Publisher's Weekly Review
The life and work of movie director Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) are briefly glossed in this compact, informative work from literature scholar Mikics (Bellow's People). Drawing on Kubrick's archive, interviews with his friends and family, and previous studies of his work, the book skims the filmmaker's Bronx childhood and early photography career, and focuses on his films, from his first short, Day of the Fight, to the posthumously released Eyes Wide Shut. In Mikics's account, Kubrick was a perfectionist, demanding from his financial backers, in his own words, "complete total final annihilating artistic control." However, he could also harness the power of spontaneity; his film shoots resembled an "experiment on his actors, waiting to see where more and more takes might lead them." Off set, he was equally attentive and obsessive; a screenwriter on Full Metal Jacket, Kubrick's film about the Vietnam War, described their working relationship as "a single phone call lasting three years." There are welcome insights into Kubrick's career, from his unrealized desire to make a film about the Holocaust to his decision to leave the eroticism out of his 1962 adaptation of Lolita, because otherwise "the film could not have been made." Kubrick fans will enjoy this brisk but thorough biography of a consummate filmmaker. Agent: Chris Calhoun, Chris Calhoun Agency. (Aug.)
Choice Review
In this excellent book Mikics (Univ. of Houston) delivers an insightful exposition on the life and work of Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick was an autodidact in all aspects of filmmaking, most notable for adapting challenging works of literature, expert direction of actors, and cinematography. Mikics emphasizes the filmmaker's meticulous attention to the important elements of filmmaking: source text, script, acting, casting, cinematography, lighting, set and production design, sound, and music. That he made just twelve wonderfully diverse and intensely personal feature films in a 44-year career attests to his celebrated perfectionism and tireless absorption in his work--which contributed to his decline in health and sudden death. All but the first of those twelve films have had a palpable impact on world culture, independent filmmaking, and film scholarship. Kubrick's relocation to England after filming Spartacus derived more from his aversion to air travel than to his rejection of the Hollywood culture, with which he maintained close connections. He engaged close friends, associates, collaborators, and acquaintances in hours-long, probing telephone conversations. Kubrick was a voracious reader and a chess player (also poker) of considerable skill. Readers also learn that he was devoted to his dogs and cats, and that he thrived in his home life through his long marriage to Christiane. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. General readers. --Dennis Wayne Rothermel, emeritus, California State University, Chico
