Hear Vera Lynn sing as the nukes explode in Dr Strangelove. Stanley Kubrick did amazing things with the music in his films. Rightly so, the Holland Festival is making space for a special screening of 2001 with orchestra. Spaceships to Strauss' waltzes, prelude to a Kubrick summer.
About the films by Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) is much written and speculated, but he himself preferred to remain silent. He led a reclusive life, did not join Hollywood's party circuit, very rarely gave interviews and invariably refused to give explanations for his films. The tabloid press deduced that he was an eccentric, but anyone who has seen his films knows better.
As a filmmaker, he was a loner who could not be categorised with any particular movement. Every new film was, seemingly, completely different. As if he wanted to try and reinvent each genre once. Many of his films initially caused confusion, only to gain masterpiece status later on. And as for those themes, of course they were there. Man, his evolution and ambition as a poignant tragedy.
The reborn film museum EYE is packing a big punch this summer with a fine exhibition, consisting largely of pieces from Kubrick's former private archive. In addition, EYE is showing all his films this summer, minus one. Kubrick found his debut Fear and Desire failed in retrospect and did not want it ever to be shown again.
The Holland Festival kicks off Thursday night with a special screening of 2001: A Space Odyssey. This 1968 science fiction epic that has gained mythical status over the years will be accompanied live by the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Groot Omroepkoor. More on that after the performance.
The exhibition was curated in 2004 by the Deutsches Filmmuseum in Frankfurt in collaboration with Kubrick's widow Christiane. The Dutch Film Museum had long coveted it but only found the space in the new EYE building to do the exhibition justice.
Most of the pieces were dredged up from the countless suitcases and boxes with which Kubrick slowly but surely filled up his home. "I'll take care of it," was, according to his widow Christiane Kubrick, his winged expression. But it never came to it, of course, because there were always new projects demanding his full attention and dedication.
We see Roman costumes from Spartacus, a model of the atomic bomb from Dr Strangelove, the Milkbar models from A Clockwork Orange, space suits out 2001, the typewriter and axe from The Shining and, of course, much more. Especially for fans who want to get a feel for Kubrick's behind-the-scenes look.
Those who take the time can delve further into the many photographs and documents and a catalogue with the contents of a comprehensive textbook. It is also nice that the exhibition begins with photographs Kubrick took for Look as a young reporter. It shows Kubrick as a keen and committed observer.
EYE has made sure that, more than in previous versions of the exhibition, everything is emphatically linked to large projected clips from Kubrick's films. How fresh and powerful that still looks! The best proof of Kubrick's artistry is that it is hardly dated and immediately makes you want to see it all again or finally.
Leo Bankersen
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