The Life and Films of Stanley Kubrick - The Director Dossiers Podcast

Join us in this retrospective of Stanley Kubrick's filmography as we detail the writing, the production, reception and our thoughts on movies like Fear and Desire, Killers Kiss, The Killing 1956, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut. We also discuss Stanley’s home life and unmade projects like Napoleon and The Aryan Papers.
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DOWNLOAD THE STANLEY KUBRICK DOSSIER PDF:
thedirectordossiers.gumroad.c...
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Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts:
linktr.ee/TheDirectorDossiers...
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Danny's Instagram:
@danny_barker
@zatheband
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
0:29 - Early Life
4:53 - Short Documentaries
10:09 - Fear and Desire
14:42 - Killer’s Kiss
18:29 - The Killing
26:07 - Paths of Glory
38:11 - Unmade Projects 1956 - 1959
40:33 - Spartacus
46:09 - Lolita
55:33 - Dr. Strangelove
1:10:58 - 2001: A Space Odyssey
1:35:05 - Napoleon
1:38:44 - A Clockwork Orange
1:52:14 - Barry Lyndon
2:09:44 - The Shining
2:54:54 - Stanley’s Home Life
3:01:13 - Full Metal Jacket
3:22:03 - The Aryan Papers and AI
3:29:31 - Eyes Wide Shut
3:50:52 - Final Thoughts
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RESOURCES:
Books:
Stanley Kubrick and Me: Thirty Years at his Side by Emilio D’Alessandro: a.co/d/eHFmpFz
Kubrick by Michael Herr: a.co/d/7bmnXB9
Stanley Kubrick: A Life by David Mikics: a.co/d/4u1qrX1
Stanley Kubrick: Interviews by Gene D. Phillips: a.co/d/gAeaWn9
Stanley Kubrick: The Complete Films by Paul Duncan: a.co/d/f6ptZkJ
2001: A Space Odyssey(BFI Film Classics) by Peter Krämer: a.co/d/5ARruRc
Stanley Kubrick KZbin Playlist:
• Kubrick
For more Kubrick talk visit these channels and videos:
The Kubrick Series:
• The Kubrick Series Unc...
Collative Learning:
/ @collativelearning
Eyebrow Cinema
/ @eyebrowcinema
Cinematyler:
/ @cinematyler
Broey Deschanel:
• Eyes Wide Shut: Stanle...
#StanleyKubrick #StanleyKubricktalk #TheShiningtalk #Eyeswideshuttalk #Fullmetaljackettalk #Kubrickpodcast #Directorpodcasts #directorspodcast #filmdirectorpodcast #Aclockworkorangehthoughts

[@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz]

What do you think is the most underrated Kubrick movie?

[@larsvontrio]

Lolita. It's a very assured film with much of it typifying that classy old Hollywood style of a Billy Wilder or John Huston, but one that intermittently yanks the viewer off its brisk and comforting carousel into starkly modern tableaux of dysfunction or degeneracy. These varying shades of mood imbue the whole with an edgy and fresh energy that gives Lolita a similar ageless quality to the films that came after it, though ir still retains the pronounced vintage feel of the earlier ones too. Leaving aside the moral questions, which the film raises in the viewer's mind without resorting to preachy dramatics, it's a highly enjoyable watch. {Really liked the verbal scene breakdown for part of The Shining, just one among many highlights of this impressive mega-talk on Kubrick's life and work.)

[@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz]

@@larsvontrio interesting analysis. You might be right about it being his most underrated. I actually watched Lolita again after we recorded this podcast and I appreciated it a whole lot more. So much so we might have to do a full bonus episode on Lolita in the future. Thank you for listening and I’m glad you found our discussion valuable!!

[@larsvontrio]

@@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz That'd be nice to see. I have seen the film up to 10 times but only once in the last 20 years, so I might have been making nonsense claims - other than the one that I always enjoyed watching it, because it's too amusing, probably. There's another version by Adrian Lyne that I have no interest in watching, since it follows the book more closely. I have read it, and some other Nabokov like Bend Sinister, and it's prose that feels somewhat inebriated with booze or similar! So I'd be interested to hear what you think about who wrote the script of the Kubrick film in reality.

[@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz]

@@larsvontrio I forget if we talked about this in the podcast, but to my knowledge Kubrick had Nabokov write a number of drafts of the script before eventually finishing the script himself. Nabokov expressed a positive reaction to the movie, but years later published his version of the screenplay.

[@larsvontrio]

@@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz Thanks for confirming what I thought. Don't think that point or the later publishing of Nabokov's screenplay came up in your video. But your breadth of knowledge on SK is mega - from another obsessive. (I can't even be arsed to watch a film these days unless it's got a reputation comparable to the Kubrick over - so I'm midway through Mirror atm, because Stalker revealed Tarkovsky to be up there to me 37 years ago, but it's taken m te a while to get through his films because they're exceptionally heavy). Kubrick never gave one iota of a hint that he held himself in any regard as a writer of diaologue, leaving aside story writing. He clearly is excellent at it it, as in Lolita there is no question that his script simply synthesises Nabokov's lines (in Clockwork Orange however most of the best lines derive from Burgess' narrative). I read Napoleon, and thought some of the scenes were really crunchy, though not all. Nice to chat!

[@NobilityBibulous]

This Is The Greatest The Directors Dossiers Episode Of All Time

[@jakeleuzzi4853]

eyes wide shut is my favorite film of his. Such a unique director, clockwork orange was my first watch from him.

[@jakeleuzzi4853]

would absolutely love to hear a christopher nolan dossier! my favorite director of all time

[@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz]

Good idea, and we could post the Nolan episode after Oppenheimer wins best picture👀

[@wehatezesty]

Great video gentleman! Just gained a subscriber. Y’all should deff cover werner herzog and Ridley Scott soon

[@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz]

Thanks, we're glad you enjoyed it! And we'll put Herzog and Scott on the list. Also I'm curious... as a Ridley Scott fan, did you like Napoleon?

[@agujuega7376]

where will you rank him among the greatest directors¿

[@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz]

It’s hard to say, but I think he’s probably my favorite for now

[@1000000man1]

The reason that box set has the European version of The Shining is because it's a UK set. You can see the bbfc age certificate. I think it was around 2015-16 they finally released the US version officially in the UK as an extended edition.

[@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz]

Good to know, which cut of The Shining do you prefer?

[@1000000man1]

@@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz I don't know if I can be definitive. There are things I like about both of them. Ever since the 4k came out, I've tended to watch the longer, American cut, because the 4k disc itself only has that version, with the UK cut being available on Blu-ray. When I've seen it at the cinema, that's also been the American version. So I think it has now become the default. I saw on the website for the Prince Charles Cinema in London, that they'll be playing a 35mm print which will be the shorter UK cut.. But I won't get to see that. I did travel there recently Just to see 2001 in 70mm though. That was an experience. I think the shorter version of The Shining can be easier if you're tired and don't want to watch a longer film 😂 But I like having the option of both, whenever there's a couple of different cuts of any film.

[@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz]

2001 in 70mm must have been insane. If the rumors about Interstellar rereleasing in 70mm are true I plan on traveling to catch a screening of that. I’ve never seen a movie projected through film before

[@1000000man1]

@@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz It was well worth the trip. We also got to see Robocop in 35mm. When I was really young, cinemas still used film, but I grew up during the digital switch (I'm 28 now) Interstellar was shot using a combination of 35mm and IMAX 70mm... IMAX 70mm is different from standard 70mm because it's flipped horizontally and the frames are 3x bigger than standard 70. It's the largest image format in the world. I live in Manchester, England and lucky enough to live near one of the very few 70mm IMAX cinemas. * Most IMAX cinemas are digital. There are only 30 worldwide capable of projecting film and only 3 in the UK. You can also see the difference because a 70mm IMAX screen is a lot bigger and more square shaped.. Unfortunately, even those cinemas don't often get the chance to use film anymore. They are able to project digital as well, but when they use film, it's an event. I'll be going back to London in September for a screening of The Room with Tommy Wiseau there in person for a Q&A. That should be a good time 🤣

[@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz]

If you’re a fan of Kubrick and Tommy Wiseau than our tastes in movies must be very similar hahahaha. I have an autographed Blu-ray of The Room but I think I might be more jealous of you going to the Tommy Wiseau Q&A than I am of you getting to see 2001 in 70mm😂

[@hermanhale9258]

The guy in the bear suit is Hallorann!!!!

[@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz]

Interesting, what makes you say that?

[@user-he1qr7jg1y]

Like what you guys are doing. Philosophy is sorely lacking in the world. Seeing the world through a lens is important to help us understand what we do of, for and to each other. This opens the mind to consider our actions, hopefully before we take them. 🙂 I'm not a huge film fan. Kubrick is a rather challenging director in terms of his content, style and message. The human condition is a complex subject. Specifically, what may help you directly, to do with your product as talk show producers, is your delivery. It's no secret that humans are full isms, judgements and often complains. The earlier in your careers and in your presentations you can guide the audience around these flaws in their own character by studying human triggers and integrating this knowledge into your own work, this will help you go much further with a larger audience. I can't tell you what those triggers may be for you and your audience. But I'll give an example that I am familiar with. Personally I have a habit of cursing casually. Not saying it's all good, but it is how I've learned to speak. A guy who was much older than myself and also had a successful military career where the main takeaways are discipline and accountability - and I'm in my 40s, so old enough to know better - this guy respectfully informed me that my language would put people off, people who were more likely to be in positions to afford me the opportunities I may want in life. When he put it that way, I had to take the pill and swallow it. His respectful manner made that acceptance much less painful. I'm pretty stubborn. So my suggestion? Do your best to know the material before you start recording, so you don't have to ask, otherwise you'll appear to be unprepared. Try to avoid excessive use of "uh"s, and "like"s. Use words you know the meaning of, don't guess. It's ok to communicate, it's not ok to talk over your audience. I had to look up the meaning of "credence" because I've heard that word in the name of a band but I've never actually used it. "Credibility", "incredulous", "cred", "street cred" and it only gets worse from there, but these are terms I know.

[@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz]

I’m glad you brought this up. While editing this podcast I noticed the “um”s and “like”s. We’ve been working hard to improve our speech for the next podcast. Thanks for the support and we’re glad you liked the podcast👍

[@user-he1qr7jg1y]

@@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz One more thing that may help you to find your perspective, and also to help eliminate as many dead ends as possible. I appreciate your willingness to share your views on film, generally I appreciate peoples viewpoints, they help me to better understand my own, and sharing is important, but here comes the banger, no one wants to pay to hear your viewpoint, sadly. On the other hand, people will happily pay, and they will do so almost automatically, if you can accomplish the magical feat of making _them_ feel heard. We do this with the arts, through film, and through other various forms of expression, by connecting with what people are thinking and feeling. Film is a lens, yes, it allows us to choose an angle and look at the world through that perspective, but it is, in a way, one sided. Personally I've always wanted to make games, not because I particularly like gamers or want to serve them, but because games helped me to escape my life when I was young, and they still do. It's honestly a waste of time, but it is also an experience that is preferable to any other that I've had the misfortune of not having. Cry us a river, I know, I know, but the fact of the matter is games helped me specifically, if you can call it that. If we're going to hell in a hand basket anyway, I'd rather play until the sky falls and hope that it simply ends quickly and as painlessly as possible. This is the default mode of the human condition. If all else fails, zone out gracefully. If your talking points and films can connect to people in that way and help them to simply find a moment of relief from their lives, you'll be surprised how willingly they will reward you for giving them that gift. If the act of doing and creating a product which gives people that experience is also a joy for you to engage in, then it can be nothing other than a win.

[@danbarker7904]

Agreed, thanks for the feedback! When I listened back I noticed my excessive use of “like” and “um”. It’s going to be a tough habit to break but I’ll keep working on it as I go.

[@user-he1qr7jg1y]

@@danbarker7904 Sounds good, and nice work so far. 🙂Kubrick seems to be an interesting case. He appears to have developed an understanding of where all the nerves are, metaphorically, and how to apply the appropriate amount of pressure to elicit an effective response from his audience. As I mentioned before, I'm not a huge film buff, and Kubrick is honestly not really my flavor. I did like Full Metal Jacket simply because it gave me more of a window into the insanity of war, particularly Vietnam, which helped a little, but personally I suffered a lot as a result of that war, living with a veteran who was not ok after having gone through all that. So the whole thing strikes me as somewhat basic and rather unproductive, more along the lines of morbid curiosity rather than constructively useful information about life and war. All that is to say that indeed Kubrick succeeded at what he did, because that is indeed human nature, but for me personally it leaves much to be desired. I think an analysis of his work is warranted, but please do continue from there. lol

[@DJB1207]

Don’t worry, I made it just fine

[@robertsteen2307]

It would make a lot more sense to chop up these videos and release them episodically.

[@DirectorDossiersJohnnyCruz]

Maybe. We’ll do some more episodes in this format and if a lot of people feel the same way you do then breaking up the episodes is something we may have to consider