Recommended reading - The Stanley Kubrick Archives, by Alison Castle (2008):

The Stanley Kubrick Archives,

by Alison Castle (2008).

Made in cooperation with Jan Harlan, Christiane Kubrick and The Stanley Kubrick Estate.

Published by TASCHEN.

ISBN-10: 3822822841

ISBN-13: 9783822822845

Preface:

The making of this book has been something of an odyssey: two years of traveling through time and space to the heart of Stanley Kubrick's universe, where I not only had the unprecedented privilege of having access to his archives, but also the invaluable guidance of those who were closest to him. Kubrick's wife, Christiane, and executive producer, Jan Harlan, were not only immensely generous in allowing me to "excavate" the various parts of his St. Albans estate where the archives are stored, but they were also exceedingly kind, supportive, and helpful during the entire process. In addition, I was very fortunate to have the aid of Anthony Frewin and Leon Vitali, Kubrick's longtime assistants, who tirelessly answered my questions and offered invaluable advice and assistance.

Endeavoring to uncover each and every artifact that could cast light upon Kubrick's creative process, I scoured the archives, gathering the most illuminating items, from bits of paper covered with hurriedly scribbled notes to photographs taken by Kubrick on the sets of his films. Hunched over hundreds upon hundreds of contact sheets with my loupe, I was able to select images that had never been printed before, let alone seen; rifling through screenplay drafts I found references to scenes that were never filmed, and among the photos I found images of sequences that were abandoned; reading Kubrick's notes and letters, I discovered not only clues to his thought processes but also his curious love affair with various types of stationery, typewriters, and pens. Searching through the often chaotic mountains of material was an exhilarating experience: each and every "discovery" was like a minor miracle, a defining moment, an epiphany.

Part 2 of this book features the result of this gleaning: an eclectic collection of material that represents the nuts and bolts of Kubrick's creative history. To help guide readers through the expedition is a selection of articles and essays by noted Kubrick scholars as well as a generous selection of material "from the horse's mouth" (i.e. Kubrick letters, essays, and interviews), refuting the popular misconception that Kubrick was a recluse who didn't or wouldn't talk about his work.

The items presented in Part 2 offer valuable insight into Kubrick's filmmaking process, though the most important material from the archives is unquestionably the films themselves. Kubrick once said, "The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good." Part 1 offers plenty of opportunities for readers to test their affection: from Killer's Kiss to Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick's twelve feature films are represented by a vast selection of stills (not including his first feature, Fear and Desire, which he withdrew from circulation). The stills, which were scanned directly from the film reels, are presented chronologically, unadulterated and without text.

In an interview about 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick made a statement that reflects one of his central tenets: "Reactions to art are always different because they are always deeply personal.... [T]he film becomes anything the viewer sees in it." The goal of this book is to allow readers the chance to explore Kubrick's archives intuitively, absorbing the various puzzle pieces and assembling them into a personal interpretation. This is, I hope, the way Stanley Kubrick would have wanted it.

– Alison Castle, Paris, 2004.