‘Kubrick by Kubrick’ | Movie Review

Stanley Kubrick is a mystery to many. His films are detailed and deep, so it would make sense the man is too. This documentary looks into Kubrick from interviews taken from Michel Ciment, as well as interviews from the cast and crew who have worked with him in various films.

This was a fun documentary to watch for me because I’ve always been interested in the mystery of Kubrick. The behind the scenes stories are debunked and confirmed in this, with more backstory into the method to the madness. But while watching, I could not help but consider what the perspective shift has been on directors echoing Kubricks militant director style.

We’ve been in interesting times regarding more quirky directors revealed to actually just be abusive on set like David O. Russell, Quentin Tarantino with regard to Uma Thurman’s on-set car accident, and quite possibly more we don’t know about from other directors who aspire to be “Misunderstood geniuses” but are hiding darkness behind that title. Kubrick has issues as well, related to ‘The Shining’ and Shelly DuValle, but the documentary never tries to justify his actions, only tell the stories and leave that to the viewer.

Another interested aspect of ‘Kubrick on Kibrick’ was watching the incredible behind-the-scenes footage of Kubrick onset were great, particularly learning about how they got the set for Full Metal Jacket. Seeing the attention to detail was very cool, but the meat of the show comes from learning the stories of Kubrick from his co-workers.

Overall, ‘Kubrick on Kubrick’ is an interesting look at the iconic director. It tends to not be solely focused on him but more around the interviewee’s stories of him. If you are a die-hard fan I doubt any of the behind-the-scenes reveals would surprise you, but for anyone wanting to learn more about Kubrick definitely check this out!