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The Stanley Kubrick Archives

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Although the "Archives" are not as thorough as someone totally obsessed with Kubrick might like, this is still much more than a vanity project filled with pretty pictures.

The first portion of the book, which consists of carefully chosen stills from the various films, highlights the fact that Kubrick had impeccable photographic taste and crafted a look for his films that matured in a very unique, somewhat strange way. Any fan knows this already, but being able to really dissect the shots and the lighting is more worthwhile than it might appear at first. I would say with almost any other director this would be overkill.

The interviews throughout are fascinating -- and although one might be able to find them elsewhere, here you can look at them in the context of the films themselves, and there are just simply so many of them. So, instead of fishing for the 2001 Playboy interview it's right here. Kubrick has some brilliant things to say about the nature of life in the universe, evolution, etc. The Clockwork Orange interview is also very revealing, as the great director claims absolutely no responsibility for the violent content of the film, among other things. Reading Pauline Kael's review as counterpoint to this (not in the book) should prove worthwhile...

The analysis of the films themselves is also suprisingly good, although in no way rigorous academically. One example: I find Barry Lyndon a work so rich in nuance, so unique in the history of filmaking, that the straightforward analysis of its story presented here doesn't enlighten the material much. For instance, if Kubrick himself did in fact conceive of the last duel between Barry and Bullingdon, it would be very interesting to delve more into how he took elements of Thackeray's novel and deepened them thematically. There seems to be a lot of discussion to be had about just what Kubrick was saying within the context of the material. Alas, nothing of that sort here.

Just the same, there certainly is plenty, beyond just eye candy, to satisfy the Kubrick devotee. Reading the book is like completely immersing oneself in his world, surrounded by his thoughts and visual stimuli. When I first saw a mock-up of this book in Beverly Hills, I thought it might be overblown and obnoxious. I am happy to say it is not. If you have the money, I'd invest in a copy.

Perhaps you are similar to me and you occasionally justify a purchase by saying to yourself "The kids will enjoy this after I'm gone someday." This rationale helps me feel a little less guilty when I indulge in an expensive purchase. Well, as I review this book I realize a new problem: 40 years from now, as my body lay cooling, my two lovely daughters will probably be engaged in a dispute as to who gets the AWESOME Kubrick book!

I am a big fan of Taschen books and I'm also a big Kubrick fan. This book is the ultimate dosage of both. I have well over a hundred Taschen titles and this is definitely one of my favorite three ("Cabinent of Curiosities" and "Complete Costume History" being the other two. All of these are the large-size super-high quality classics that are likely to become sought-after collector's volumes).

You've already had this Kubrick book described for you, but I wanted emphasize three points: First, the front page edges are "tabbed" in this book, making access to particular areas (eg, particular films) very convenient. This is really a sophisticated fluorish which makes the book that much more stunning. Second, the snippet of "2001" is nothing less than magical. As I read about it here I thought it sounded a little gimmicky: but when you see a foot-long section of one of the most important films ever made, it is really captivating. The section I received has bright geometric colors which I'm delighted by, but regardless of what you get, you're getting a piece of "2001"!!!! I get the same reverential feeling looking at it as I did when gawking at the original Declaration of Independence! Third, the quality of manufacture here is first-rate. I have been critical of Taschen in recent years because they have so many great books with cheesey/flimsy covers and bindings which don't hold up. I think this has been a MAJOR strategic error at the corporate level for them; they should raise their prices a little and create books which will last 200 years. Well, as to this Kubrick book you don't have to worry about that: this cover is composed of two different types of cloth and it appears very solid and is GORGEOUS. I collect books new and old, and please believe me, you'll be psyched when you see this behemoth! (Due to size and weight you'll still want to hold it carefully so binding doesn't get unduly torqued.)

Anyway, it is so great to roll the dice on a book and to win big. If you're a Kubrick fan I encourage you to act quickly and to nail one of these.

This is obviously the most unique and fascinating book ever made on Stanley Kubrick. Certainly the most complete as well. It's also the biggest in every sense of the word. I cannot believe just how huge and heavy this thing is. It is massive! But most importanly, it is filled with interviews and insightful articles on all Kubrick films (in the second part of the book). Even the ones he didn't complete (A.I., Napoleon, Aryan Papers). Especially great, are the many never before seen photographs taken during productions of these amazing films. This is my favorite thing in this book.

The filmstrip from Kubrick's own 70-millimeter print of 2001 is of course a very special addition. As is the included interview on cd, from 1966.

Stanley Kubrick was in my opinion the greatest filmmaker in history. I have many books on the man, but this is by far the most extraordinary. A very unique piece of work indeed and the most beautiful collector item on Kubrick ever made. I think every fan will not want to miss it.

Thanks to Alison Castle, Jan Harlan and Christianne Kubrick for this!

Astounding example of how certain books should be made. Obviously, there is a niche market for this kind of bookmaking.
Luckily, us dedicated Kubrick fans can now relish all of it.
The book contains amazing details and 'behind the scenes' views on the making of all of the Kubrick flicks. I'm positive that no other director and visionary would have their works commited to such a project other than Kubrick. The final touch is the inclusion of an actual strip of 70mm motion picture film from 2001 that Kubrick himself possessed. My copy shows Frank jogging in the centrifuge. The only caveat is the splitting of some wide screen shots between pages in the first half of the book. Other than that this book qualifies as one of the best examples of how a book should be dedicated, regardless of price, for a one of kind film director.

It's true...this is really an incredible book..and from the looks of it going out of print fast so I wuld get you're copy now. It's also true that all books on Kubrick always feel like there isn't enough..simply because the man and his work is so fascinting..but this sure as hell comes close as we will ever have. While one wishes there where more pages..more stills, more interviews, the fact that this book was made at all...and it really is an artist's book and not just another Taschen megacatalogue...is amazing. While at first I wanted more of the "painterly" stills from his films..I realized that the first half of the book..the stills are the most beautifully reproduced (next to the Vittorio Storaro books)of stills ever published of any film, and it is really more about a serperate experience of the films..not just the "memorable moments"..making this book all the more sophisticated as an object..the CD is great and gets us as close as we will ever be to sitting and talking with Kubrick and the film strip (who cares from what scene really) is an added bonus..but the book is really enough...and the second half takes up into the working mind of Kubrick more than any other...at the end of the day this is like the finale to all studies on Kubrick and will sit well next to the LaBrutto biography and the Ciment monograph...Thanks Christiane Kubrick..thanks Alison Castle..thanks Jan Harlan...and Thank you Kubrick for your films...and thank you Taschen for making what will no doubt go down in hisotry as one of the best books on a film director ever made..

Here is the best book ever created about Stanley Kubrick. First off, I want to say that not EVERY frame of Kubrick's movies is in part one of this book, it is missing many of them, but still contains his highlights. However, these screen shots are high quality and of course look like masterpiece paintings as a result from Kubrick's perfectionism. You could understand the basic story of of his movies by just looking at these pictures. The second part ofthe book contains great behind the scenes photos and insightful essays by Kubrick's admiriers, family members and Kubrick scholars and even contains the entire book "Kubrick" by Michael Herr, which is a very honest and wonderful book on the man he was, not the director. It also includes a CD containing an interview with Stanley Kubrick which is a must for Kubrick fans because he has hardly shown his face to the public, and almost never his voice.

Best of all is that the first run of this book contains a film clip from 2001: a Space Odyssey that used to belong in his personal archives, which is now yours, and 2001 being my favorite movie...indeed, favorite THING, this was is a great thing to have.

As a warning, some of the things in this book are recycled from previous books on Kubrick, but the overwhelming amount of unseen items in this book will have Kubrick fans at least a little satisfied being that there is so little books, interviews or ANYTHING on him.

So, if you love his movies, you'll love this book.

An incredible book. Not one to be taken in at one sitting, but one to be delved into when the need for inspiration arises. The first half is nothing more than his movies told through frame blow ups. The second half, however, is truly amazing...each film is studied and discussed by Kubrick and his many luminaries. The details of the book have been discussed in other reviews but suffice to say that you won't believe your eyes. Buy it...before the first print run sells out and with it the piece of original 2001 film stock. And considering I purchased it from Amazon and saved over A$220 on the price Down Under it is truly a bargain.

Many times I contemplated buying a used copy of the this Taschen classic. The first release featured a film cel from 2001 and was actually a little larger than this edition (if you can imagine). I wasn't so much interested in the film cel as I was for THE book on Stanley Kubrick's films.

This hefty tome is 544 pages and has no dust cover. I detect no printing issues and the book is bound exceptionally well for a book this size. Regarding size: I'm not a huge fan of the landscape format for books. I find this orientation awkward, but this is a minor complaint.

The book is divided into two parts:

The Films
-Killer's Kiss
-The Killing
-Paths of Glory
-Spartacus
-Lolita
-Dr. Strangelove
-2001
-A Clockwork Orange
-Barry Lyndon
-The Shining
-Full Metal Jacket
-Eyes Wide Shut

The Creative Process
*again, all his films are divided in this part of the book and dealt with individually

There is no accompanying text in The Films (part I) section of the book, only page after page of film stills. In fact, there are so many film stills from each movie (and in chronological/linear order) that you feel you've seen each film after going over all the images (much abbreviated obviously).

I feel the authors have done an excellent job in Part II and explaining Kubrick's creative process. His creative process is explained in relation to each film, and by the end you have a great insight into his process as a whole.

Considering the wealth of information, hundreds of images and excellent printing this is a bargain. I don't know how Taschen is able to offer such a book at this price, but it's worth every penny. Highly recommended.

The other reviews of this remarkable book have more or less summed up what I would say so I've approached it from another angle: I've uploaded eight photos to give you an idea of what this highly visual (and costly) book looks like. Amazon doesn't display images numerically so you'll have to see them at random. Click 'customer images' under the cover.

If you are buying a used first-run copy do check with the seller that Mr Kubrick's film strip is in its sleeve and the CD is also included, photo one shows them in position. Some reviewers have rightly said that owning a bit of '2001' from Kubrick's personal collection gives the book extra kudos.

Photo two will give you an idea of how the book is organised. There are two sections, each with a series of colored tabs. His twelve movies have a tab each and in the first section there are eight hundred stills, black and white and color depending on the film. Photos three, four and five are some of the spreads from Dr Strangelove. The second part of the book covers each movie in detail with an amazing collection of visual material to back up the text. Photos six, seven and eight show some pages about the background and production of Dr Strangelove.

The back of the book has a fifty page Appendix A, B and C. A covers three unmade movies: Napoleon, AI and Aryan Papers. B has three essays. C is a chronology of Kubrick's life.

This is a BIG book, opening to thirty-three inches wide and at over fourteen pounds in weight it really can only be read on a table. Needless to say being a Taschen book it is beautifully designed and printed and if you do buy a copy the Kubrick experience will be quite overwhelming and long lasting.

I have now watched 2001, Clockwork Orange, and the Shining with this on my coffee table. Inevitably, I find myself looking thumbing through the book instead of paying attention to the movie. The content is great, with the perfect balance between tech-nerd info, lit-nerd info, and art-nerd info. I have particularly enjoyed the magazine interviews with Kubrick, since his attempts to explain himself were few and far between. That and, of course, the 2001 print, which I cherish like a relic.

The only problem with book is its size. It weighs about 15 pounds, and is over 3 feet wide when laid open. It's like trying to read a large, heavy VCR. I understand that this format reproduces the aspect ratio of the films, but it's hard to even handle this monster without damaging it. You certainly won't be able to READ this anywhere but on the coffee table (laid flat), since the weight of the pages bends the covers and strains the spine. The weight and dimensions also meant that mine came a bit beat-up from shipping, despite being packaged in a heavy, suitcase-like cardboard box.

Expect to astound and impress your friends with this - just be aware that you may have to get a bigger coffee table.