Stanley Kubrick Retrospective

Stanley Kubrick: his name alone is almost a genre and he is one director whose collection shouldn’t be seen on anything less than a cinema screen. Kubrick himself said he never wanted his work to be seen on television (can you imagine his disgust at the culture of viewing movies on laptops and mobile devices?) and he is right in saying so. He created images to be experienced in a communal environment on a grand scale.

Constantly innovating and a painstaking perfectionist, Kubrick began his visual journey as an exceptional photographer in New York City, he taught himself the ropes of film production and directing after graduating from high school. Successively breaking new ground with each release, Kubrick was a rather unique entity as director as he was allowed complete creative control over his work, toiling away as an American ex-pat in England, while having the financial backing of a major studio.

He produced one movie that resembled a blockbuster in the form of Spartacus, but pushed the technical aspect of cinematography redefining Sci-fi with 2001: A Space Odyssey, called the genre’s ‘big bang’ by Steven Spielberg, it innovated special effects and scientific realism. Barry Lyndon was astounding in that many scenes were shot under near impossible candle light, pushing Kubrick to design lenses that shot three times more open than any lens (even to this day) to film scenes in the faint glow, remaining one of the greatest achievements in cinematography ever. Steadicam was extensively employed for one of the first times in the dizzying and hypnotic hallways of The Shining.

Kubrick’s work was brave and often met with mixed reviews, but were showered with nominations for Golden Globes, Oscars and BAFTAs, making way for them to now be considered masterpieces. With Kubrick’s work holding a special place in the heart of The Astor, we are very proud to present the entire Stanley Kubrick Collection on the big screen, with many titles returning for the very first time in many years, plus brand new DCP restorations (plus our crown jewel – 2001 in 70mm Print Format as Kubrick meant it to be seen). If ever there was a chance to take in what is the true genius of cinema, this is it.