Kubrick

[Nobody]

I know this was up in another topic some time ago, but here I go... In Eyes Wide Shut, did Kubrick make a cameo appearence or not. If it isn't him, he is pretty damn identical. I know I'm going way off topic, and that this might not be the best board to bring it up, but this has been bugging me for quite some time.

[General Sibley]

Yes, he was wearing a mask at the sex club.

[Nobody]

I'm thinking of the scene at the Sonata cafe, where he sits at the table behind Cruise's table. He looks identical to Kubrick.

[Blueberry]

Barry Lyndon... just saw it for the first time in 10 years last week... fascinating film. Long and shot in a funny kind of way, as if with a tv-camera. The longer I got into this movie of the rise and fall of Barry Lyndon, the more I thought that anything quite like this has not been done before or after.

It's kind of mesmerising - always with the most beautiful light and amazing imagery - and the weeeeird way they speak. And sometimes it reminds me of "War and Peace" by Woody Allen, and sometimes it's serious enough to almost make you cry. Almost, I said, after all this is a western board...

It's also very cynical and sarcastic, kind of cold. We never get to like the opportunist main character.

Any comments on Barry L.?

[Walton]

I really like Barry Lyndon. Not absolutely sure what it's about on a more thematic level. It seems to be a sort of odd cautionary tale about the way in which random events can spin your life out of control, or the ultimate emtiness of chasing social status. Whatever, I think it has some amazing scenes and incredible cinematography. I love the scene where he is held up at gunpoint by the polite highwayman, who, after introducing himself, says, 'and now we must move on to the more regrettable stage of our brief association'. Hilarious. I think the battle scene in the field is amazing, as well as the long pause that Lady Lyndon makes when Barry's name comes up on the cheque she must sign.

I must have another look at Eye's Wide Shut for the Kubrick cameo.

[cigar joe]

It was shot in a way to homage the great atmospheric paintings of the period by Cannalettto and the pen and inks of Hogarth. It also follows true to the style of of the first novels written by Thackeray and Fielding.

If you like Barry Lyndon you'll get a kick out of Tom Jones its predessor.  

I believe Moll Flanders was also made into a movie.

[Belkin]

PATHS OF GLORY.....EXCELLENT!

[DJIMBO]

barry lyndon - apparently kubrick wanted leonard rosenman's music to have the same effect as morricone in leone's films

[Walton]

In Frayling's book, there's a bit where Kubrick apparently told Leone that he only liked Morricone's music in Leone's films.

Another interesting Kubrick film is The Killing.

[Il Buono]

Although pretty critisized, I found Eyes Wide Shut one hell of a movie!  I feel it's not only a film about adultery, it IS adultery.  It's such a powerful movie, and definitely one of my Kubrick favourites.  

2001: A Space Odyssey is probably the best science fiction film ever... Kubrick has something others don't, man.  He was as big a genius as Leone was, I think (although I slightly prefer Leone).  The level of perfection, the strange feeling he conveys in his movies, it's unseen.  Too bad he deceased, who knows what he would have made nowadays.  Plus he never got the chance to do any western.

[mortimer]

Kubrick was definitely one of the handful of directors that could lay claim to the best ever. Recently watched Barry Lyndon, The Killing, Paths of Glory for the first time and wow, what a storyteller! Having seen most of his other films numerous times (clockwork orange still my fav kubrick) its time to rewatch a few I havent in a while, and a couple I havent seen yet.

[General Sibley]

Recently watched Barry Lyndon, The Killing, Paths of Glory for the first time and wow, what a storyteller!

That's quite the trifecta Mortimer, those are my 3 favorite Kubrick's - Barry Lyndon on top, followed closely by Paths of Glory.  I remember first time I saw POG, was like a hard punch in the gut.

Recently saw his first movie, "Killer's Kiss".  Pretty rough, and to be honest pretty dull.  But it has some interesting momemts, especially the opening scene shot in what I believe is the old Penn Central terminal.  Haven't seen "Collosus of Rhodes", but I imagine it would be similar - you can see the master feeling his way, trying to find his voice.

[KERMIT]

all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.
All WorK ANd NO play makEs jack A duLL b Oy
aLL work and NO  PLAY mAKeS JACK A dull BOY
all work and no play maks jack a dULL boy
A LL W-O-R-K AND NO PLAY MAKES J**K A DULL BOY
ALL WORK     AND no     play makes JACK a du  ll boy
a-LL wOrk and    no play makeS j~A`CK A DUll boy
all work and no play makEs jaCK dull AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

[cigar joe]

Thanks Kermit for the "shinning" that on us, lol.

Did I mention before that my son thought that Shelly Duval was the scariest person in the film, lol.

[Frank]

I thnk Dr Strangelove is his best.  

I don't think 2001 ages very well.  In the 2000 election hanging chad crisis there was a website that pariodied the disconnect HAL sequence where Al Gore was the Kier Dullea character and Geo. Bush's voice was HAL. Instead of memory banks sliding out and sticking in the tray, they would become chads that floated around the astronaut.  "I'm afraid, Al. I'm afraid."  I showed it to my 13 year old son who then wanted to see the original source and so we rented the DVD.

At the time it came out, the FX was unlike anything ever seen before and the slow sequences where the audience was allowed to marvel at the future were great.  But now, something like the long time it takes Dave to retrieve the Gary Lockwood character and re-enter the air lock just moves so damn slow.   I would submit that modern audiences can't watch the film.   Although OUTW moves slowly sometimes, there is tension and a big payoff, Kubrick's switch or stories and ambigous ending doesn't work some 35 years on.

As an aside, I worked at a movie theatre back in 1969.  On the day of the moon landing, the theatre was almost deserted as everyone stayed home, but there were a handful of people that came to the movies and watched 2001 INSTEAD OF THE MOON LANDING!  What kind of people would do that?