By Bill Krohn, Phaidon Press, $9.95, 104 pages
Stanley Kubrick has, in a lot of ways, defined cinema; few movies are referenced as much in pop culture as his are. Masters of Cinema: Stanley Kubrick is a celebration of his works, and an exploration of what makes his movies the classics that they are. It doesn’t help that he takes so long between movies, with almost twelve years between the release of his last two films. With movies such as Doctor Strangelove, Mechanical Orange, 2001, and Full Metal Jacket, Kubrick’s movies define how most of us define the best in movies, and why we hold such high hopes for the medium.
The book itself is a great primer for anyone interested in his oeuvre. There is an advantage in his having done so few movies, and that’s why there is more information on the individual films, as well as more on his life. This series usually has to look at directors who have larger libraries, and simply hasn’t been able to put as much focus on the person himself as was possible in this book. This is probably the best book in the series, and is great for anyone looking to get an idea on the genius of Kubrick.
Reviewed by Jamais Jochim