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Topic:
Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: "Paths of Glory" is due to start on TCM
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
1/5/07 12:18pm
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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"Dr. Strangelove" is a great movie, but for some reason, I find it very hard to sit through. It's too close to real life? Don't know, exactly.
Fantastic cast.
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Rogue1-and-a-half
Title: Manager: Amphitheatre
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
1/5/07 5:13pm
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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It's the original cringe comedy; you're laughing at how idiotic the President is and then . . . oh, yes . . .
And you're laughing at the war crazy general and then . . . oh, yes . . .
You're laughing at the Commie hating paranoids and then . . . oh . . .
It all seems to have a real life analogue, even to this day.
It's not really a 'laugh out loud' comedy, but it is funny. The ending is justly famous; the end of the world set to music. I think the pie fight would have been in better taste actually.
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A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
Without having ever felt sorry for itself.
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Kyle Katarn
Registered:
Jul '98
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Date Posted:
1/6/07 9:18pm
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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As I recall, the pie fight was cut for a couple of reasons, mainly because it was difficult to tell who was who after enough pies had been thrown. I also seem to recall Kubrick not being happy with that ending and opting for the one we now know as the end of the world set to "We'll Meet Again". Finally, one of the lines (I believe it was Gen. Turgidson who said it) was "Gentlemen! Our gallant young president has just been struck down in his prime!" which was to come after President Muffley got hit with a pie. It wouldn't have been much of a problem, but the film was released shortly after JFK's assassination and it was felt that it would be too disturbing to some viewers.
Along the same lines, there's another edit in the film to distance it from the Kennedy assassination. It's when Major Kong is going over the contents of the survival kit to his crew. After he names everything in the kit, he originally said "a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Dallas with all that stuff". This was redubbed to "a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff", but if you look closely, you can see Slim Pickens' mouth form the word "Dallas" instead of "Vegas".
Kubrick has is among my favorite directors, and Dr Strangelove is one of my all time favorite films, so natuarally, I'm something of a trivia recepticle for that film. As for the cold and unfeeling nature of his films, I don't mind all that much, sometimes it's not too bad of a thing to not feel with the characters but just observe. From what all I've read about Kubrick, he was sorta like that in person and only opened up to a few people he knew well and was perceived as being cold and distant to most everyone else who worked with him. It comes as no surprise to me that a lot of people feel this from his work. Nearly every director weaves a little bit of themself into thier film, some moreso than others.
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Mustafar_66
Registered:
May '05
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Date Posted:
1/7/07 2:54am
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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It's the only Kubrick film I've seen to date and it was awesome. Definitely one of the funniest films I've seen.
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Why no, I won't get in your car. You can pass me the candy through the window. Pink Floyd are the Greatest! Proud Jacen, NJO and LOTF fan. One of few.    
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JohnWesleyDowney
Registered:
Jan '04
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Date Posted:
1/10/07 12:28am
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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It contains one of the all-time funniest lines in movie history.
But if I were to write it here, it wouldn't be as funny. You have
to see it in context.
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How many movies do you think Industrial Light and Magic has worked on? WRONG. http://www.ilm.com/ilm_services.html "Films fulfill an unconscious spiritual desire that human beings have to share a common memory." - Martin Scorcese
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darth_frared
Registered:
Jun '05
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Date Posted:
1/15/07 5:58am
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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i have actually seen it now and would like to say that i loved it very much. the thing that puzzles me to date is why i cannot spot german accents even when they are made up. it was 'mein fuehrer' which hit me finally. 
kubrick is very cold isn't he? it seems he recognizes the jokes but never chuckles behind the camera, does he? he is almost surgical, i find.
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JohnWesleyDowney
Registered:
Jan '04
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Date Posted:
1/17/07 9:41pm
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
- Date Edited:
1/17/07 9:46pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
JohnWesleyDowney
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Almost surgical? Interesting you should say that. His father was a doctor.
People have all kinds of opinions of Kubrick, he was a hermit, he was cold, he
was this, he was that.
I think he was a lot like most people. Complex.
A lot of the press hated him because he very rarely gave interviews. So in his
absence, their anger at being ignored was manifested as making up a lot of nonsense
about him.
When you see a picture him holding one of Tom Cruise's kids on the set of EYES WIDE SHUT,
he looks positively warm and grandfatherly.
Cold? During FULL METAL JACKET, there was some digging done in a field to help
create part of a set, and a mother rabbit and her babies were accidentally crushed.
Matthew Modine said Kubrick became absolutely overcome with sadness over their deaths
that they didn't shoot anything the rest of the day.
I'm telling you, not everything we read or hear about people is entirely accurate.
I'm sure Kubrick could be a jerk and probably was at times, but there's more to the man
than meets the eye.
All of the recording for the voice of HAL in 2001 was done in a single day. The actor
performing the voice was Canadian Douglas Rains. When a technician in the control booth
mentioned that Rains was lightly tapping his foot and it was being picked up on the supersensitive microphones in the studio, he requested Kubrick tell the actor to stop
tapping his foot. Kubrick said absolutely not. He insisted soft cloth be brought in and placed under Rain's foot so that his tapping was silent. Kubrick wanted his actor to feel absolutely comfortable. I think that's highly considerate. That doesn't sound cold to me.
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How many movies do you think Industrial Light and Magic has worked on? WRONG. http://www.ilm.com/ilm_services.html "Films fulfill an unconscious spiritual desire that human beings have to share a common memory." - Martin Scorcese
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
1/17/07 9:51pm
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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I think frared means his *films* were cold (not him), and I agree; and they got colder as they went along.
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darth_frared
Registered:
Jun '05
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Date Posted:
1/18/07 3:40am
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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yeah, that's what i meant. his gaze was cold, i can't know what he was like as a person 
there were very funny bits in strangelove, and maybe i mistake cold for deadpan as well, but i do find that the way he looks at people is that he watches them with the interest of a doctor in a way. i'm not saying this is wrong or anything, it's just how he was watching his scenes unfold.
the camera and direction don't tell you anything, they don't explain, which is really great, there's nothing very patronizing about his movies, but at the same time he is showing some very ugly stuff (absurd stuff as well) and he's kinda leaving you alone with it. the general who sets things in motion, his obsession with purity of essence that was quite unsettling and the only comfort zone you got is to laugh about it, really, and the english captain who gets frightened. if it wasn't for that, i'm not sure it would work at all.
and it's interesting to know, on a very different note, that even back then they would alter films to not upset the audience. like the whole film isn't upsetting enough 
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Rogue1-and-a-half
Title: Manager: Amphitheatre
Registered:
Nov '00
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Date Posted:
1/18/07 1:43pm
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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Of course he was also infamous for doing takes toward the triple digits; Nicholson called him out for working Scatman Crothers until he was exhausted. Kubrick reportedly wanted to do almost a hundred takes of the scene where Nicholson hits Crothers with the ax.
But, yes, his films got colder the farther along he went. It's already showing up here and in 2001. But by the time you hit Clockwork Orange, the whole thing just seems to be a ballet; utterly artificial. Same for Full Metal Jacket; I never knew war was so dull.
I don't think this was an untentional flaw; I think Kubrick was being clinical on purpose, but I don't think it particularly works. That's why I tend to like his earlier films better.
-----signature-----
I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.
A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
Without having ever felt sorry for itself.
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darth_frared
Registered:
Jun '05
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Date Posted:
1/19/07 3:38am
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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i was trying to think of directors who don't explain their characters and watch them do what they do with love, but i couldn't. recently when i saw the new inarittu i felt that he would like these people to at the very least communicate. there's a certain amount of cruelty involved in the way kubrick watches, which makes it all very unsettling. a friend of mine cannot bear watching clockwork orange because of the rape, he just can't. you're right, it's a type of ballet but almost devoid of the human element. well, it gets there anyway.
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illegalise stupidity.
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
1/19/07 12:42pm
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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I'm sure (like Rogue) that Kubrick's detachment was deliberate. Whether it was always successful is another question.
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darth_frared
Registered:
Jun '05
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Date Posted:
1/24/07 7:22am
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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after watching the making of i was impressed to learn that kubrick had apparently outlawsuited lumet froma similar release in the same year? what competition did he fear?
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Zaz
Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre
Registered:
Oct '98
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Date Posted:
1/24/07 7:35am
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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The movie was "Fail-Safe", essentially the same story, sans satire.
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darth_frared
Registered:
Jun '05
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Date Posted:
1/25/07 6:13am
Subject:
RE: Dr Kubrick: Or How I Learned To Direct Cult Cinema: Now Disc: "Dr. Strangelove"
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yes, it just seemed odd, i guess, i hadn't connected kubrick with that sense of business.
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