The Voice Of Kubrick

It's weird how you can create in your mind how someone speaks even though you may know what they look like but have never actually heard them speak before. It's kinda the same when you speak with someone on the phone regularly and then meet them in person - they never look like the way you've imagined them. We've imposed on to them a visual representation based solely on their voice - kinda like a pre-cog from Minority Report but a lot less interesting.

I've been plowing my way through all of the featurettes et al on some of the recently released Kubrick titles. I can say I gone through most of The Shining (save the pre-existing Making Of that Kubrick's daughter Vivian made), parts of A Clockwork Orange (but not the film and commentary) and most of the featurettes of 2001: A Space Odyssey (due to its length I always have to plan ahead a scheduled afternoon for this film, Sunday arvo is good - you can just let it wash over you). Haven't bought the others yet (Eyes Wide Shut, Full Metal Jacket) but based on these titles will definitely pick the rest up. While all of the produced featurettes are all very good, the best extra I've come across so far is an audio only interview with Kubrick from 1966.

(Some context here, I was hit by a car last December and have just come out of my second operation where the surgeon replaced the nail in my tibea. So I have some time to kill at this point while dealing with the pain of having staples in my leg for a second time.)

It's weird. I didn't really read closely the description of this when I switched the interview on the other day to listen to it. I started to listen to it and got confused. That wasn't Stanley Kubrick talking. I then assumed it was a re-enactment of an interview and settled down to listen to it. But the more and more I listened I realised that it was Kubrick. The brilliance and arrogance of the man was unmistakable. But it didn't sound like him. Not at all. He sounded like... Jeff Goldblum!

I listened to all of it in one session (quite often these stupid DVD producers create these featurettes without consideration for loo breaks) beaming (can you imagine me beaming? Probably not) as Kubrick talked about schooling (or lack thereof), working for Look, playing chess, putting together money and equipment for his first film and then working his way up with The Killing, Paths Of Glory, Spartacus, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove to the then current production of 2001. The guy had an arrogance that was breathtakingly intelligent and a memory like a diamond - despite a lack of education he sounds like he educated himself primarily through reading, a lot of reading. It's a bloody fascinating listen and I recommend the 2001 DVD (or Blu-Ray as the case may be) if you are a fan and have never heard the interview. It's not really much of a recommendation as I guess if you are a fan you are already have the damned thing! And of course, a quick scour of the internet reveals that the interview is fairly easily available via 'other means', so either (a) I'm not as big a fan as I'd like to admit or (b) I'm just ignorant (maybe both).

So why didn't I think it was Kubrick speaking? I came to the realisation that I don't think I'd ever heard him speak before! Most of my impressions of Kubrick are via stills. The Shining has that great behind the scenes footage but I can't recall now if you ever hear Kubrick speak? And what other footage/interviews are there? I suddenly realised that I didn't think I'd ever heard him speak before! Of course, I could be wrong, I probably am wrong, but even if I am, there probably isn't a glut of material out there - the guy was basically Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tattoinee in his isolation and rarely gave interviews.

But I can't shake the feeling out of my head of a Kubrick biopic with Goldblum? Nahhhhh........



Postscript: Having now (re)watched Vivian Kubrick's doco Making Of The Shining, Kubrick does speak in it, quite a bit actually. But his voice has changed some what (thank god) so I don't feel too bad...