The Complete Kubrick

Rating:
Summary: Great reference for Kubrick fans and academics alike
Review: As the Amazon review states, this is a study of Kubrick's films as opposed to Kubrick the myth. This is enough to immediately set it apart from other Kubrick books available... though this particular publication still has a lot more going for it that that. The degree of research from Hughes is formidable, with every film (from Fear and Desire right through to Eyes Wide Shut) coming under inspection from the wordy academic, as he pours over the various technical aspects of the films, the narrative reoccurrences, the various trademarks, casting decisions and pop-culture reference points that have given Kubrick's work an even more relevant force in motion pictures that any of his faceless contemporaries.

The most interesting chapters are the ones that deal with the key masterpieces (Strangelove, 2001, Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon and the Shinning), with Hughes demonstrating how each film ties into the one that preceded it both thematically and artistically. Here we can trace the evolution of Kubrick from the early post-war crime thrillers such as Killer's Kiss through to the dabbles with Hollywood on Paths of Glory and the epic Spartacus, right up to his years of self imposed exile in Britain and the creation of his landmark works. Never does Hughes allow the book to becomes a study of the man and his eccentricities... keeping the book rooted in the academic evaluation of the great man's extensive, often jaw dropping body of work.

Whether or not you're a film studies student, a writer of academic literature or simply a Kubrick devotee, then this book will easily become required reading. The tone of the piece is consistently enjoyable and always interesting, whilst any work that takes the opportunity to list EVERY Kubrick reference in episodes of the Simpson's has to be worth a look.

Rating:
Summary: Seriously flawed
Review: This book could have been an enjoyable and useful resource, but unfortunately it is riddled with factual errors. I can only recommend this to researchers who are able to verify the information within before using this book as a source. Anyone else will have to guess which information is correct and which is false. (Examples: on page 173, Hughes states that the 1.66:1 ratio, which SK adopted for A Clockwork Orange, was subsequently used on Barry Lyndon, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket. This is completely wrong. Barry Lyndon was shot in 1.77:1, and The Shining and Full Metal Jacket were shot in 1.33:1 and projected in 1.85:1-though the DVD and video version of the latter 2 films preserved the original 1.33:1 format. Another mistake is a quote supposedly from The Film Director as Superstar by Michel Ciment. Since Joseph Gelmis was the author of this book, and Ciment the author of another, it will take some detective work to figure out which Hughes means.)