Cool News
A God has Died... Stanley Kubrick no longer walks the Earth with us...
About 35 minutes ago I woke up to get a glass of
water... And I was just shutting my eyes to go to
sleep again. Bernard Hermann’s PSYCHO music
was playing me to sleep when my phone rang. I
cursed under my breath... decided to let the answering
machine get it.... There’s a British accented voice on
the other end...
The voice was shaking... almost braking as it talked.
And the news it carried... the news that shot my eyes
open was.... Stanley Kubrick is dead.
My hand shot through the darkness to find the phone,
my fingers fumbling for the ‘talk’ button... And I’m
talking to this voice from across the pond... He saw
the news on the BBC news broadcast... He saw it
again on their website.... He’s trying to find out if it’s
a hoax.... Wanting me to tell him it’s not true, that the
master is alive and well and orchestrating some grand
hoax...
But... I’m trembling... I’m in disbelief. I fumble
about for words... trying to give some sort of hope for
mis-reporting... BUT this is the BBC, they don’t
usually report deaths if they didn’t happen.
As I hung up, my 5 CD holder shifted to my disc of
music from 2001... I try to go to sleep, I try to get
some rest... I had been up all night long, and into the
morning. We had a film gathering of old friends, we
watched Lon Chaney in THE WOLF MAN and
Sterling Hayden and James Mason in PRINCE
VALIANT in 16mm out back, under the stars with a
nice fire to keep us warm.
Here in my room... it’s dark, little light showing other
than that from the computer... As I tried to sleep,
images from a whole host of Kubrick films fills my
head, thoughts begin turning to “what’s gonna happen
to EYES WIDE SHUT now?” I begin to have ever
increasing panic attacks... I have to wake up, I have to
check email... I have to know if it’s true.
I sign on.... I check email.... Subject lines like
“KUBRICK DEAD!” “I ONLY HOPE THIS IS A
HOAX” “THE WORST NEWS YOU COULD
POSSIBLY IMAGINE...” “NOT SO COOL NEWS”
and on and on.... 93 emails so far.... Everyone
turning to find out... Is he dead?
I begin getting a bit erratic. I search out Reuters,
BBC and CNN.... They are all echoing the same
story that Stanley Kubrick died in his home.... That he
apparently died of ‘natural causes’ and no foul play
was involved.
Reuters said, “Film director Stanley Kubrick, the director of ``2001: A Space
Odyssey'' and ``A Clockwork
Orange,'' has died at the age of 70, police said Sunday.” So cold. So
unemotional. A god had died.... A visionary. An
artist. A great master of lights and shadows, of sights
and sounds.... There is no need to go into his films...
We... we know them all by frame... frame by frame.
I can’t believe he’s dead, I have to hold, at least for
the moment, that it’s all part of some sort of hoax he’s
dreamed up to promote EYES WIDE SHUT.... That
he wants to go into seclusion. That he’s secretly off
somewhere shooting another film with actors
unknown... With equipment hidden away over the
years... And when he emerges the world will bow at
his feet.
I need that, cause a world without Stanley Kubrick is
a world with a little less mystery. A world that ain’t
quite as cool as it once was. It’s a place that
perfection is no longer a part of. Stanley Kubrick is
dead... I heard that today. I don’t want to believe it.
I don’t want to say it aloud. I don’t want to be
interviewed about it... I don’t want to discuss it. I just
want to feel bad. Stanley Kubrick is dead.... God, this
sucks...
Additional Thoughts...
A few days ago, Kubrick showed his first cut of EYES WIDE SHUT to Warner Execs... In a few more days Moriarty will 'allegedly' be seeing a bit of EYES WIDE SHUT at ShoWest. I'm hoping Kubrick's cut was finished... That there was no need for any more editing, and that we will see what Kubrick wanted us to see. I've just gotten off the phone with a few friends of mine... We seem to all be in a bit of shock. From reading the Talk Backs below... it seems to have hit you the same way. I'm sorry that my page carries this news, it is a story I never wanted to read, hear or see. But for me... now... I'm about to disappear into a festival of films. And for the first time I'll watch them and realize.... Kubrick is dead. There is a bit of good news... At least we have one last film. And right now... For me... Star Wars has dimmed a bit... I'm still in line for a long long time, but I so want to see EYES WIDE SHUT as well. I do not envy Moriarty's task that lays ahead of him. To watch Kubrick's footage... And then to try... with words... to describe it. Best of luck Moriarty, I hope what you see will enlighten you, as I'm sure it will enlighten all of us soon enough...
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Of all the people in the world, who'd of thought that SK would die, now of all times. Strange things happen some times. Damn it.
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No way in hell man. Kubrick fucking ruled. First Gene Siskle dies, now the single greatest director this country has ever produced. I think the studios have hired assasins. Think about it. First they call one of the world's leading film critics, now they kill off a producer's worst nightmare. I'd watch my back if I was you Harry
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I'm as shocked as everyone else, and left speachless. God bless Stanley Kubrick, wherever he is.
Saddened -
Another dark day has come upon us in the world of movies. I wish the best for all of Kubrick's nearest and dearest during these times. "I'm afraid, Dave...."
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I guess Kubrick got his wishes of Clockwork Orange not to be released in his lifetime here in the UK :(
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Hey Harry, I didn't mean to wake you with such bad news. You're right, I was shaking. I'm still in shock. My hopes that was just a hoax have all disappeared in the last hour, as each news broadcast announces the sad passing of the great one. My only hope now is for EWS to be released and respected as the final masterpiece of one of the greatest directors to live.
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who's next?
goldburg -
Another of films' icons has past on. Kubrick was easily one of the greatest filmmakers ever. All his movies may not have been your favorite but at least one was, and all the others affected you in one way or another. I may not have enjoyed a few of his films but, the care, intricacy, and attention to detail, were so admirable that it was a joy to watch great filmmaking on the screen. With the passing of Stanley Kubrick I can say that an era of film and movies passes on with him...
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This great loss couldn't have happened at a worse time. If that damn Phantom whatever wasn't coming out, E.W.S. would be my #1 must-see of the year. And I've always had hopes for A.I. and Napoleon (was that it?). One of our favorite directors has left us. Let's just hope his last film is as great as his others...
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Within 12 months we loose both Akira Kurosawa and Stanley Kubrick?!?!
The Yahoos are right, things are coming apart... -
I had just checked CNN.com to see the latest news of the day...
...and my jaw hit the floor. "Stanley Kubrick has died in his home at the age of 70"
I couldnt beleive it... one of the most visionary directors to ever create a film, and he finally has a new movie in over a decade coming out, and he is dead. Spring Break is coming up, and I was planning on having a "film fest" of sorts for myself showing some SK films. Now I definitely will.
I hate to say it, but this is going to leave the future of Eyes Wide Shut in doubt. I'm sure it will come out, but will it be the form that Stanley Kubrick envisioned? I only pray it is. And I pray for Mr. Kubrick and his family now.
Brian -
NO! Kubrick was the greatest director of our time, an artist with complete integrity. It's just too much to bear.
Late 60's. I was a little kid who saved her allowance to see "2001". I fell under cinema's spell in Kubrick's capable hands. Every frame of every film seems polished, finished, perfect. You might find his movies emotionally distant, but were you ever bored?
I REALLY wanted him to make "A.I." and show us the future before it arrives.
Thanks, SK, how's the view?
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I woke up this morning with a good feeling for the day. The sun was shining, and everything looked great. Then I got on the internet just as I started to listen to Everlast's "What it's Like." The first thing I was created to as my home page loaded, "Stanley Kubrick is dead." All I can think of is a line from "What it's Like"
"But God forbid you ever have to wake up to hear the news. Cause then you really might know what's it like to have to lose."
R.I.P. Stanley Kubrick, you've earned it with everything you ever did. -
I feel like I felt when Kieslowski died two or three years ago, after he had retired from film then "un-retired" to take on what could have been the finest movies ever made - his translation of The Divine Comedy - and then died before any of them were made. Knowing what they could have done and will never do (in Kubrick's case, "AI") leaves me just bummed out and hollow.
Bye, Mr. Kubrick, and thanks for what you did leave us. -
The Webmaster must think I'm an idiot - I forgot my password AGAIN.
But it hurts. This really hurts. This without a doubt the greatest director of my lifetime. "Lolita", "Dr. Strangelove", "2001", "A Clockwork Orange", and "Full Metal Jacket" are the one that have affected me the most. Helped to shape my world view.
After getting the news here, I went and check the Austin360 site. They said that "Eyes Wide Shut" was due for release in July and the Cruise and Kidman are working on other projects. No one will talk after it and I don't blame them. Kubrick wanted complete silence about the this film and I'm sure he has made arrangement to prevent any tempering with it. I hope so. Beside this grief is so new.
An old friend who lived in New Year City tells a story about Kubrick. Way back when, he would hang out in Central Park at the chess tables and Kubrick would play. He was playing a strong opponent and doing very badly. He hit a particularity hard spot and after ten minutes of thinking about his next move, he pulled a monster doobie and blazed it up (translation for the mundunes, he smoked a large marijuana cigerette). He smoked the whole damn thing in front of God and everybody and thought for another ten minutes after he finished and proceed to kick ass and win the game.
Now, Stanley Kubrick has a producer that will never cheat him or second guess him, one that will grant all of his wishes. Now he has an unlimited budget and an eternal schedule to do as he pleases. Soundstages in many dimensions and locations through the universe.
I'm looking forward to someday that I will dine on lobster, caviar, and 500 year old port, go jam with Hendrix, and then go to a midnight show to see Stanley Kubrick's 10,000th film.
Stanley, thank you so much for expanding us and pushing the evolution of humankind just a bit. You know how they kick and scream, but you did it any.
Thank you, Stanley Kubrick.
Tangent Z
Austin, Earth
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You were one of the last truly great artists of the cinema left. Rest In Peace, sir. You'll be missed, but never forgotten.
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The time of reconning comes for all mortals. For this, there can be no bargaining. We are always caught sleeping, whether in fact or in deed, when the cold hand of that hooded ferryman reaches for his oar and takes us aboard his craft for the final journey to the realm which shakespeare once so eloquently reffered to as "the undiscovered country" When we leave this world for that, we often take with us so much of the hearts and souls of others that they are left feeling less than the whole of their former selves.
Yet every so often, a soul leaves this world such gifts, that their passing is softened by the riches of their genius. Do we have names for these great spirits? These minds? These, dare I say it, gods amongst men?
Their roster is long. We know them by many names. DaVinci, Aquinas, Newton, Gallileo, Picasso, Bach, Bethovan, Jefferson, Einstein, Ruth, Edison, and amongst others now we add Kurasawa and Kubrick.
These souls may not have been gods, but they were so much more than men. And while I mourn their passing, I am the greater for having known their works, their lives, their passions.
Oh my god. If men of such measure still wlak this earth... -
RIP Stanley Kubrick. I read
in MrShowbiz.com that Warner
execs did screen the film a few days ago.
Here is the link:
http://mrshowbiz.go.com/news/Todays_Stories/990305/kubrick030599.html -
I too am in utter disbelief. I never thought he'd go this way. I thought he'd disappear in the year 2001; more his dark sense of humor. I cannot conceive of a world in which Kubrick's genius will not touch us. I'm gonna fire up the laser/dvd and spend the day in mourning and in awe. Unbelievable.
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should be a large black obelisk devoid of any writing on it.
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Farwell Mr. Kubrick.
When I heard the news I laughed, not because I am a mean person and because he died but because of the irony of it all. First the man who has'nt done a film in more than 10 years comes out in the open and decides to make one, and when he finaly makes one he takes his sweet time doing it, lets us wait and wait for years and then...he fucking dies on us.
It's like we are defenatly not suposed to see another film by him.
I wonder how much is done? -
Oh man, this is really fucking bad...
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Turely no words can sum up the pain and sorrow we all feel at this moment. I remember I was first introduced to Mr. Kurick's work with FULL METAL JACKET while I was in HIgh School adn from there began to devour everything Kubrick, 2001, DR. STRANGELOVE, LOLITA, you name it I saw it. A time of sorrow and loss. However I think Kubrick would want us all to remember him by looking at a statement he once made, "Bad films gave me the courage to try making a movie" Indeed you did Mr. Kubrick, you made movies not wasted film.
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what a loss! one of the few directors who was truly an artist, and not just making movies geared for commercial success! im sad.
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We have tolose two of the greatest directors ever within a year of each other.
I am deeply saddened by this news, I even have a cat named Akira
Kubrick. As I thought about it more, and did what meager math I am capable of, I determined that to within 24 hours, Kurosawa and Kubrick died ALMOST EXACTLY six months apart. If someone with better math skills than I can work in the date line vs. GMT and all that other stuff go for it.
I think it's just a coincidence. But it's kind of a cool one. Not to disrespect Stanley Kubrick, master of actors, film, and studio rats. I loved the guy, and am thankful we have so much to look back on and smile.
"There will be no fighting in the War Room!"
Goddammit.
Ryan
moviesonmopac@yahoo.com
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My favorite movie director of all time, someone whom defined movie making, is gone. I'm a grown man and I'm actually teared up. We WILL miss you, Stanley Kubrick. And your films are ETERNAL. Legend. Timeless.
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I woke up this morning, had my coffee, contemplated what movie was on the slate for today's afternoon viewing... decided to check out CNN and felt the floor drop out from under me when I read that Stanley Kubrick has died. But whether or not there is an afterlife, Kubrick was already an immortal on this earth. His contributions to the art of filmaking were of such magnitude that it beggars the imagination to think what the world of cinema has lost with his passing. His films are among the finest jewels in the crown of American cinema, and no one living can equal his artistry. The poetic, elegant perfection of even his least significant films would have been cause enough to mourn his passing. We have lost one of this century's greats today.
As for me, well, I guess I'll be watching 2001. I hope my son, due to be born at the end of next month, shares my passion for film. It saddens me, though, to think that he will be born into an era that lacks the genius of the likes or Kubrick, Kurosawa, Welles, Hitchcock, and so many others who have been taken from us in the last two decades. -
Stanley Kubrick was, is, and always will be, in my opinion, the most brilliant auteur in cinema. His films are all so unique, yet bound togethr by common themes, endlessly and brilliantly explored and a style that by far exceeds all his influences and all those influenced by him.
I, myself, am now a film student and this due very much to the works of Stanley Kubrick and the way they have affected me. The first film of his that I ever saw was 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY... I have now seen it countless times, but the first time I saw it, I admit I was confused by much of it. This confusion, however, was far from frustrating, but, instead, very intriguing. I watched the film over and over trying to decipher what it all meant; then i realized that I wasn't supposed to be able to nail down a single meaning. The film is supposed to mean whatever you want it to mean. Kubrick had tricked me and many others. The message or the story was no longer the experience... The film itself was the experience and whatever the viewer gained from this experience was intended. This had been attempted by many filmmakers before... Eisenstein and the Soviet filmmakers silent film period for example... But never before, in my opinion, had someone actually been this successful with it.
With this, I began to realize the full potential of the medium that had forever amused me. Now, it was not simply amusement, but more... It bceame my life.
Audiences have lost an inspiration
Cinema has lost a prodigal son.
The world has lost a brilliant mind.
Stanley Kubrick and his works have gained immortality.
No one could ever shine as bright.
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This is terrible.
But, what about the films he
had done and that have not been
released yet?
Will AI ever get done?
Please let us know. -
If you sit down and close your eyes, ignore all the noise of cars driving by and neighbors being loud and listen only for the sounds of true creativity, today, you will find only silence. Another great director has passed. Time is our greatest enemy. Man I'm depressed.
-peteski@spinninghead.com PS any idea why CNN.com would describe "Dr. Strangelove" as "a satire about an American college professor who rises to political power."??? (This is a direct quote!) Is there some director's cut out there I haven't seen?!? Check out the article for yourself at http://cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9903/07/kubrick.obit/ -
This is the worst.
I cant believe this shit. We will never see AI, we can only hope ews is complete. -
Oh God. In all my years in film I have never felt so crushed by anything has by the death of my number one hero. I called my production partner a liar an hour ago when he told me. It looks like I owe him an apology. Thank you Stanley for the inspiration and entertainment. The world is less special for me now.
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I BELIEVE THAT KUBRICK KNEW THAT IS FATE WAS COMING AND HE CAME OUT OF HIS DIRECTORIAL SECLUSION TO HOPEFULLY FINISH HIS LIFES WORK AND TO LEAVE A MASTERPEICE FOR ALL TO REMEMBER HIM BY...ONE LAST TIME.
R.I.P.
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I owe my life to Stanley Kubrick.
A bold statement? Not really. His films changed my world, and now that world will never be the same.
I am a screenwriter based in Toronto. Just starting out, mind you. I have scored my first BIG job and am finally on my way. And it's all due to Stanley Kubrick.
Movies have been a passion of mine since age 4 when I saw Star Wars. To this day, movies have been my religion. But for the longest time, they were mere entertainment.
Until I saw 2001. I was ten. I was shown at The Cinesphere in toronto as part of a yearly (contiunuing to this day) festival. My dad took me to see it, telling me it was one of his favourite films.
I went. I saw. i was changed.
2001 was the first film I saw that showed to me what film could be. Entertainment as Art. That was the turning point for me. Where I seriously felt I couls also make movies for a living. now I'm realizing that dream.
Stanley Kubrick died today. Say it out loud - it really takes one out of you. But what a life ... what films. He will never be forgotten... -
this hurts. my eyes mist. i, too, know each film frame by frame. thank you, mr. kubrick for the films you left us with.
is there anyone else who could deliver a film with the glorious magisty and vision of 2001? or the beauty of barry lyndon? or the
dark comedy of dr. strangelove? and on and on.
i'm just thankful you stayed around long enough to give us one
more... god bless -
My soul is empty, my heart is dead, I cannot think. I thought things could never be any worse, I was wrong. Good Bye, Sir Kubrick.
You were one of the few reasons I had to live. -
Farewell, Mr Kubrick, and thank you for an incredibly creative life. "Full Metal Jacket" is one of my all time favorite films, and your other works I've heard are equally spectacular. The world will sorely miss your creative genius.
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totally shocked.
vaya con dios -
Just remember, when we all go to see "The Phantom Menace" that without Kubrick's influence with "2001", Star Wars would probably never have been made.
So long, sir.
Thanks for the memories. -
Kubrick's passing certainly seems so damned unfair. So many other giants --John Huston for one--lived and produced far longer. What really sucks, IMHO, is how infrequently Kubrick's muse visited him in the last 20 years. I'm in my 40s and was a moviegoer when Kubrick produced his art on a more regular basis. The anticipation of Eyes Wide Shut is no greater than that for The Shining, 19 years ago. I had just been hired to a job straight from college and lied my way into a free afternoon to see the opening matinee. I told the boss I was taking my mother to the hospital for tests! Calling Kubrick anything less than a genius is criminal. The way his genius went largely unused in the last decade is equally criminal. It's pretty depressing all around.
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Goodbye Mr. Kubrick, you truly were a master of cinema.
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Like everyone else I am shocked, speechless at the passing of one of the few true geniuses of the century.
I find solace in the notion that perhaps he is sitting in an alabaster and marble white room somewhere, eating dinner reflecting on his life, or better yet, he is the Star Child reborn. -
RIP. And just a note, is this just a coincidence. I's possible he committed suicide? Or had a heart attack related to his work? I know in the end it doesn't matter, but the timing... They always said he was a sick bastard...
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I read the news an hour ago. "Film director Stanley Kubrick dies at age 70." I could just stare at the screen with my mouth open. I sat there for a few minutes thinking that this HAD to be wrong. I can't even write anymore, my thoughts are jumbled. I pray to God that EWS is still released so we can have one last glimpse of the man and his legendary work.
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Even though Kubrick was 70 years old, his death surprised and affected me with a power I had not anticipated. Not just the sadness at someone's passing, but also that we have lost one of the last grandmasters of our mileu. In this age on Michael Bay and MTV, we are unlikely to see another Kubrick, someone with maverick vision, blinding talent and sheer unwillingness to compromise. Instead we hit by barrage after barrage of shmaltz, gloss, and self-importance, none of them worthy of the genre's from whence they spawned. Maybe I'm taking this too hard, maybe I'm reading too much in to this, but it strikes me that an era is coming to a close, and all that we will be left with is crap where once we had cinema.
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Why did his last movie have to be titled "Eyes Wide Shut"? Bad, bad karma. But really, even though I am saddened by his death, Kubrick was 70. It wasn't like the horrible accident that killed Alan Pakula; it probably was natural causes (haven't surfed yet). My biggest fear rests solely on the fact that he was such a secretive and private director. He probably did not leave editing notes for EWS. After all, didn't he have the models and stuff from 2001 destroyed to avoid a horrible remake? On the bright side, he's left a legacy of pride, not shame, with the stuff he has made. Not many in this industry can say that. All my original misgivings and fears about Eyes Wide Shut, may they be worries over nothing.
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when you'd talk about who's the MAN, for Films, you could always say with a straight face, Stanley Kubrick. Now what? He had something that we might not ever see again. He did things His way, because he knew exactly what he wanted and nothing short of that would do. The man was an inovator. With each film he raised the bar. his list of films need not be mentioned, he was the master. For anyone to say otherwise simply do not know. Sleep well, Mr Kubrick, for all that you have done, you deserve it
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Why did his last movie have to be titled "Eyes Wide Shut"? Bad, bad karma. But really, even though I am saddened by his death, Kubrick was 70. It wasn't like the horrible accident that killed Alan Pakula; it probably was natural causes (haven't surfed yet). My biggest fear rests solely on the fact that he was such a secretive and private director. He probably did not leave editing notes for EWS. After all, didn't he have the models and stuff from 2001 destroyed to avoid a horrible remake? On the bright side, he's left a legacy of pride, not shame, with the stuff he has made. Not many in this industry can say that. All my original misgivings and fears about Eyes Wide Shut, may they be worries over nothing.
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Without any doubt, Kubrick was an artist of the highest caliber. Reading these talkbacks is inspiring, because it lets those of us who value art know how much a true artist really means today. In a world that has long since shown that nothing is sacred, that nothing is to believed, and that nothing is valuable, the passing of a master has given rise to some of the most sincere outpouring of heartfelt emotion that I've ever witnessed.
Remember, friends, no one mourns hacks. To live the life Kubrick lived is to pass up on the momentary and worthless pseudo-"success" of popular acclaim -- acclaim that fades with the next auteur from film school. Kubrick's work will live forever, not only as the films we can see, but the inspiration that his work has given each of our lives.
Farewell, Hero.
NoMyths -
After weeks of perfectly glorious early-Spring weather here in Austin, I awoke to find a cold, dreary, utterly somber day outside. I can't help but think it appropriate. Who knows how many great films, unimagined, have been stolen from our future this day. A brilliant fire has been extinguished, and the world of cinema is the lesser for it.
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In a story posted to the Reuters newswire at 3:50 PM EST, the heads of Warner Bros. describe EWS as "just completed." I'm sure there's a bit more post-production to be done, but I would think the people working on it must have a really good idea what SK's intent was by now.
How fitting that the man leaves behind such an enigmatic legacy;
little is known about A.I., his long-planned sci-fi project, and some of the rumors are (literally) unbelievable. Will details about this would-be film come to light now that he's gone? Much as I'd love to know them... I hope not. It's much more respectful for Kubrick's most tantalizing secrets to accompany him to the grave. There's too little really good mystery in the world as it is, and there's even less today. -
Even if you didn't really care for some of the guy's work you had to at least admit that A Stanley Kubrick film was unlike anything else out there. The world has lost someone special.
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I can't really think straight right now. It's so cruel to lose him. Such a lose.
His films were almost like a drug for me. I could watch them and escape, sometimes I didn't enjoy the world I escaped to but it always taught me something. Always made me thing and introspect, more than anything else in this culturally voided world.
I'm a little mad as well. Mad at all the gutless, visionless Hollywood types that keep putting out sh*t for movies. I used to tolerate it cause I knew in a few years Kubrick would liberate me from the sh*t but I can't even look forward to that after EYES WIDE SHUT. I want to see that movie so badly I could puke.
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I was 14 years old in 1966, Vietnam was heating up daily, and on one Wednesday night, the Alcoa Aluminum company had the guts to be the sole sponsor of "a movie rescued from the late late show," as they called it -- and ABC ran it WITHOUT COMMERCIAL INTERRUPTION. It was "Paths of Glory," of course, and I curiously watched it, knowing the name Stanley Kubrick but never having seen any of his work. The unusual event of the broadcast got me in front of the set. Two hours later I staggered upstairs, where my mom was hosting her monthly bridge club, and every woman there saw the shock and devastation on my face. At that moment I realized for the first time in my life the power of a motion picture... and I resolved immediately to see every movie this guy ever made.
Thank you, Mr. Kubrick... for showing a young man... possibilities. -
I've loved SK's work since High School. My history teacher used to show Strangelove to capture the cold war paranoia. I quote that movie all the time. I remember the day I saw 2001 and Clockwork in a theater on the same day. That was so cool.
I'm wondering about Clockwork. The man pulled from UK cinemas, TV, video, everything, and Warners has always honored that. I admire them for it. Will they cave in to public pressure now. Should they? (Granted I've seen it 4 or 5 times in the States, but there are all sorts of people here who have never seen it.)
I love that opening scene from Lolita, too."The moon is blue, and so are you..." Kubrick is one of the reasons I love films. Seeing The Shining for the first time, I'll never forget it. I didn't let on to being scared in the theater, but I could not get those images out of my head.
Here's hoping he's at peace now. -
It could have been worse. What would we have done if it was Lucas instead of Kubrick?
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Usually I have some sarcastic shit to say on the Talkbacks, if I post at all. This time I echo the prolix Harry and friends: I got the news as I hung on a Star Wars chat, and it frankly blew me away. How can this be true? And on my birthday, no less? The director I worshipped more than Lucas in the sense of his extraordinary scope and approach, his unique signature and creativity in the medium? I have to praise him like I should, but words fail me. Rest In Peace, Stanley. This is a dark day for film making. I bow my head in prayer.
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At a very early age, like six or seven, I saw THE SHINING and endured nightmares for several weeks. This was my introduction to a man who would come to represent genius in the medium in which I hope to leave my imprint. Slim riding the bomb, the horror of charging down the guns in WWI, money fluttering away on an airport runway, Pyle's brains splattered across an immaculate bunker latrine, the bone that becomes a spaceship. "I'm singing in the rain." The star child. In closing, he may have explored the darkest reaches of the human condition, but his films never left me less than elated. Because of him, I always strive for perfection in everything I write, or film. And, as represented by his life's work, there should be no excuse for any of us to strive for anything less.
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When I first heard the news I, like everyone else, could not believe it. It has taken all morning for the news to sink in. This is a sad day, not just for cinema, but for the whole world.
Goodbye, Mr Kubrick. You have left behind a legacy which will not just entertain, but inspire many generations, long after your own mortality has permitted it. For this you have earned Legend, perhaps even Saint status, in my book.
May they bury you with your eyes wide shut... -
can't go without saying goodbye, Stanley Kubrick. I hope this is some kind of joke.
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Mar 07, 1999 4:09:58 PM CST
"The dead know only one thing: it's better to be alive." - Pvt.
by rjslick
I am numb. In 1978 "2001" was reissued to cash in on the post "Star Wars" sci-fi craze. I didn't see it when it was originally released, because I was only a year old, but my parents made sure we went to the reissue. I already loved the soundtrack (which my parents had a copy of that I pretty much wore out) but didn't really know what to expect from the film. I was already beginning to feel that I wanted to be involved in filmmaking, but most of the films I had seen up to this point were geared strictly towards entertainment. "Star Wars" is fantastic, but it's NOT art. "2001" is a masterpiece on par with DiVinci's "Mona Lisa". Some years later, as a sophomore in High School, I caught a midnight screening of "A Clockwork Orange". It became (and remains) my favorite film of all time. To me it represented the perfect marriage of art and entertainment; it fascinated, amused and revolted me all at once. I have seen every one of Kubric's full length films. (I'll probably try to see the shorts soon.) No other individual in the motion picture industry has affected me so much. I'm now finally on the verge of realizing my dream: I'm serving as co-producer and 1st AD on a low-budget production that's about 50% through filming. It may never be theatrically released, but it'll probably get into a few festivals and get released on video. But the one person I really would've wanted to see it is gone now. I wouldn't have cared if he loved it or hated it; just to know he saw it would have made me happy. Now that will never happen, and my world is a little darker.
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Was our old friend Lane really the God of Cinema? LaneMyers did depart us a mere day before Kubrick? Well, even if he wasn't, damn good timing, Lane, damn good timing...
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From their article Kubrick's death, they say:
Next, Peter Sellars starred in 1964's "Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb," a satire about an American college professor who rises to political power.
What the hell? -
Let's remember a great man for all the enjoyment he gave us. The great scenes he created in his films. Heck, even a few weeks ago all of us were reciting lines from "Dr. Strangelove" on Captain Mandrake's report! That's how he affected us! Great films like, "Paths of Glory", "Spartacus", "Clockwork Orange", "The Shining" and his first, "Killer's Kiss", will live on forever. I only wish he could haved lived to see the year 2001. What great commentary he would have to say about space travel and what the future held. God bless you, Mr. Kubrick and thank you for your visions.
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I didn't "get" 2001 at all, but this guy was a visonary and now he's gone. I'm thinking that "A.I." would have been great. I'm still not gonna see "Eyes Wide Shut", though. . .
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The real travesty is that next March, Kubric will finally posthumously receive the award that has elluded him all his life: the Oscar. He's been nominated for director 4 times, and I think 5 times for his screenplays. Even if EWS turns out terrible (as if that COULD happen), he would have still been nominated simply out of respect. Now, he's practically a lock to win before any of the films that will be nominated have even been released. Now we'll never know what he would have said (or if he even would have shown up) in March of 2000 when they announce that the award for Best Director goes to Stanley Kubric.
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On another note, why post something just to piss on somebody? Let's try to refrain from turning this into a flamewar like when Gene Siskel died. Yes, yes, everyone's allowed their opinions, but come on, grow up.
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Sorry Stanley, I'm a bit shaken. I know it's Kubrick, not Kubric.
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As I write this, I'm listening to the newly released CD to ACO by Wendy Carlos and feeeling depressed as hell. I have no doubt that EWS is safe. Kubrick was the sort of man who prepared for every eventuality.(All those years playing chess, I suppose.) What bums me out now is that there's no director left to take his place as standard bearer. There's no one around who can combine his techinal expertise with an uncompermising vision. (Sorry about the mispellings. Harry, you need a spellchecker n this thing.) Thankfully, when EWS comes out this summer, it'll introduce Kubrick's work to another generation of film nurds and out of them, one will rise up to meet the challenge. As far as Rapt Pupil's comments go, I'll just say that 2001 and ACO and FMJ wlll live on long after Ben Affleck has the good sense to take "Arrmageddon" off his resume. Farewell, Mr. Kubrick. May God be between you and all the dark places of the world.
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Is '99 the end of the world? It is already March...and we have been affected with horrible deaths. First Gene Siskel, who was a GREAT film critic, and now....the greatest film maker the world has ever known is dead......Even before Eyes wide Shut....I was excited about his future projects...the rumor of the Napolean movie....damn that would have been cool...I am in shock.
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i was extremely saddened and shocked when i came to this site this afternoon to discover the news. how ironic that he never lived to see the future that he and clarke predicted. and i doubt that the death was of "natural causes." what do they mean by natural causes? almost no one nowadays can die of natural causes at the age of 70. could it be that kubrick was satisified by his cut of EWS and decided that he had lived a good enough life to pass on? or maybe it was just shit that was waiting to happen. it is kinda sad to think that he will never be able to make any comments on EWS july 16th if it still comes out. he will truly be missed, and hopefully he will R.I.P.
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All I can do is shake my head and think of what the world has lost with the passing of Kubrick.
Dammit. -
I just don't know what to say, along with most others who inhabbit this board I am in utter shock at the tragic loss of one of cinemas true greats, a man who made films of almost every genre into not only masterworks in cinematic terms but also one of the only directors ever whose work could be truly described as art. A man who would not compromise his vision, not for money, not for release dates or back end deals or to hit some deadline imposed by some production company who were only interested in getting a film in cinemas by day x, a man who always did his best to ensure that every frame of every film was as perfect as he could possibly make it, and who would then try to improve it even further still, more often than not succeeding in this near impossible task. We have lost a true visionary, a genius of cinema, and a filmmaker that will never be replaced, or forgotten, ever. His legacy, films of such merrit that the term 'classic' seems somewhat insufficient will live on as his legacy, and for that alone we should all be very thankful. Sure this is a bittersweet comfort, after all we will now never see his much talked about vision of "A.I.", but at least we will have one final gift from the master, with Eyes Wide Shut, which I'm sure (and I would not dare say this about any other filmmaker's films before seeing them, no matter how much I might be looking forward to seeing them myself) will be yet another uncompromising, visionary, truly original film for us all to thank the God of filmmaking was completed in our lifetime. Lives of film fans the world over are a touch emptier today, my suggestion to all those that want to do something to honor the memory of Stanley Kubrick is to introduce someone who thinks Armageddon is a great space film to 2001, show someone that thinks the pinacle of horror is Scream Kubrick's The Shining, take a fellow film lover by the hand and watch Lolita, enlighten someone who thinks that Rob Roy is an epic by showing them Spartacus, prove to the disenchanted that Full Metal Jacket isn't 'just another vietnam film', and the list goes on, Clockwork Orange, The Killing, Paths Of Glory, Dr. Strangelove...whatever films you choose, take the opportunity to shine Kubrick's rare brilliance into the eyes of the unenlightened and smile as they watch in awe, hungry to see more examples of the mans all to rare brilliance, then think to yourself that you too still have one last chance to see a Kubrick film for the first time, and know that while Stanley Kubrick will be forever missed what he has created will live on way past any of us here today. His legacy of films were his life's work and as they live on so does he within each of us that goes to see them, be it for the first time or the fiftieth. Fare the well on your journey into eternity Mr Kubrick, we mourn your loss and praise your life in equal measure.
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How's this for eerie: this morning I'm on the computer, in a chat room discussing the finer points of "Full Metal Jacket," in my humble opinion, THE greatest Vietnam movie ever made (a close second, Brian De Palma's "Casualties of War"). I have the radio on. The news begins. Richard Strauss's "Also Sprach Zarathustra" is played. How cool, I thought to myself. The theme from "2001" as I'm clacking away about one of my favorite filmmakers. Then the dreaded announcement: FILM DIRECTOR STANLEY KUBRICK IS DEAD TODAY AT THE AGE OF SEVENTY. I ran down to the TV, and put on Headline News, which had already started. Nothing. As I sat there waiting for the recap, I hoped, PRAYED, that I heard wrong. Maybe, just maybe I THOUGHT I heard the radio announcer say Stanley Kubrick. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Toward the end of the broadcast, the sad news was replayed for my ears. Stanley Kubrick, one of the very few filmmakers who can rightfully be called a genius is dead. The man who made twelve of the most beautiful, haunting, poetic, and imaginitive movies of all time has passed on. Thanks to Mr. Kubrick, I'll never be able to hear "Singin' in the Rain" without picturing the rape scene from "A Clockwork Orange." Many nights I've been awake, thinking of the rotting corpse in the bathtub from "The Shining." I've been moved to tears more than once at the optimistic finale of "2001." I consider "Barry Lyndon" to be the most underrated masterpiece in film history. Watching "The Killing," I can see where Quentin Tarantino got some of his ideas for "Reservoir Dogs." "Paths of Glory" is one of the most gut-wrenching movies I've ever seen. "Full Metal Jacket" brought me so close to the action, that it took me days to shake off. Lee Ermey should have won an Oscar for his brilliant work. Kubrick was also a champion for letterboxing. When "2001" was sold to TV, Kubrick urged stations to show the film in its original widescreen format. The BBC, much to Kubrick's displeasure, added fake stars for the space scenes at the top and the bottom of the picture area. This mistake was never repeated, and some stations, such as TNT and TCM show "2001" in all its widescreen glory. I look forward more than ever for "Eyes Wide Shut" to be released. Sunday, March 7. Black Sunday indeed.
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I wasn't going to post anything at first, content to simply read the heartfelt comments most have written. However, like Ed who I earlier emailed, I think the real tribute to Kubrick would be to screen one of his many great films this sad evening. What greater tribute can a filmmaker of his caliber receive?
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For those with pay cable, Encore is showing Paths of Glory tonight at 2:05am (Pacific time).
Of the thousands and thousands of films I've seen, 2001 is my favorite. I saw it 1968 on a screen hundreds of feet wide, a sound system that made your body shake with the opening note. So many layers, so many themes, so little dialog. If film is a visual art, then 2001 is the Mona Lisa, telling more in a smile...
Kubrick went beyond simply telling stories on film to weaving myths with light and sound. If only he hadn't had to make Eyes Wide Shut first to get funding for AI. What a film that would have been from the little he had spoken about it.
If anything, Kubrick's films spoke of the frailties of the body and the transcendence the mind can achieve when it is willing to break out, and how deep hell can be when it can't. Those frailties finally caught up with him, but the products of his mind's transcendence will always live on.
Good bye, Stanley. While I'm sure you're headed for heaven, if not, I hope you're riding the bomb with Mjr. King Kong into hell, whooping up on the way! You deserve it. -
I was in the store today looking over the various Kubrick biographies before I heard the news. I came here because I knew that you would do him justice Harry. Thanks for the article, I can't believe the greatest artist of the 20th century has passed. It's a shame he won't be here for the year he helped define.
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great director........... too bad!
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...i think that some of you bad mouthing mr. kubrick should take a stress pill and try to think things over...if not, we can always send the droogs over to your house for a stress managment course, followed by a fly over by major kong...
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So strange . . . the timing could not be more tragically unbelievable. Like so many others, I express my hope that the studio will have enough information and respect to stay true to his vision on Eyes Wide Shut. This week at UCLA we coincidentally begin watching the films of SK. At this point I can't imagine missing them for the world. By the way, does anybody know anything more on AI? Sorry if its a dumb question but I know nothing about anything else he was involved in. Thanks
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I don't know what else to say, but
to thank kubric for the many gifts he's given to the world and to pass my grievences on to the family. Bye.
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Stanley,
Your films changed the world and mine. 2001 was a pinnacle in my film obsession making me see deeper meaning in everything. Though I am only in High School it was truly my dream that someday you might see a film I made, or maybe someday we might even talk. Hopefully, your work will not be lost, hopefully, your messages will live on.
Forever,
JN -
Over the last few years we've lost a lot of great filmmakers, with Kubrick being the latest. People die all the time, so it is to be expected once the greats start getting up there in age...but, which directors are coming up to fill the shoes of the greats? I see no major talents today that can hold a candle to the masters of years past. Who are we left with, Fincher? Tarantino? Cameron? Spare me.
Maybe the industry has changed in ways that will not to allow such a talent to develop as it has in the past, but the skies are dark. -
I am in such shock right now. I barely know how to express what I'm feeling. You see, I just saw Dr. Strangelove at 2:15 today as part of the Columbia 75th Anniversary Film Festival. I had never seen a Kubrick movie in a theatre before. It was an hour and a half of cineamatic perfection.
Having just watched Easy Rider, I was waiting for Strangelove to begin. Someone taking his seat behind me mentioned that Kubrick was dead, but I refused to believe it. I shrugged it off as just another false rumor. Didn't think of it at all as I watched his movie. Now I log on and find out its true.
Well, better writers then I have already eulogized him or will be in the coming days. I will just say that Mr. Kubrick, you have been the biggest single influence in my development as a serious fan of film. I look forward to falling in love with your latest work. I hope you left this world with no regrets, for you gave millions of its citizens endless amounts of joy and caused us to think about our world in ways we had never dreamed of. Finally I just wish that you had been granted enough time to make A.I.
Thank you, Mr. Kubrick -
Gene Siskel and Stanley Kubrick die within a month? I need some major theropy.
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I was so taken aback and saddened by the news that I waited till later to write something. I'm planning on going into film production and I considered Kubrick a god. If his films weren't extraordinary, they were so well crafted that they gave one the feeling of a man who knew exactly what he was doing, all the time. This morning I wrote my letter of intention for my application and I wrote of the great potentials of filmaking, of the people who can paint pictures and use subtleties and take full advantage of film as an art. I was describing Kubrick. I'm having such a hard time writing this. How can a man leave such an impression on you through films that it crushes you when he dies? When he's a genius of his profession, a master who knows nothing but the top of his form. And with the increasing amount of hacks out there, it makes me increasingly worried when the people who could extend the power of a film to its limits pass on. I will definitely have a Kubrick fest this weekend. It's all I can really do.
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Hello everybody. I've got a question to ask, but first I ask that no one fly off the handle aout it. I'm not here to disrespect Kubrick. I personally love FMJ, I'm not trying to cause trouble. But could someone explain to me exactly what made Kubrick so wonderful? I have to admit, I don't get it. Sure, FMJ was great, Clockwork Orange was good, 2001 put me to sleep. What made SK any different than any number of good directors? Please, I'm seriously asking, not attempting to disrespect him.
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Mr. Kubrick, your films changed my life. 2001 was the first film I had ever seen that made ME want to make films. As I grew older, I saw the others, and my awe for you grew exponentially. A person can hope to do one thing that moves someone, to make one work of art that inspires...and you made many. Thank you, Mr. Kubrick, for inspiring me many times over...
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In 1966, I was a kid in college when I read an article in the NEW YORKER about this guy Kubrick. It told about his early beginnings as a filmmaker by simply saying "he made a movie." It didn't say how he was able to get it together and "make a movie." I wanted to know the secret so I sent a letter to him (the article said he was working on something called 2001)and forgot all about it. A few weeks later, a letter arrived from England. It was four pages long and was from Kubrick. He basically said that if you want to make movies, enlist all the resources you have--family, friends, etc. In other words, DO IT! I never forgot that. And I never forgot that he would take the time to give advice and encouragement to an unknown would be filmmaker.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Kubrick.
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Did anybody heard the news from ABC saying that Jennifer Jason Leigh was the AntiChrist?.
Let's just remember, Kubrick took her out of EWS. Could this mean anything or what? -
Just watched Dr. Strangelove last night. Oh, well. We should all leave such a legacy behind when we go.
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Wow. I read this first on Slashdot, then came immediately here this morning.. I still cant believe it..
Not good this last couple years for directors whose last names started with a K.. three of my favorite directors...geez..
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Mar 07, 1999 7:21:26 PM CST
The 2nd of the two greatest cinematic visonarys dies
by patrick mcgoohan
Dear Harry. Having looked at your website for over a year now after you were mentioned on BBC news here in England i feel even though i have never conversed with you in any way that i know you well just by your writings on film. Tonight is the first time i have ever felt compelled to write to you or your site in any way. This evening like so many others i was greated to something so unexpected, so out of the blue i had to describe my feelings. I belive that we in England were the first to know the dreadfull news. While doing my usual Sunday night routine of recovering from the sunday dinner and trying to finish some University assignments, i had the TV tuned to BBC1, one of the main terrestrial channels here in the UK. Having watched a docu soap about weddings then a comic relief teaser program telling us where all our money for comic relief went last year i was getting ready for "The Lakes" a gritty drama by the guy who wrote Cracker which i think was shown in the US. Before the lakes however was the news. Some of the current news stories were read out by a news reader i have gotten to know quite well over the years. Most of the stories mentioned i knew about already and so was trying to finnish that assignment before "the lakes" started. Then I looked up at the TV to see a caption of Stanley Kubrick and before the news reader even started to speak i knew he was dead. Although hopeful thoughts went through my mind that it might be something else i knew this news reader too well and out it all came about him being 70 and the usual blurb about of being a prolific director who had made this film and that and then he actually said he had died. Then as soon as this shocking news was revealled i knew i would have an insuferable night ahead of me. I turned my TV off and just sat there contemplating thoughts. Maybe i should watch one of his films. The first viewing after he died? I just could'nt bring myself to do it.
I thought for a number of hours about the stupid plans i had had to meet him which came out of readng a Daily mail article which showed his house in hertforshire.
One was for me and a mate to go down to his house and kick a football about(his house is next to rolling country fields) and pretend we had acidentally kicked a football over his fence and go round to ask for it back and see if the great man came to the door. Another was to try and sneek into pinewood studios while he was shooting Eyes Wide Shut. A mate who works on student films found that on delivering back some film track there that once you actually got in you could walk around the entire complex. He did this when they were filming Tommorrow never dies.
Just seeing the great man at work would of been enough for me. Alas i dont have the guts to do anything like that and those plans will remain as just unrealised dreams and fantasisies. I only hope i have the chance to see my favourite British actor Patrick Mcgoohan who is also a bit of a recluse before he dies.
So after a few hours of wandering round the house wondering what to do(something that happens when im in this kind of a state!) i decided to see if the news had regestered on the other side of the pond, if not i could be the bringer of doom. Looking on your site i found that you aready know and have greated it with the same kind of response as me. On the talk back pages people are already leaving their thoughts. May i just lay to rest the claim that this is a hoax. The BBC in its 75 year history has never ever got the report of a famous death wrong!
To sign off i would just like to give my regrads to the Kubrick family for their loss. I would also like to say that with the Death of Sir David Lean and now the death of Stanley Kubrick, in my eyes there is nobody left who has the skill, vision, experince, drive, determination, attention to detail and ability to make a truly great film any more.
Yours faithfully Gareth North -
I've been away from home all day and just heard this horrible news. A master has shed his mortal coil. Not a day goes by that I or one of my friends go without referencing one of his movies. They were all so good.
My droogs and I would sign in on waiting lists as Spartacus, just to play out the scene in some dentist's office. (just for laughs) One of greats has passed and we are stuck with
Bruckhiemers and Scotts and Bays. Rest in Peace Stan...
From the whole Fabens gang
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Needless to say, the shock is intense. I'm not sure what to say, nor think - yes he inspired many of us, personally, professionally, and more. I too wasn't sure if I would post anything here - in light of the many personal comments made thus far, I thought I'd throw in a couple of my favorite quotes of Kubrick, things I look to whenever I'm stumped, trying to find a new angle, or simply need a friendly voice:
I have never been certain whether the moral of the Icarus story should only be, as is generally accepted, 'don't try to fly too high,' or whether it might also be thought of as 'forget the wax and feathers, and do a better job on the wings.'
The feel of the experience is the important thing, not the ability to verbalize it.
I would not think of quarreling with your interpretation nor offering any other, as I have found it always the best policy to allow the film to speak for itself
- Stanley Kubrick
This is the way the world ends.
This is the way the world ends.
Not with a bang, but a wimper.
T.S. Elliot -
"2001" blasted into my consciousness thirty-one years ago. I remember everything, my seat, who I was with, the theater, what the movie did to me. I was eleven. I can't say the same for any other movie I've ever seen. Kubrick gave me an experience more real than life -- how else could I remember so vividly? Beyond criticism, beyond technical prowess, that's why Kubrick was great. Because he opened doors.
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Kubrick will always be a monument to integrity in an industry marred by sycophantic guerilla warfare and attrition by committee. His art was motivated only when his perception and execution were perfectly aligned. No one after today, no one already working in film or about to, will ever have the same aura of awe and respect in the minds of the film industry. To some level, all others have made compromises in their greatest works. Kubrick had not. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Strength to you in your inevitable battle with Warners to keep "Eyes Wide Shut" from the jackal's touch now that the Master has left us.
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I too am saddened by this tragic event. The first fear from a film I ever experienced was from the twins in THE SHINING. EYES WIDE SHUT is a gift he's leaving behind. I look forward to it. However, there have been rumors that he was also working on a film entitled A.I. Who knows? This may be a second secret gift. Wouldn't put it past the king. He was the king. He wore the crown. Spielberg, Scorcese: His subjects.
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See above. The ONLY THINg making this bareable is the chance to Fear and Desire and the upcoming Eyes Wide Shut. The films will live on long after those who originally saw them in cinema are dead.
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This is my first Talk Back. I'm still having a tough time believing this. Less than a month ago, I showed my sister my new DVD of Dr. Strangelove. She enjoyed it so much her screen saver at work reads, "You can't fight in here. This is the war room!". And earlier this week I watched my LD of 2001. God, I love that film. Stanley, I don't know what you're doing now, but you'll think of something.
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I just wanted to put my two cents in, i know this will probably get mixed up in all the other talk backs...but...this is fucked up. He was a genius, and I really mourn his death.
AMERICAN PSYCHO -
This was not the news to hear on the radio while traveling 70 mph on a hectic crowded L.A. freeway interchange. God bless Kubrick and the example he has created for all of us with pretensions of creation.
P.S. Warner Brother's wouldn't dare fuck with Eyes Wide Shut. If word got out that a single frame was messed with, the wrath of God and the collective rage of millions would burn down or curse that studio. And I think they know it in their bones. -
Sheesh, this is a real bummer. It would really be a shame if EWS is not yet finished.
George Lucas isn't getting any younger. He's promised us two more SW movies. I sure hope that he remains in good health and continues to be the creative force behind the franchise. -
Hi, I'm a regular visitor (and poster) to AICN and I realized today that my words of mourning kinda blurred in with everyone elses (like these probably will be as well!). So, I decided to do something that was special to me and I thought I would try to share it with whomeever wanted to check it out. Please check out this URL: http://welcome.to/laff It's not a whole page dedicated to him or anything like that. But it's something that is special to me. Thanks for your time. -peteski@spinninghead.com
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I just can't believe it. The man who made "Spartacus" and "2001" is gone. No one made films like Kubrick, and no one ever will.Let's stop and remember that when he made a historic epic like Spartacus it was unmatched.When he made a horror movie like The Shining, he created a movie that gets scarier upon repeated viewing.And can we forget the masterpiece that was a "Clockwork Orange", a movie at least 20 years ahead of it's time? Don't forget that it's still banned in the UK,and boy did he get alot of crapover making that film. That is what made this man a genius. "Eyes Wide Shut" wil be his last masterpiece and will probably be misunderstood as well. A true filmaker is gone.
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Clearing up a current and popular misconception:
A Clockwork Orange, the screen adaptation of Anthony Burgess's dystopian novel incurred the wrath of Britain's self-appointed moral watchdogs when it was released and as a result Kubrick withdrew it from public (It could, and was, be shown at the Film Institute) circulation in the UK. -
I first discovered Kubrick's films when I was a senior in high school and I spent countless hours in the library reading books on his craft. I think he ranks amoung the great satirists of the world with the likes of Swift, Pope, and Joyce. Few filmmakers have the balls or the vision to pull off movies like Dr.Strangelove (his best in my opinion) and 2001. The lines won't be as long for Eyes Wide Shut as Star Wars, but I yearn to see both with the same excitement that great cinema brings.
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My head is bowed to you. And because of you, my eyes will always be looking directly into the camera. Goodbye.
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Stanley Kubrick was an artist, and the great thing about an artist is that we can always remember them by their work. People will be studying and discussing his films for eternity, and this will keep Mr. Kubrick with us. My prayers and thoughts are with his family, friends, and fans.
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I'm out, forget it, I think I speak for every film student wannabe when I say fuck it, I have nothing left to live for, I spent years waiting for EWS, and I won't be able to watch it without crying, thinking of the movies he will never make, like A.I., thinking about the fact that EWS the last movie, I'm not sure what to say, I think to myself, how should I react to this? I think, maybe I can crawl into a hole and die.
I hate to rip off comic books but:
Today is a sad day,
for today is the day that a Superman died.
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I have two comments on the unfortunate passing of a true artist of our time:
1) A Clockwork Orange truly is what film is all about. It is one of the few films in my collection that continues to warp my mind with each viewing. A truly original film form the minds of Kubrick and Burgess.
2) I found it touching that Kubrick would be given thanks to by such a fine filmmaker as Roberto Benigni(at his acceptance speech at the SAG awards). Hats off to you Mr. Benigni, for paying respects to such a genius. -
True this is a tragic moment. Thank GOD we have one more treasure to behold this summer. Kubrick only makes a movie every 7-10 years anyway. I doubt we would've seen any other projects after "Eyes wide shut". It's time for me to hit the couch now and watch a classic. "Clockwork Orange!"
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My condolences go out to his faimily. We as film enthusiasts will miss his work, yet they will miss the father, husband, friend. I feel that he will only now recieve the recognition that he has deserved for many years from the public at large. A man who was not only a great director, but also a great screenwriter and producer. The world of film has truly suffered a great loss.
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Mar 07, 1999 10:53:19 PM CST
This Man Needs No Introduction.........Nor Does He Need A Epitap
by joe tate
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THis makes me nervous. Nervous that the Studio will soften Eyes Wide Shut!!! Yikes. We geeks must make sure it doesn't happen. If anyone knows the e-mail address to Warner Bros. , please post it! Write to them, tell them to leave it alone!!
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Will he dream?
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I first saw 2001 in a small
revival house in college.It changed my life.It changed the way
I looked at all art, not just film. Tongight the creativity of the world is diminished. I will wear black tomorrow, and a dildo on my nose. -
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman it is up to you too protect EYES WIDE SHUT. The master is gone, he wanted you two to be in this film USE ALL YOUR COMBINE POWERS TO KEEP A CERTIN WARNERS EXEC WHO HAS FUCKED UP EVERY OTHER WARNERS FILM FOR THE 5 YEARS FROM LAYING A FINGER ON IT. Let Vivian edit it dhe was close to her father and I am sure she knew what he wanted to do with the film PLEASE TOM CRUISE PROTECT THIS FILM AS IF IT WERE YOUR OWN CHILD.
I am sorry if i made some typos but it is hard to see when you ae crying as i am right now. But for some reason i am not sad for right now Stanley Kubrick is traveling beyond the infinte he is going through his odyssey. I cant wait to see what films he makes in heaven for i know that is where he will end up at the end oh his odyssey.
R.I.P. -
There is no way that WB will fuck with Eyes Wide Shut. Kubrick had final cut, and they will, no matter how evil, acknowledge that. If they fuck up anything or change anything, it'll be the marketing of the film. And the film will last longer than any marketing campaign. Watched 2001 and Full Metal Jacket tonight in silence in honor of 'god'.
-
When Kurosawa died, he left behind an unproduced screenplay. Many felt that this work should remain unproduced, others felt it should be. The list of possible directors who could helm such a project was all but blank. At the top, for me, was Kubrick. I need not explain. As many in this talk back have stated, Kubrick did not produce enough films in the later years of his career to satiate our filmic palates. He took his sweet time, but when he delivered it was magic. I am not privy to the reasons behind his long periods away from the camera, however I viewed them as being excessive. His passing to me is a wake up call to get out there and do all I can before my time comes. Kurosawa tried to take his own life after completing Dodeskaden in 1970. Had he been successful, we would never have known the likes of Dersu Uzala, Kagemusha, Ran, Dreams, Rhapsody in August, and Madadayo. It's a good thing he wasn't. Tough acts to follow, but the show must go on. I'm hoping there are others out there whose ambitions are even half as great. Do all you can while you can.
-
I haven't felt this devastated since I heard Jim Henson and Frank Zappa died.
-
"We'll meet again. Don't know where. Don't know when. But I know we'll meet again some sunny day" -
I can't believe this. One of the only directors to have the vision to do *science* fiction right is dead. Who could pick up the torch and have the balls to make a movie in space but has no sound accompanying the space vehicles? Who has the clout to tell the studios what's what and do it right without caving or being bullied? Not many, I would imagine.
-
One of the lesser tragedies of this news is that we will now never really see a new Kubrick film, even with the release of Eyes Wide Shut. I'm not worried that Warners will somehow desecrate the film, because in truth no-one is going to be able to put the film togther the way Kubrick would have. What ever we get, EWS will probably be less than the film it was due to be. The hope that Kubrick left detailed editing plans for the completion of the film in the eventuality of his death are probably hoping in vain. Kubrick didn't make films like that. He improvised in Post production, re-organising, tweaking and amending the films right up to (or even after) the release. Not for him the nailed down, pre-planned certainties of Hollywood filmmaking. Even if he has delivered a more or less acceptable cut to Warners, no doubt he has yet to work on music, and the use of music, as much as any of his incredible talents, was an area in which he was the master, and often made the most unique and lasting impression. For the poster above who asked what's so special about Kubrick, well, the magical juxtaposition of sound and image he confured up in almost everyone of his later films (Dr Stranglove onwards) would probably be as good a place as any to start. "We'll Meet Again", "The Blue Danube", "Singing In The Rain", "Surfin' Bird", "The Thieving Magpie", "Thus Spake Zarathustra", "Beethovens 9th" as reworked by Walter Carlos, "Vivaldi's Cello Concerto..." need I go on?
-
What more can I say? It feels a bit futile and pointless to post after so many already have, but I feel the need to release as I know that at least the living members of my family don't care. My knowledge of Stanley Kubrick started as a small child when I first saw a pristine 70mm print of 2001 in a cinema (also being the first time I'd seen the film). It was captivating, even though part of my subsequent obsession with the film and need to find out more about this 'kubrick guy' was fueled by being stunned by the sheer spectacle of it all as opposed to its wonderful artistry. As I grew older I saw more and more in 2001, had seen all of kubrick's films (except A Clockwork Orange) by the age of 12 and saw the latter two years ago, and seeing just what could be done with a strand of celluloid an inch or two wide sparked an interest in creating films myself. As adolescence arrived I more and more saw the accuracy Kubrick's view, his idea of dehumanisation prevalent in essentially every film he made became my gospel, and his perfectionism and attention to detail became something I strived for in everything I tried, especially film, which is not to say I attained it, and my early efforts in film weren't exactly fantastic. Now I've just started at Uni, studying film as an Arts major, hopefully moving into postgrad film school and beyond, and what a legacy has been left for me to strive for, albeit one which is not so notable for its volume. What it is notable for though for the utter brilliance of each of his films. Auterysm is almost dead in the late 20th century, we are returning to a film world dominated by production-line cliches as was the classical hollywood era. Not to say that no new films are worth watching, there are a lot of brilliant creative souls out there, and I take great pleasure in seeing films created by independent voices achieve success, partly in some anticipation and selfishness as I cannot see myself ever succumbing to making cinematic tripe just for the money, or at least I hope I never do. Stanley was a true example of an auteur, he never made a film just for the money, and he is someone in reverence to whom I will always feel obliged to strive for artistic perfection in my film work. In closing I'd have to agree with CASE's message with a qualification - Do all you can, while you can, as long as you do it properly.
-
Dearest Friends,
God has taken from
us one the GREAT;
if,THE GREATEST
filmaker who ever
lived on this
planet! His name
is:STANLEY KUBRICK.
His Legacy is left
to us for and to
all who love the
word FILM,IMAGES,
IDEAS AND LEARN
with a deep
passion.
To me "2001" will
and forever be the
best film I have
and will have ever
seen. It gave me
hope,made the stars
dance,it turned me
on to joys of
Classical
music,"The Ultimate
Trip" and so much
more. I love this
so much that I have
it Beta,VHS,LASER
and Dvd.
In the end Mr.
Kubrick gave us the
StarChild and in
the end Mr. Stanley
Kubrick odyssey has
to come to one
absolute and great
end. Godspeed Mr.
Kubrick and "Thank
You" for giving the
TRUE MEANING OF
ART,CINEMA,& FILM.
Jr. Cortez.
March 7th,1999
:"-( -
i'm 19 years old, and was until recently getting VERY pissed off with film - a Hollywood led money pit existing purely to line the pockets of executives, advertisers and over-paid "stars".
Then I recently saw Dr Strangelove, On TV, for the first time ever. And it restored my faith in film as a useful artistic medium. -
DAVINCI, MICHELANGELO, EINSTEIN, GANDHI, and KUBRICK. Birds of a feather. I am not exaggerating. I am numbed today. What a great loss for the world, and for anyone with a brain.
The least we can do now is to petition Warner Bros. to leave the director's cut of the Master's final work as it currently exists. We need to send in a team of U.N. inspectors to make sure they don't mess with it. I mean, we'll scale the walls of Warner Bros. if we have to, right?
Thank you for showing me that greatness exists, Mr. Kubrick. Thank you for showing me how to look at a film intelligently, using your expert craft and keen observation of the human condition to illuminate those insights which have always stirred within but which I could never otherwise express. Your films are and forever will be mirrors into which we can reflect at any time; to continue to discover more and more of ourselves as we each continue to grow in this uncertain existence of ours
-Lacertus. -
Bravo.
-
When John Lennon died in 1980 I was a little confused as to what all the fuss was about (I was only 10, and I know better now). Now I know what it feels like to have an artist that you love pass away. What now? What now... Stanley, I love you. I think there should be a National Film Boycott Day in honor of Stanley. A great voice has been silenced, and we should show the studios exactly what real art is. I love you, Stanley, please come back.
-
....Mr. Kubrick...Bravo.
-
Yes it is sad the Kubrick died, but let's get back reality please. The man was not God. He was just a director. And Harry, saying on AICN's main page that you're angry, that's just tacky. You're angry at what? Angry at the fact that a man whom you did not know has died. Get your priorities figured out man. There's no reason to be angry at a total strangers death.
-
From the New York Times:
"For the next several years, he worked on the science fiction epic "2001" (1968), which he wrote with Arthur C. Clarke. Its spectacular psychedelic effects earned the film a reputation as the era's quintessential "head" movie. In its visual grandeur and dazzling special effects, "2001" paved the way for George Lucas's "Star Wars" trilogy."
"2001" and "Star Wars" have next to *nothing* in common - not anything that really matters.
"2001" is indeed the Mona Lisa of film. The best example of science fiction brought to film, a join project between one of the great authors of our Age and the greatest filmmaker of all time. It is as scientific as true as possible except for the wild card of the aliens - who display in the immoral words of Arthur the Author, "Any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic".
I love "Star Wars". I went to see it seven times in just it's first release. But it is not science fiction, it is space opera. It is not film, it is a movie. It has an undeniable charm, it is funny, it is exciting but it is a comic book, not literature. Not a graphic novel. But a great, great comic book.
The dogfight scenes all play as if they were W.W.II dogfights (sound effects when there is no sound in space, aerodynamic turns and loops, etc.) Cutsie robots and Lucas steals ideas from many, many sources such as Dune, the Foundation trilogy, Buck Rogers, Ophedius, etc. and crafted a great myth into a great work, fun for all ages.
Don't ever take small children to a showing of "2001". It could almost qualify for child abuse. The same for immature adults. They'll just bitch and moan (or at best fall asleep). They lack the intellect to appreciate it and the patience to even begin to understand it.
Kubrick was born July 26, 1928. Let's celebrate that day.
I hope to finish mourning him then. I can only hope. -
Each day such as this - I am reminded what the phrase, "Standing on the shoulders of giants' truly means.
Thank you Mr. Kubrick. -
Cast a cold eye
On life, on death.
Horseman, pass by!
w.b. yeats -
In the span of five minutes, I learn that Joe Dimaggio and Kubrick have died....this day is starting out swimmingly...
-
What does it matter what you say about people?
Scorsese still survives -
I'm looking forward to Episode 1 as much as anyone, but Jesus Christ, you can't complain about people using AICN to vent their grief at this tragedy.
EWS will be a masterpiece, SK was not in the business of making anything but. -
I'm looking forward to Episode 1 as much as anyone, but Jesus Christ, you can't complain about people using AICN to vent their grief at this tragedy.
EWS will be a masterpiece, SK was not in the business of making anything but. -
I have been in shock all night. I was watching the X-files when I heard the news. Fox, during a commercial break, teased the audience with murder, fires and Stanley's death. I grew up watching the man's movies. 2001, Clockwork, Dr. Strangelove...they all mark important years in my life...landmarks almost. *sigh* I'm at a loss for words...I'm numb. It feels as if someone close to me has died. I can't even begin to describe the loss I feel...or the worry about Eyes Wide Shut and AI. *shrug*
That's about it...I'm just numb and in shock now. Malcolm said it best yesterday... 'the last great director has died. We have lost a genius.'
goodbye, goodday and good luck -
I have been in shock all night. I was watching the X-files when I heard the news. Fox, during a commercial break, teased the audience with murder, fires and Stanley's death. I grew up watching the man's movies. 2001, Clockwork, Dr. Strangelove...they all mark important years in my life...landmarks almost. *sigh* I'm at a loss for words...I'm numb. It feels as if someone close to me has died. I can't even begin to describe the loss I feel...or the worry about Eyes Wide Shut and AI. *shrug*
That's about it...I'm just numb and in shock now. Malcolm said it best yesterday... 'the last great director has died. We have lost a genius.'
goodbye, goodday and good luck -
Well that's what I think anyway.
-
Thank you, Mr. Kubrick, for giving me the gift of fear in a 'safe' world.
-
Another master laid to rest. And without the true recognition of his peers. Though he lived in Britain, Kubrick was one of the finest American directors ever to honor the silver screen with his skill.
And he never had that Academy Award to show for it.
True, the presitge of the award itself has been lessend in recent years (Kevin Costner??? gimme a fucking break!!!!!) It took Spielberg every ounce of artistry (and a little selling out) to snag a golden boy.
And yet Kubrick went unrewarded.
Sure. WE all know he was a living film god...so did countless others who offered various homages to him in their works (Trainspotting and about a dozen Simpson episodes come to mind immediately). But he never got the pat on the back that everyone knows he more-than-deserved.
He was due, god dammit.
Sleep tight Hollywood, knowing that you thumbed your nose at a man that you all ran after madly to emulate.
Farewell to Stamley Kubrick. A man never given his due. -
To those worrying about the state of "Eyes Wide Shut," relax. Editing was already completed (though heaven knows SK would have tinkered with it further, right up until the release date), and the version that was screened for four lucky people a couple of weeks ago was indeed the "final" version. Furthermore, Kubrick's deal with the studio specified that they MUST release the film EXACTLY as he submitted it to them. His deal is also what allowed him to produce a film completely at his own pace, to his exact specifications, at whatever budget he decided he needed, and was equalled in creative control (according to the New York Times article) only by Clint Eastwood. SK had his battles with know-nothing execs, but you have to admit, unlike, say, Orson Welles, he WON.
-
I remember when 2001 was the longest running film in Toronto, a record that lasted for many years. I have a distinct memory of my whole family heading downtown to the theatre (something we very rarely did) in order to see it early in the run. All I remember were the sense that this was an event, and watching the lights as they flashed on screen. I felt like I was going through the tunnel with Dave. Jump ahead many years and I'm in a theatre with my boyfriend, later husband, and I am enthralled by the most visually stunning film I had ever seen. It was like watching a fine painting come to life. It was Barry Lyndon. What a man that could make such diverse and brilliant films.
-
"i'm so angry"... "one of the few reasons i had left to live"... "galileo, michelangelo, kubrick"........ jesus christ, if i've ever heard such overdramatic and out of proportion prose in my life, it must have been in a romance novel with fabio on the cover, nowhere else...this is pathetic..yes, death is sad, particularly when a great director or other "god"(please) passes, we feel loss....but come on, harry's post SHOULD have been "a great director has died, the film world and our world is poorer today than yesterday, godspeed stanley..." instead we get,from he and others, juvenile, overheated 6year old drivel, hyperemotional outpourings of people who sound nothing like adults....there IS a difference between a-film being meaningful, powerful and emotional in our lives, and b- apopletic outpourings of childish overstatement (episode one will lose some of its power? good god, shut up!)... i feel a loss for film and his family, but my next film experience will be completely unaffected by this sad and tragic event, and anyone who feels the need to walk around with sackloth and ashes, self flagellating with a crown of thorns, please stay away from my theater....
-
"i'm so angry"... "one of the few reasons i had left to live"... "galileo, michelangelo, kubrick"........ jesus christ, if i've ever heard such overdramatic and out of proportion prose in my life, it must have been in a romance novel with fabio on the cover, nowhere else...this is pathetic..yes, death is sad, particularly when a great director or other "god"(please) passes, we feel loss....but come on, harry's post SHOULD have been "a great director has died, the film world and our world is poorer today than yesterday, godspeed stanley..." instead we get,from he and others, juvenile, overheated 6year old drivel, hyperemotional outpourings of people who sound nothing like adults....there IS a difference between a-film being meaningful, powerful and emotional in our lives, and b- apopletic outpourings of childish overstatement (episode one will lose some of its power? good god, shut up!)... i feel a loss for film and his family, but my next film experience will be completely unaffected by this sad and tragic event, and anyone who feels the need to walk around with sackloth and ashes, self flagellating with a crown of thorns, please stay away from my theater....
-
"i'm so angry"... "one of the few reasons i had left to live"... "galileo, michelangelo, kubrick"........ jesus christ, if i've ever heard such overdramatic and out of proportion prose in my life, it must have been in a romance novel with fabio on the cover, nowhere else...this is pathetic..yes, death is sad, particularly when a great director or other "god"(please) passes, we feel loss....but come on, harry's post SHOULD have been "a great director has died, the film world and our world is poorer today than yesterday, godspeed stanley..." instead we get,from he and others, juvenile, overheated 6year old drivel, hyperemotional outpourings of people who sound nothing like adults....there IS a difference between a-film being meaningful, powerful and emotional in our lives, and b- apopletic outpourings of childish overstatement (episode one will lose some of its power? good god, shut up!)... i feel a loss for film and his family, but my next film experience will be completely unaffected by this sad and tragic event, and anyone who feels the need to walk around with sackloth and ashes, self flagellating with a crown of thorns, please stay away from my theater....
-
A little moderation here folks. I know I am going to piss a few (well, a lot) of people off here but here goes anyway. Kubrick was indeed a genius, a singular mind and a true Artist. A rarity in the modern film world. I may not have loved all of his films but would argue passionately against anyone who questioned the man's integrity or persistance of vision. It truly is a testament to the enormity of his stature in the film world that Hollywood ( Hollywood, mind you...) gave him carte blanche to produce movies any way he saw fit. He was a GIANT. No argument here. I am, however, a little miffed that so many people here want to draw attention to themselves with these crass melodramatic essays about how they've got nothing to live for now that their mentor as passed on. Give it a rest, you guys. Where do you get off acting like Kubrick's going to leave as big a hole in your lives as he will in the lives of his closest friends, his family, his children? It seems slightly tacky to me that a bunch of (probably) twenty year old wannabe film-makers ache so profoundly for some sense of depth and loss in their cloistered lives that they'll manufacture an earth-shattering trauma out of the death of someone who they've never known personally. Right now, Stanley Kubrick's family members may be holding onto each other, weeping, confused. Dealing with the difficult business of the funeral arrangements, consoling and being consoled by dear friends. And wondering how the hell they're going to get through today, and tomorrow, and the next day. The fate of Eyes Wide Shut is probably the very LAST thing on their minds. If they had a choice between just one more film from the man and just one more kiss which one do you think they'd choose? And a few film geeks think that they have some kind of claim to that grief? Why? Because they won't get "AI" seven years from now? Eck. I KNOW most of it is well-intentioned and undoubtedly sincere but it's frankly making me a titch ill. Write a tribute by all means but if you must show pity direct it to Kubrick's family and not yourself.
And Stan? You da man! Thanks. -
just heard this on the radio, basball legend Joe Demaggio has died at 87.... 3/8/99. Good luck making movies in heaven, Stanley Kubrick...thank you for the Monolith. Your Film visions will live on into future generations. You will be missed.
-
Just one more farewell from a devoted fan. Love them or hate them, every one of Kubrick's films was a work of master craftsmanship. Few in Hollywood today are able to take up the mantle. None have as good a track record. I'll be in line for "Eyes Wide Shut" this summer.
-
I was 17, and really freaked out about the US making war in central america, when I managed to talk my girlfriend into going to see "Full Metal Jacket" at the local cineplex...To this day, the "life is shit" scene is imprinted in my mind as one of the most horrifying moments in my life, not just in a film! That's when I knew all the gung ho military bullshit I'd heard my entire life really was a "world of shit."...There was no going back after that. Kubrick's film forced me to confront my suspiscions that what war really amounted to was one big phallic symbol for the unfortunate and the sexually repressed! It wasn't long after that I broke up with my girlfriend, who came from a big conservative military family - I just couldn't play the "part" any longer....God, his other films also had an impact. How about the speach Kirk Douglas gives in SPARTACUS? Singing in the rain in a CLOCKWORK ORANGE? When we finally reallize HAL can read lips in 2001? I wonder what Mr. Kubrick can teach us about sexuality in EYES WIDE SHUT.....At least we will have the chance to learn one more time....
-
I mean yeah so sad he is gone but a "God" my god what a waste of typing!
-
Lets just hope EYES WIDE SHUT isn't a complete pile of poopy pants!! We don't want a geniouses last work to be shit do we??
P.S. I've just spent 5 minutes trying to figure out how to spell genious. So don't blame me if it's wrong. OK!?!?!?! -
Mar 08, 1999 9:55:54 AM CST
Anyone else Harry goes a bit overboard sometimes with his descri
by bradshaw
-
Kubrick was my absolute favorite director of all time. His eye, his patience, his style were completely unique in a world of fast paced, high-impact action cinema. We will never look upon his like again.
I can't help grieve not only for the passing of a cinematic genius, but the fact that he passed on before making what may very well have rivaled 2001 in the pantheon of the greatest science fiction films of all time AI.In reading more and more about this project I became increasingly intrigued, could this film actually surpass 2001? The prospect of another film being as perfect to me as 2001 was unthinkable, but if anyone could do it, Stan could. I was dying to see Kubricks' hand applied to a CG filled, story-driven and character driven film. A combination very rarely seen these days. Now that will never come to pass. Sure, someone else may pursue the project, but who cares, it wouldn't have Stanleys' distinctive stamp on it. But the point of admiring any great filmmaker is not mourning the loss of films not made, yet celebrating the body of work that he has given to the world. Mr. Kubrick, you have given the film world a lot to be thankful for and you will be deeply missed. -
I had heard that Kubrick
had started filming AI
and stopped once he saw
the special effects in
Jurassic Park. What will
happen to that footage?
Will we ever get to see
it? I also want to see
the 1996 BBC documentary
about Kubrick. I read
about it on the
excite.com news page.
There's suppose to be
footage of him yelling at
Shelly Duval on the set
of The Shining. Where can
I get a copy? I had also
read a rumor on Check out
this page for some of the
last pictures taken of
Kubrick on the set of
"Eyes Wide Shut"
http://pages.prodigy.com/
kubrick/bts-ews.htm -
Back on 2/24/99 I read on
www.thedigitalbits.com that
currently in preduction were DVD
Special Editions of the following
Kubrick films. A Clockwork Orange,
The Shining, Full Metal Jacket,
and Barry Lyndon. They should be
released in July around the same
time as the release of "Eyes Wide
Shut". Maybe Harry & Glen can get
some more info on the features on
these discs. Check out this site
for 2/24 mention on
theDigitalBits.com
http://www.thedigitalbits.com/mytw
ocentsa9.html -
I am amazed by the amount of uninformed and ignorant crap is being written in the media about Stan. A common comment is that his films lacked humanity and warmth - personally I find the scene in Barry Lyndon where Ryan O'Neil breaks down besidehis son's deathbed one of the most moving scenes ever committed to film. Another criticism is that his films have no coherent underlying theme. Am I the only one that finds the theme of man struggling with the demands of the individual against the demands of modern society the clear overridding theme? Let there be no doubt: Stan ranked alongside Renoir, Ford, Welles, Eisenstein and Lean as one of the true "artists" cinema has produced. I'll have to live on now knowing that I'll never meet the great man.
PS. Stan, whereever you are read today's talkback and know how you were not some mad eccentric but an extraordinary man who communicated the range of human emotion to the world. RIP. -
Stanley Kubrick. Some people! Geez, who would think that? Maybe L'Autuer was just dumping on you. Anyway, on to more important things. I heard the news last night on the SAG Awards. It was mentioned so briefly, I thought maybe I misunderstood. Hard to believe. I wonder if he had even been ill? He's left behind an incredible legacy of film. I know I'm greatful. And richer for having seen these gems.
-
At least now Siskel will have somebody good to talk movies with.
-
One of my favorite scenes in cinema is When HAL attacks Frank Poole in 2001. You hear Frank's loud breathing, and you see the pod controlled by HAL stalk up behind him. All of a sudden, silence; you see Frank farantically frailing about, trying to grasp his severed respirator feed. You're just an observer and you can't do anything to help him. You want to, but you can't. All you can do is watch the spectacal. All you can hear is silence.
-
One of my favorite scenes in cinema is When HAL attacks Frank Poole in 2001. You hear Frank's loud breathing, and you see the pod controlled by HAL stalk up behind him. All of a sudden, silence; you see Frank farantically frailing about, trying to grasp his severed respirator feed. You're just an observer and you can't do anything to help him. You want to, but you can't. All you can do is watch the spectacal. All you can hear is silence.
-
A sad day.
Posthumous Academy award time, if there ever was a time.
Let's honor a Kazan, but let's leave Kubrick alone. Good one, academy snobs....
Goodbye to a true original. -
Looking back at it, there are a number of Kubrick's films I don't like. However, his passing is an ocassion of sadness for me because of 2001. Going to see that on roadshow was part of the 8th birthday present -- I got to have whatever I wanted at the concession stand, had too much popcorn and orange drink and got somewhat sick. (Hey, I was a little kid.)
Don't ask me to recount the film - I couldn't. What I remember to this day, though, is the wonder I felt as Kubrick's images washed over me. It was...incredible, and literally gave me the belief that my ideas didn't need to be bound by what I saw and touched. (Thank you, Mr. Kubrick, for giving my English teachers over the years much grief as I tried to act on the emotional chord you touched during that film.)
I've never seen 2001 again. Don't want to. I've caught bits and pieces, but never sat through the whole thing. It wouldn't be the same. I wouldn't be that 8-year-old child sitting in the dark, orange drink clutched in my hand, enthralled by the sights and sounds that are washing over me. It doesn't matter what I think of his other films. In that one moment, he gave me a gift.
Resquiat en Pace -
My respects go out to Kubrick. He was a good director that made some creative film classics. However, the man was not, I repeat NOT God.
-
It's too bad that this was the initial change in the EWS site.
-
Doesn't it seem strange that Officers were summoned to Kubric's home? Are officers summoned every time someone dies? I don't think so? Also, the family did not want to comment on the cause of death. Why is that? It wouldn't have been such a big deal if he had died in his sleep, but it seems to me that something must have happened. We may never know.
~Shelly -
No he did not commit suicide. He was 70 for chrissakes!
What's next? The IRA had him killed? Go back and watch X-files there pee wee....
Out -
My first memory in life comes from being four years old and watching an ape throw a bone in the air and see it become a spaceship.
All of my interests and plans and obsessions in life have come from that one moment.
He was truly the Grandfather of our Dreams. -
People! Do not compare mortals and God! It is sacreligious! I mean, the guy was an average director for crying out loud.
-
This is still Sunday's Cool News? I guess Harry's to upset to update. Unless I'm just not getting Monday's News. How surreal would that be. Mr. Kubrick's passing is surely one of Harry's Signs-O-the-Apocalypse. And I imagine it'll a bunch of counter signs to balance this one out. Hope tomorrow brings better news.
-
Godspeed. See you on the other side.
-
Play Floyd's "Echos" to JUPITER AND BEYOND THE INFINITE and kick-ass hit happens. I heard the song was written for the film but Kubrick veto'd it. Oh well, it fits even better than Dark Side of Moon and Wizard of Oz. "Fiddy-well lil' brotha! Fiddy-well!"
-
"I've always been interested in death. Some people call it morbid, but I think that death is an important part of life ... It's the only freedom that is given to the person who dies and the people who suffer from the person dying."
--Stanley Kubrick, 1971 -
I was just as stunned as all of you. I was watching the Screen Actors Guild Awards last night while Roberto Begnini was making his acceptance for Best Actor and he said I would like to pay my respects to the maestro Stanley Kubrick or something to that effect and I said no dumbass he isn't dead (I was very busy yesterday and didnt' get to catch the news) and my brother informed that he dead earlier that morning of a heart attack. I couldn't believe. I was devastated the whole day. I was scrambling all over news sites and entertainment sites to find out information about Kubrick and the fate of Eyes Wide Shut and they said according to Warner execs. it is still coming out July 16 of this year and the ShoWest preview will go as planned as Stanley wanted it. Cruise and Kidman released a joint statement today saying that they film has been completed except for some looping and mixing. Many said that they talked to Stanley not to long ago and they said he was very happy and thrilled with the movie. I would advise all of you to surf the web and try to get some information. Well, if the master was happy about it, I guess Eyes Wide Shut will be a truly great movie. Stanley Kubrick will be greatly missed.
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When I heard the news last night my girlfriend was just going to switch channel to some boring soap-opera. I immediately threw myself over the remote, grabbed it and fell to my knees in front of the TV. "This is not true" or in swedish: "det f
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I was right...three famous (or infamous) people always dies in one week. First it was Harry Blackmum, then Stanley, and that Joltin' Joe. Oh, man, this is sad. Stanley Kubricks was one of a rare kind. A god among filmmakers. When I was ten (1980) when I first saw "2001: A Space Odyssey" but it was a late night movie and I was tired as heck. But I saw it again in 1983, this time with closed captioning and on a primetime slot. I was overwhelmed by the sheer depth and pace of the film. I almost had an epiphany when the legendary "Stargate" sequence ran til the end. Did saw "A Clockwise Orange" on a Sunday afternoon special (it was heavily edited and poorly taped) in 1984. "Full Metal Jacket" came when I was in h.s. What a helluva movie. My crazy friend, James, would to mimick every character in that movie who speak foul language. When Stanley Kubricks announced that he would do "A.I." in the early 90s, any S.K. film would just do fine! Unfortunately, that's never happened. Talk about friggin' karma! Stanley Kubricks shutted his eyes wide closed for the last time. R.I.P, Stan. There won't be the next S.K. ever again.
Rob -
"...I can feel it.." I can feel the loss of a great fuck em if they can't take a joke filmmaker.
Kubrick (pardon the pun) opened my eyes to the possibilities. I read today in the Daily News a rare quote from him where he said he started making movies because he knew he could make something better than the usual shit out there even if his only experience was the love of good film. Hey, that's why I'm a film fanatic and work in the industry. You wan't the studio heads to get a reality check..? Just read Kubricks resume. When you see it printed out in black and white in the papers your mouth will drop I swear. As for the future? "..Excuse me Dr. Strangelove, what do you think..?" -
The world lost a man who was able to describe like no other his dreams and fears in pictures (and sounds) that gave the meaning to the word MOVIE. He was a GENIUS in using the camera for telling us his story.
We have to THANK his family, friends and his hole environment for enabling him to dream and fear for the past 70 years.
THANK YOU * STANLEY KUBRICK * THANK YOU ;-(
PS: I hope there will be directors getting SK's 'lifelong finalcut' contract in the future !! -
I was shocked by the news. My father came to my room and said "Stanley Kubrick died." And I was in shock. I've only seen two films by the genius. I have "The Shining" and I'be seen "Dr. Strangelove". I loved DSL, and I curse Stephen King for being dissatisfied with "The Shining". Today I was staring at my father's copy of 2001, I think it's finally time to see that film. Anyway, I think we should not be worried about WB screwed with the cut of EWS. I've more concerned with WB exploiting his death, billing the movie as "Stanley Kubrick's final film".
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Thou was not born for death, immortal Bird!
No hungry generations tread thee down;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;
The same that oft-times hath
Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.
Forlorn! the very word is like a bell
To toll me back from thee to my sole self!
Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well
As she is fam'd to do, deceiving elf.
Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades
Past the near meadows, over the still stream,
Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep
In the next valley-glades:
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music: - Do I wake or sleep?
-Keats -
I could go on and on about his films, but I'll just say this: I saw Full Metal Jacket in college. I spent that night praying to forget it just long enough to go to sleep. No other film, no other director, has ever had so deep an impact on me.
"I know we'll meet again some sunny day." -
I don't know if any of you will read this but I just had to share my thoughts. In two days I've lost two of my heroes. Yesterday, Stanley Kubrick, the greatest film-maker who's ever lived (yes, greater than Welles, greater than Hitchcock, greater than Kurosawa) has passed away. And today, one of my Yankee heroes, Joe DiMaggio, has left us too. (Paul Simon's lyrics come to mind: "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you. What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson? Joltin' Joe has left and gone away.") All I can say now as we mourn the deaths of these legends is to remind us all to value our heroes while they're living, because heroes are few and far between. I was hoping for a few more movies from Kubrick, but I will savor the one remaining film we have -- and I will treasure all the other masterpieces he left for us. Relish each moment in this life, for its fleeting.
-- Kik -
Thank you Mr. Kubrick for all the moments that I've spent watching and pondering about your work. It has meant so much to myself and to other people. I have this strange feeling that you beat death until you felt EWS was right and complete. And then the inevitable happened... I hope you have found continued happiness wherever you are. I will be seeing you on July 16th. Thank you again.
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With Kubrick gone, the only adaption of Super Toys Last All Summer Long left is Greg Hyland's Frog Crisis.
http://nebula.on.ca/frogcrisis/ -
I was sitting in a cafe in Santa Monica last night just totally devastated by the news I had heard earlier in the day. So I finally just blurted it out to a casual acquaintance sitting at a nearby table. "Did you hear, Stanley Kubrick died today. Then literally everyone at every table in the room looked up in shock. I was surprised noone had heard about it. Yes, that's the kind of effect his passing had on people in L.A. Francis Coppola once said, what makes a great film is not how much money it makes at the box office, but if it lives. Yes, Kubrick's films will indeed live. Long after Blockbuster goes out of business and it's billions of feet of aging videotape decompose back into the earth.
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I was sitting in a cafe in Santa Monica last night just totally devastated by the news I had heard earlier in the day. So I finally just blurted it out to a casual acquaintance sitting at a nearby table. "Did you hear, Stanley Kubrick died today. Then literally everyone at every table in the room looked up in shock. I was surprised noone had heard about it. Yes, that's the kind of effect his passing had on people in L.A. Francis Coppola once said, what makes a great film is not how much money it makes at the box office, but if it lives. Yes, Kubrick's films will indeed live. Long after Blockbuster goes out of business and it's billions of feet of aging videotape decompose back into the earth.
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Look, does anyone actually know if SK had any religious beliefs? Now, excuse my saying so, but didn't the guy make a fucking movie about man's assent from ape-men to fucking alien contact? I'm not hacking on Christians and I'm not saying I know what he believed in, but isn't it just a *tad* unfair to wish him well in heaven if the guy probably thought the place was a complete load of shit? Other than that, damn, Kubrick's dead.
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Man, I was never a big Kubrick fan, but I always respected his work a hell of a lot. So I just had to watch Spartacus last night on cable (I don't have any of his films on tape with me at school) when I heard...in today's industry, epic styling like his will certainly be missed... (P.S. Don't flame me for confessing not to be a big fan...I'm paying my respects to a great here)
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To Brian D. and all of the other mundanes who would kick us all in our grief, a bit of doggrell:
"Are you so old that you have no childhood?/Is your timeline that unreal?/Do all of your sunsets come in the morning?/Tell me, baby, how do you feel?"
- from "Ice Cream Phoenix"
I pity you mundane people in your Terminal Adulthood who care nothing outside your miserable little lives. Can you not be touched by Art? Can you not be moved by greatness? How dare you come to this memorial with your cold hard heart, made of an alloy of kidney stones and rusty iron. What dark thrill do you get from attacking us?
You are animals. -
This is not a good way to start a Tuesday for me. Seeing that I don't watch T.V. or read the papers anymore, I didn't hear about MY FAVORITE AND ONLY CINEMATIC GOD- STANLEY KUBRICK until this morning via email from a friend/co-worker this morning. My heart got queezy and I decided to check it out myself. It's true. Life truly stinks right now. Thank you Stanley for your Art. My condolences to your family.
Gil -
Mar 09, 1999 7:24:06 AM CST
They say 13 is unlucky for some, I t was for kubric, The no. of
by imaril
Dark humour at it's most bitter. 13 films finished (not counting EWS as 'finished'). He was a master craftsmen we'll never forget
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predictably, i've received many replies to my "Calm Down" post castigating me for having no heart, being an unfeeling automaton, etc... it doesnt surprise me that those who have no perspective on the sad passing of SK ignore the expressions of sorrow and sympathy for his family that were part of my message, instead insisting on a khomeni-like wailing and nashing of teeth, as they jump up and down in their robes, trying to each outdo the other "no, i'm more sad than you!"... i'm as sad as the next person by the i repeat tragic passing of SK, but i wont allow myself to lose sight of the fact that his family is suffering today, we are not... and when i see all of you expressing the same sense of sorrow over the death of mother teresa, only then will i respect your overindulgence of emotion over the loss of a MOVIE DIRECTOR....
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this bit of a "mistake" in Dr. Strangelove? In the last part of the film when Dr. Strangelove (Peter Sellers) is front and center before the camera, explaining how the US should deal with the impending nuclear holocaust (and having trouble NOT throwing his arm up in a Nazi salute) actor Peter Bull (who plays Ambassador de Sadesky, the big Russian guy) breaks character about three times. Bull (to our left) starts cracking up and breaking character almost every time Sellers starts grunting and grabbing his uncontrollable "nazi" arm during the scene.
anyone else noticed this? it's kind of refreshing, especially in regards to Kubrick's notorious perfectionism.
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Just so, Brian.
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To Brian D. -
You Go Boy!
I could not have said it better myself! -
To Brian D. -
You Go Boy!
I could not have said it better myself! -
Nuff said.
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This melodrama is really cheesy. How many people on TALK BACK knew him? And "a God"? People are supposedly crying as they write their messages? I like Stanley Kubrick films just as much as the next Geek but this is pathetic. I think I'm going to stop using the term film geek cause I now believe that that applies only to nerds who have been rejected by society, family, and love so that they find refuge in films, where they treat the death of celebrities with high regard than they would their own mothers. If the reason that you're sad is because you're one of those "I love the media/celebrities/Entertainment Tonight type of psychos, how could you be? He rarely gave interviews and had not made a film since the mid-eighties. All of you are acting like kids with a crush on some cheerleader that would never give any of you the time of day, meaning that you think you're in love with the person when you don't even know him! Go ahead and type shit about me being "heartless", because I'm not. I'm sad that a man with great talent has passed on. But think about it like this: Gene Siskel was in his 50's with young children. Kubrick was 70, so how can you really be in shock?
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For one thing I thought Lane Myers was going to go away. But more importantly, I'm a journalist and I know exactly what "There were no suspicious circumstances" means:
Suicide. Now, I could be wrong, but in journalism that is what is generally said when someone commits suicide. I know that he was 70, so there's every chance it was something else... but still that was my first thought when I read the article. Anyway, hats off to a brilliant career, Kurbick was one of the few rare american film directors with the balls to be different. A god? Maybe not, but certainly a man of brilliance. -
With the passing of incontravertible geniuses like Stanley Kubrick, one often finds that the last work they produced is usually the best. For example, Mozart's Requiem, is unparalleled in depth and emotion by any of his other works. Many people were shocked on how obsessive Kubrick became with Eyes Wide Shut. Multiple shootings, length of production, etc. However, I cannot but have a sense that Kubrick was aware of his inevitable end and realized that this movie would be his final mark. Therefore, I truly believe that Eyes Wide Shut might be Kubrick's best work ever and that we should look forward to being blown away from unprecedented heights of filmaking. We have witnessed the death of a Michelangelo of our time.
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I never really knew Kubrick, except through his films. He told a good story, and, to me, was someone whom you heard about, had seen his stuff, but had quietly tucked away on a shelf of your mind to forget about it under the blitz of Hollywood's "latest and greatest". So I can't say for sure that I share the utter depair that his death has brought to so many fanboys like me out there, because he was, in one sense, a little before my time. But, I can feel nothing but contempt for the few maligned souls who feel it to be some sort of duty to come on to this particular forum and express their opinion that those who do feel Kubrick's passing strongly are either mentally ill or emotionally unstable. These same people probably know nothing of a true artistic experience, the kind that changes your whole perception of the world and yourself, an experience that literally transforms the soul. For a good many, Stanley Kubrick was such a man, who could send the spirit upwards into the cosmic void of stars and gods, or screaming into the depths of a personal hell where the idea of humanity is a forgotten memory. While Kubrick didn't do so for me (though there have been others that have done so for me), I can appreciate those who were so deeply touched and moved by his works of art. To those who have never felt such an experience, I pity you and hope that you do before you die. To those who scorn and ridicule those of us who have, I damn you to the very lowest pit of Hell. To those who feel the sting of the loss of their Muse, I offer my condolences.
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What should I say? Nothing...
Only Silence is the right answer! Rest in Peace, -Shining- Star... Shine On, Forever... -
In 1968, at the tender age of nine, I first saw 2001. That film became a defining moment in my life, and made the name Stanley Kubrick a permanent fixture in my household. In an age of MTV, ESPN, and such, it is almost impossible for my children to fathom that I had only seen Kubrick in still photographs (and only since his death, actual moving pictures!), nor heard his voice (until just recently thanks to the video on the internet of the D.W. Griffith award) when their 'heroes' are bombastically hurled against our senses 24/7!
I am saddened at the loss of Kubrick, but, I am also thankful for the way he touched my life.
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before no one ever dies again?
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Ten years too many with Michael Bay
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We need someone like him around. Maybe he could have done Watchmen(Snyder did a good job, though)!
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