The Stanley Kubrick Archives

“The Stanley Kubrick Archives” landed in our office one morning and my editor and I circled it like curious apes. — Time Out, New York

This is the first book to explore the Stanley Kubrick Archives, and the most comprehensive study of the filmmaker to date. When Stanley Kubrick was asked in 1968 about the metaphysical meaning of 2001: A Space Odyssey, he replied: “It's not a message I ever intended to convey in words. 2001 is a non-verbal experience....I tried to create a visual experience, one that bypasses verbalized pigeonholing and directly penetrates the subconscious with an emotional and philosophical content.” The philosophy of the first part of “The Stanley Kubrick Archives” is exactly that: Kubrick’s complete filmography, from the opening sequence of “Killer’s Kiss” to the final frames of “Eyes Wide Shut,” is presented chronologically and wordlessly through enlarged film stills. A purely non-verbal experience.

The second part of the book brings his creative process to life through an astonishing collection of largely unpublished material from the Kubrick Archives, including photographs, props, posters, artworks, set designs, sketches, correspondence, documents, screenplays, drafts, notes, and shooting schedules.

Accompanying these visual materials are essays by leading Kubrick scholars, articles by or about Kubrick, and a selection of Kubrick’s finest interviews.