Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 791
EAN: 9783836508896
Format: Illustrated
ISBN: 3836508893
Label: TASCHEN America Llc
Manufacturer: TASCHEN America Llc
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 544
Publication Date: 2008-10-01
Publisher: TASCHEN America Llc
Studio: TASCHEN America Llc

The first book to explore Stanley Kubrick's archives and the most comprehensive study of the filmmaker to date, divided into 2 parts.

Part 1: The films
In 1968, when Stanley Kubrick was asked to comment on the metaphysical significance of 2001: A Space Odyssey, he replied: It s not a message I ever intended to convey in words. 2001 is a nonverbal experience.... I tried to create a visual experience, one that bypasses verbalized pigeonholing and directly penetrates the subconscious with an emotional and philosophic content. The philosophy behind Part 1 borrows from this line of thinking: from the opening sequence of Killer s Kiss to the final frames of Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick s complete films will be presented chronologically and wordlessly via frame enlargements. A completely nonverbal experience.

Part 2: The Creative Process
Divided into chapters chronologically by film, Part 2 brings to life the creative process of Kubrick s filmmaking by presenting a remarkable collection of material from his archives, including photographs, props, posters, artwork, set designs, sketches, correspondence, documents, screenplays, drafts, notes, and shooting schedules. Accompanying the visual material are essays by noted Kubrick scholars, articles written by and about Kubrick, and a selection of Kubrick s best interviews.

Special features

Part 1 features 800 film stills scanned directly from the original prints and interpositives
Part 2 presents about 800 items from the archives, most of which have never been published before
essays by Kubrick scholars Gene D. Phillips, Michel Ciment, and Rodney Hill
selected articles and essays, including interviews with and essays by Stanley Kubrick
illustrated Kubrick chronology

Customer Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous
Comment: This is another monster Taschen book, like their earlier SOME LIKE IT HOT jumbo-sized volume. Both redefine the concept of a coffee-table book is. They are end-table, or dinette table items. Huge, weighty things that take up a lot of space and are best stored flat rather than upright like normal books, lest the binding collapse.

The actual content is made up of pictures galore, vivid, dramatic stills from the works of Stanley Kubrick, spreading over the massive pages in all their glory. The first half of the tome is all visual snippets from each of the major works, laid out with impeccable taste. Then it starts over with essays about each of the movie's synopses, production details and critical reception. Really good, not just the superficial studio-approved hype that often appears in these things, but worthwhile information, like the best quality dvd commentary. Accompanying this are more incredible photos.

There's even coverage on that very early item, FEAR AND DESIRE, his 1953 allegorical war film/first feature, and several shorts he did in the very early fifties.. The stills are sparse for that particular title, but there's more info about it than has been available, probably since it was new. And since it was a prehistoric example of the independent film, there probably wasn't much coverage, then. Kubrick himself washed his hands of it an eon ago. And, I just saw this Golden Fleece-type rare item. last summer; he was probably very wise to ignore it. But, anyway, this book more than adequately covers it.

Also, there's a lot of biographical material with a lot of personal photos.

For Kubrick fans, this is nirvana, the best of the several books that try to encompass the director's appeal.

It is another gorgeous entry in the Taschen lineup, like their elegant MOVIES OF 20s, 30s - onto 90s volumes, and the wonderful series of ALL AMERICAN ADS for each decade from the teens to the 80s, and even the more modest, but still spectacular, directors series. All were originally very pricey, but are remaindered in a very short order because the audience for these things is not exactly huge. Most bookstores don't even stock them as remainders, let alone when they are new and full-priced.There is apparently a new jumbo book about Ingmar Bergman. The mind boggles what it'll look like.

This is the ultimate movie book. If you collect them, this is a must... and a half. Maybe three or four 'musts.'

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Mr Kubrick... I know him well... now...
Comment: Amazing book. Every picture says a thousand words, there are true gems in here, hillarious, beautiful, awe inspiring pictures, testaments of Stanley's genius... I'm going to ger the one for Bergman too....

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great filmmaker....great book.
Comment: All about Stanley Kubrick that there is to know...really good material, with great photos and a lot of info. Recommend.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Stanley Kubrick Archives
Comment: First off, I had to return my first shipment due to the top right and left corners of each page were creased in shipping. I recommend only buying this book by itself to avoid any such issue. Regardless, Amazon was very accommodating.

The book could have had a better build. There's no cover jacket to prevent the book from getting scuffed, and the pages could have been placed, like most books, with the corners of the hardback slightly above the pages to avoid the pages being bent when the cover corners are worn.

The book itself is the 25th Anniversary Edition. No longer is there a cd interview with Kubrick or a 70mm filmframe from 2001; however, the pages within the book are identical to the first printings. It is very cost effective considering the first prints cost at least $200 or more when they came out. These type of books should be done for every great director. They encompass everything behind the artist and his or her work. The only thing absent are the movies themeselves. If you are a fan of Kubrick or just want to know as much as possible from the man himself, this comes highly recommended.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Comment: It was nice to see a lot of the images i've never seen before but a lot of my favorite images were between the creases of the bind. The print quality was poor dingy and dark, at least on my copy, very disappointed in the quality especially from taschen who usually do great work. But the price is good.

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