I thought Stanley crew brakes greatest abandoned film was going to be a movie about the holocaust and it would’ve made Schindler’s list look tame.

[@Puppetsinmyhead]

Jack Nuckleson

[@MapleSyrupPoet]

Kubrick would have made marvelous Napoleon 😅 could only imagine 🎥 🎞

[@alwinbenjamin]

😢

[@FrameVoyager]

Def. sad... would have been a cool film to see. Just to see all of those extras

[@weakvictorian]

Jack Nicholson would have a completely different legacy as an actor if this movie would have happened because he never would have been typecasted as “crazy”.

[@matsalvatore9074]

I dont want a Hollywood watered-down version of a Kubrick masterpiece. That's probably why he said I don't want anyone to do it cus it's his n they won't do it how he wants it.

[@chadarracks]

Bill and teds excellent adventure was the most accurate napoleon depiction.

[@ralphclark]

@FrameVoyager to find the correct pronunciation of “biopic” it is only necessary to remember that it should really be hyphenated as “bio-pic”. It does NOT rhyme with “bionic”.

[@TheRealNormanBates]

I've so far read 20 pages into the "Napoleon" script, and so far it is fairly mediocre. No real character development, with very generic scenes to give an incling into Napoleon's character. I will reserve final judgement upon reading the complete script, but I have to guess that it was definitely a first draft, and maybe outlining the events that interested Kubrick (though there are fictional bits like his tussle with a student, and stumbling upon a "lady of the night" to bring her back to his room [that's it]). With that said, there are at least 2 occasions so far showing Napoleon dealing with the cold (him experiencing ice with a frozen pitcher of water when he was 9, and the scene with the prostitute). I wonder if Kubrick was already visually insinuating the downfall at Waterloo due to the Russian winter.

[@CrisisMoon7]

3:38pm Dec,3,23 Sunday

[@showbread9366]

Moon landing was a masterpiece

[@Peekul1]

It's a little known fact that this was actually the worst movie never made.

[@FrameVoyager]

The fun thing is could be either or lol

[@artcamp7]

Spielberg needs to stop grave robbing Kubrick's abandoned projects

[@FrameVoyager]

Yeah I'm also not like the biggest Spielberg guy either. But he's only done the other AI one right?

[@arupsan]

@@FrameVoyager yes Ai from Kubrick

[@insoxicatedfan8550]

I'm not a huge Spielberg guy but to be fair Kubrick gave him the project and encouraged him to make it.

[@arupsan]

@@insoxicatedfan8550 True ,

[@Thespeedrap]

What about Ridley Scott I rather have Spielberg more than Scott.

[@jimjohnson724]

The problem with kubrick is that he spent more time researching than actually making movies 💀

[@kuroshthegreat8073]

but he in turn made several masterpiece films because of his dedication to his research.

[@herlocksholmes9146]

The title greatest film never made is already granted to jodorowskys Dune

[@GrumpyOldMan9]

It's not "amount of people" but "number of people".

[@raultalmon1467]

Watch Napoleon miniseries from 2002,

[@louthegiantcookie]

Great video! I found this really interesting. Though, in truth, I feel Kubrick wasn't the right choice to direct such a story. His attention to detail makes the project sound joyless and coldly academic. History is a story, full of excitement and colour, and everything about his vision sounds very clinical - like those history KZbinrs who complain because a movie uses the wrong buttons on a coat or something.

[@therecalcitrantseditionist3613]

KZbinrs do it because it's fun and a topic to talk about. I do kind of take the position that modern people depicting the past to do it in a way that doesn't push false narratives and perceptions of the past directly contrary to the people as they were. You are right that film cannot be a documentary, it needs the elements you are talking about. Not every details needs to be perfect, but even being 70% accurate would take a monumental. Amount of research. If you go less than that, you arent even doing that topic but using it as a skin for your own movie your afraid cant work on it's own merritt. In the case of Napoleon, he's a unique figure who did and accomplished so many things despite ultimately losing. And has much much blurring of how to perceive him. There is a problem of too much good material better than someone could write, as opposed to needing gaps filled in.

[@vinny142]

This just goes to show that Kubrick doesn't make movies, he makes works of ego. Filming at the original locations of the battles is not only impractical, it's also disrespectful of the millions who died there. Back then most of the battles were fought on fields anyway so not even Kubrick can see wether it's the correct field. The only reason for wanting to do this is Kubrick's ego, the abolity to say "I am the one who went to the actual locations, look at me, I am a great moviemaker." Kubrick is not good at his job of making movies, he's good at telling you he makes good movies. Ask Shelly Duval about what Kubrick did to her to get her to act the way he wanted...

[@CrisisMoon7]

3:30

[@Kyanzes]

The other project I wish he made is the siege of Leningrad. 900 days.(872 but who counts)

[@amazinglarry9943]

Do some research. You said 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) was Kubrick's breakthrough film? Um... Spartacus (1960 Golden Globe for Best Picture); Lolita (1962 Oscar nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay; Dr. Strangelove (1964 BAFTA Award for Best Film).

[@FrameVoyager]

Breakthrough financially. It was the second highest grossing film of the year. While Kubrick's other films had been highly acclaimed, none had that blockbuster financial success 2001: A Space Odyssey received. When asking for an equally large budget for the next film, that was more useful leverage than any of those other films.

[@orlandomarino9384]

He was the only one that could have made that movie.

[@privatechannel8462]

Depends if it was going to be a frenchman in the lead.

[@CharlesJenkins-be2cv]

Why Napoleon wasn’t even properly French

[@latenightlogic]

? Yeah he made Barry Lyndon instead.

[@FrameVoyager]

Yep?

[@lostcauselancer333]

Heeeeeeere’s Boney!