In this fresh cinephilic appreciation, French film critic Michel Ciment’s taped interviews with Stanley Kubrick breathe new life into the legacy of one of the most celebrated and studied directors of all time.
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A lucid and perceptive look at [an] unparalleled body of work… The words of Kubrick himself, eloquent and precise, [give] this documentary its driving pulse.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2020
Kubrick by Kubrick 2020
If you’re wondering what more can be said about filmmaking giant Stanley Kubrick, Gregory Monro’s documentary – hot on the heels of the equally fascinating Filmworker (NZIFF18) – goes where few have been able to before: straight to the source.
Notoriously reclusive, Kubrick’s guarded genius has served to fuel endless theories and interpretations on the meaning of his cinema. Meanwhile, films like Room 237 have only deepened the mystery with their imaginative speculation on how Kubrick’s mind worked. Through rare audio recordings of the auteur in dialogue with Michel Ciment – a writer who had privileged access to Kubrick over 30 years – Kubrick by Kubrick allows the director to illuminate his work, both graciously and with an air of finality, in his own words.
Film excerpts from all the classics are elegantly combined with crisp insights into creative practice, but it’s what’s revealed in the intellectual rapport between Kubrick and Ciment that is the surprise revelation here. Their relaxed conversational flow, running counter to the taciturn image instilled by the legend, finds Kubrick at his most open, humble and philosophical, and is a testament to Ciment’s renown as the Kubrick authority.
About the Filmmaker
Born in Paris, Gregory Monro is a documentary filmmaker. He was nominated for an International Emmy Award for Michel Legrand: Let the Music Play (2018). Selected filmography: James Stewart, Robert Mitchum: The Two Faces of America (2017), Jerry Lewis: The Man Behind the Clown (2016), Calamity Jane: Wild West Legend (2014).