Stanley Kubrick: The Complete Films

There are certainly more comprehensive books this one by Paul Duncan, but if you're looking for a quick introduction to Kubrick, this book is a great place to begin. Well written and concise, you learn about Kubrick's auspicious beginnings with photography and his tenaciousness that results in him becoming a brilliant filmmaker. You also learn about his many false starts and mis-steps with his early films. There are quotes from Kubrick and his associates that give a lot of insight into his process as well as some of his more cryptic films. Also, Duncan's backstory into the films I haven't seen are a great primer and have actually prompted me to add these films to my Netflix Queue. Now that I have read this book (In nearly one sitting) the other Kubrick books, that are ten times the length of this one, don't seem so overwhelming.

This book is not a very orthodox look at kubrick's work,but you will have a nice read about his career early stage as a photographer.The author talks about how Kubrick made it all the way up to be one of the greatest (or the gratest?)filmakers ever,and also talks about each of his films with some interesting details and stories of the director,so give it a shot...you'll enjoy it!

This is a book-length essay on the films of Stanley Kubrick, accompanied by an enormous number of beautiful photographs. Most of the photos are stills from the films (as you might expect), but there are also quite a few shots of Kubrick at work. The examples of his work for Look magazine and stills from his first two movies are a nice touch.The essay covers familiar ground for those who know his career: Growing up in New York playing chess and composing photographic essays, the early noir films, and then the classics: Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001, The Shining, etc. The entire body of work is covered, including Eyes Wide Shut. The final pages feature promotional posters for half of the films and an extensive bibliography of books and articles for further reading.If you're a Kubrick fan, you'll enjoy this. You won't learn anything new, but that's okay. If you aren't a fan, this book will make you want to see Kubrick's films --- the photos from the 2001 soundstages, in particular, will make you want to rediscover that film.