Kubrick by Kubrick – 2020

I wasn’t aware of Kubrick by Kubrick until a few weeks ago. I saw someone writing about that it was the first time that he ever heard Stanley Kubrick’s voice. It’s the same for me. Kubrick by Kubrick contains something as unusual as an interview with the great, almost mythical, director. He was well known for evading interviews and was very avid towards appearing in front of the camera, on TV, and such. Come to think of it, I have only ever seen stills of him on set. There might be some exceptions but those images are rare.

Apparently, he had some kind of bond with very few other people in the film industry, at least when it comes to critics. But by some miracle, there was an interview made where he talked a bit about his films and other thoughts about the craft of course. I guess we all heard the rumor about Stanley Kubrick having 200 IQ or 300 IQ or whatever. There’s no way to prove that but after listening to the words he has to say about his art and his journey in the moviemaking business, there’s no doubt in my mind that he was very very smart. He certainly had a way to articulate his thoughts in understandable sentences. I know from my own experiences how hard it can be to express complex ideas in an easy way for others to understand. But that’s what I feel when I hear his arguments.

American

I also learned that Stanley Kubrick was actually American, I always thought he was British. Shame on me for not doing my homework of course, but it just never occurred to me. It is hard to go in-depth about this documentary. It’s basically an interview with some pictures to accompany it. There are others who speak out too of course. Speaking about their experiences working with Stanley Kubrick. Some are almost hateful, I think it’s all in good fun but it’s not the first time I’ve heard about how his perfectionism drove people to the brink of insanity. Others talk about his brilliance and there are archive clips from some of the actors in his films talking about his totalitarian directing style.

He even admits by himself that the filmmaking process isn’t necessarily fun because there are too many conflicts and decisions to be made. He had a lot of interesting things to say, Kubrick. I’m glad I got to see this because it certainly broadens my understanding of his thoughts on movie-making. It’s a very interesting little piece!