Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures Reviews

We are not likely to see another documentary this comprehensive on a major film director for some time, and the key credit here is director Jan Harlan. He was the late Stanley Kubrick's brother-in-law and sometime producer, and it's clear that his relationship to his subject allowed him access to not only a mind-boggling lineup of interview subjects (when was the last time you saw Jack Nicholson interviewed on camera about anything?), but also to behind-the-scenes footage of Kubrick as well as home movies of the man and his family. (The amusing sidelight -- his daughters appeared to be very reluctant subjects for Daddy's camera.) The drawback to Harlan's authorized approach is a skewed view of its controversial subject. There are occasional demurrals on the party line -- what a great filmmaker and misunderstood man the reclusive Kubrick was (the film prefers "private" to reclusive) -- but they get swept away in a torrent of admiration. A more balanced portrait will surely come, but it won't be able to match the production values and access to key collaborative figures this film offers.