Mr. Kubrick to Mr. Clarke

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"Dear Mr. Clarke: It's a very interesting coincidence that [a] mutual friend mentioned you in a conversation we were having about a Questar telescope. I've been a great admirer of your books for quite a time, and have always wanted to discuss with you the possibility of doing the proverbial 'really good' science-fiction movie.

"My main interest lies along these broad areas, naturally assuming great plot and character: 1. The reasons for believing in the existence of intelligent extra-terrestrial life. 2. The impact (and perhaps even lack of impact in some quarters) such a discovery would have on Earth in the near future. (3. A space with a landing and exploration of the Moon and Mars.

"Would you consider coming to New York for a meeting? The purpose of which would be to determine whether an idea might exist or arise which would sufficiently interest both of us enough to want to collaborate on a screenplay?" -- Stanley Kubrick in a letter to Arthur C. Clarke, dated 3.31.64. Excerpted in "The Stanley Kubrick Archives" (Taschen).

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 19, 2008 at 10:35 AM

comment #1

actionman says ...

Another amazing book from Taschen. Got it a few years ago. Major coffee table book right there.

Posted by actionman at March 19, 2008 11:31 AM

comment #2

mutinyco says ...

Two weeks shy of the 40th anniversary...

Posted by mutinyco at March 19, 2008 11:36 AM

comment #3

Pelham123 says ...

"Sorry Arthur, Stanley doesn't leave his house. However, he did send along this nifty cardboard cut-out of his image for you to converse."

Posted by Pelham123 at March 19, 2008 11:39 AM

comment #4

Pelham123 says ...

"Sorry Arthur, Stanley doesn't leave his house. However, he did send along this nifty cardboard cut-out of his image for you to converse."

Posted by Pelham123 at March 19, 2008 11:39 AM

comment #5

christian says ...

Pelham, that's hilarious. Exactly what I was thinking. Was that the visual stand-in for the actors while the real Kubrick was holed up in his Directorial Command Module?

Posted by christian at March 19, 2008 11:48 AM

comment #6

btwnproductions says ...

As I recall the two of them hashed out the script face-to-face (not cutout-to-face) at New York's Chelsea Hotel, one of the hotel's claims to fame.

Posted by btwnproductions at March 19, 2008 12:18 PM

comment #7

thatrader says ...

Way to link us to "The Sentinel" Jeff.

Posted by thatrader at March 19, 2008 12:41 PM

comment #8

Rich S. says ...

Entertainment Weekly has two shots of Benecio del Toro in full Wolf Man makeup. Very surprising in that he's far more man than wolf. Strongly reminiscent of Lon Chaney, Jr., which is what Rick Baker says they were shooting for.

Posted by Rich S. at March 19, 2008 1:27 PM

comment #9

CinemaPhreek says ...

Funny for someone who likes to think of himself as part of the "smarty-pants" clique surprising you buy into the hype that is 2001, one of the truly more overrated films around.

Posted by CinemaPhreek at March 19, 2008 1:47 PM

comment #10

MilkMan says ...

It's always the dorks with "Cinema" in their user name who have the worst taste in movies. Why is that?

Posted by MilkMan at March 19, 2008 1:54 PM

comment #11

christian says ...

"the hype that is 2001, one of the truly more overrated films around."

I've been overrating that piece of shit-hype since I saw it as a child. Saw it last week in 70 mm and boy, did I feel the fool. In fact, the audience exited sheepish, clearly ashamed of buying into the bullshit. What were we thinking?

Posted by christian at March 19, 2008 1:58 PM

comment #12

CinemaPhreek says ...

Blow me. If we resort to pulling out our lists of what we consider the best films, there will be more than a few I'm sure we agree on and then we are best friends again, right? Doesn't fucking mean a thing, much like your ad hominem comment.

If you ladies weren't so damn sensitive about your "masterpiece" you'd notice I didn't exactly call it a piece of shit. I like it fine. Just don't think in the end it adds up to much as a story.

And if visuals count for everything in film, then I guess SHOOT'EM UP which I just suffered through is a fucking masterpiece as well.

Posted by CinemaPhreek at March 19, 2008 2:08 PM

comment #13

Richardson says ...

No, no, the "smarty-pants" clique *loves* '2001'. It's the "too smart for the class" clique that hates it.

Posted by Richardson at March 19, 2008 2:12 PM

comment #14

Jason says ...

Orson Welles hated when movies were referred to as "cinema." Not sure where he stood on "Phreek."

Posted by Jason at March 19, 2008 2:14 PM

comment #15

Richardson says ...

"Just don't think in the end it adds up to much as a story."

Yeah! And Beatles songs are overrated -- they don't even have pictures!

Posted by Richardson at March 19, 2008 2:14 PM

comment #16

le corbeau says ...

I'm too smart for the too smart crowd, so I love 2001 for its homage to Bava's War of the Planets.

Posted by le corbeau at March 19, 2008 2:15 PM

comment #17

Mr. Peel says ...

Actually, Bava directed Planet of the Vampires....showing Thursday night at the Egyptian on a double bill with Danger: Diabolik with Diabolik himself, John Phillip Law in person!

Posted by Mr. Peel at March 19, 2008 2:24 PM

comment #18

le corbeau says ...

Dang, I thought that wasn't quite right. Anyway, I'm joking about that but clearly Alien, if not 2001, stole a few things from the Bava film.

Posted by le corbeau at March 19, 2008 2:29 PM

comment #19

Rich S. says ...

Who was also in, c'mon christian, say it with me now....SKIDOO!

And if you think 2001 didn't have much of a story, track down Leonard Wheat's Kubrick's 2001: A Triple Allegory. Some of his theories are a stretch, but he gets it right for the most part. There's a whole lot more going on in that movie than meets the untrained eye.

Posted by Rich S. at March 19, 2008 2:32 PM

comment #20

Rich S. says ...

J.P. Law, that is.

By the way, Danger Diabolik has the hottest Bond girl not to appear in a Bond film, ever.

Posted by Rich S. at March 19, 2008 2:34 PM

comment #21

christian says ...

Just talked to John Law last week about a SKIDOO thing in the works...Great guy, and DIABOLIK is one of the best genuine comic book movies ever. Had Bava directed a Bond...See you there!

Posted by christian at March 19, 2008 2:43 PM

comment #22

Richardson says ...

Rich - I love '2001', but I don't think it has much story. I don't think most poems I love have stories (Shel Silverstein aside). To me, it's much more about eliciting emotion than story. The reason it's uniquely brilliant is the ways in which it elicits that emotion are so different than any other movie I've ever seen.

But no story? I wouldn't argue that one too much, other than to say that complaining about the relatively scant "story" is missing the movie for the trees.

Posted by Richardson at March 19, 2008 2:54 PM

comment #23

le corbeau says ...

I agree, 2001 is very light on story. Here are some stories I think it could use to flesh itself out a little bit:

Hal comes to Dr. Floyd and tries to interest him in backing him in the drug-peddling business. When he says no, Hal tries to kill him but just misses. Frank Poole is hotheaded and wants to whack Hal, but Dave Bowman coolly agrees to meet him at a restaurant on Mars. They hide a key in the restroom and he disconnects Hal and takes over the family spaceship, wiping out all the other astronauts during a NASA celebration.

Hal thinks he's just a desktop computer at a large company. One night some people come to him and reveal that he's actually a supercomputer on a spaceship, and they train him in martial arts. Two emotionless astronauts try to kill him but he defeats them and smashes the simulation.

Hal is left all alone in the lab when his creator goes to France. Two astronauts try to break into the house but he defeats them in a series of slapstick hijinks.

Posted by le corbeau at March 19, 2008 3:21 PM

comment #24

giantman says ...

The other day I was in a museum and they, like, had all these paintin's and they was supposed ta be masterpieces and all, but they was jus' pictures 'o water lillies and crap like that there! Shoot, they weren't no story or nothing, heck when ya got up real close they was just dabs of paint and shit. i didn't find 'em real entertainin' at all, and not even as good as my wife's paintin's, shes real good, follows the numbers right careful.

(I have to stop now, the sarcasm is starting to hurt.)

Posted by giantman at March 19, 2008 3:27 PM

comment #25

christian says ...

And I guess 2001 is kind of a dumb story...you know, about the evolution from ape to man and beyond. Stupid monkey movie!

Posted by christian at March 19, 2008 3:49 PM

comment #26

nemo says ...

Whether he's a cardboard cutout or flesh and blood, I love Kubrick's look in that photo. That's exactly the sartorial standard I've striven for over the years!

Kind of an early sixties Mod versus Rocker look crossed with classic Catholic schoolboy, with a dash of mid-fifties beatnik facial hair.

Except my wife insists I shave the beard every time I grow it out. She says it scratches too much.

That letter fits in perfectly with the classic Catholic schoolboy look, even if Kubrick is Jewish. It reads just like my college application essays. "Dear Sirs: If I attend your esteemed institution, it should redound to the mutual benefit of both of us. Let us discuss our shared interests over a glass of sherry and a Questar telescope."

Posted by nemo at March 19, 2008 5:38 PM

comment #27

hiviper says ...

I bought that book for 100 bucks when it came out (on Jeff's recommendation, I might add), and now it appears to be worth 3 to 5 times that (used I might add). Not a bad investment and I still haven't finished the fucker!

Posted by hiviper at March 19, 2008 9:00 PM

comment #28

Rich S. says ...

Maybe "story" is the wrong word. (Funny, since Kubrick emphasizes in the letter that the movie should have "great plot and character.") But just check out all the parallels to the "other" Odyssey, as well as the way the movie examines the Zarathustra myth. Again, I'm indebted to Wheat for a lot of this. But there is far more narrative thread there than you might think.

And I, too, admire the movie more for the mood and images it creates. But facts are facts.

Posted by Rich S. at March 20, 2008 5:24 AM

comment #29