What Stanley Kubrick reads, filmgoers end up watching.
In 1962, he produced and directed the film version of ”Lolita,”
Vladimir Nabokov`s erotic novel about forbidden lust. A year later, he turned Peter George`s ”Red Alert” into an unforgettable black comedy about the threat of nuclear warfare, ”Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.”
Based on a short story by Arthur C. Clark, 1967`s enigmatic ”2001: A Space Odyssey” is considered by many to be one of the greatest American films of all time. ”A Clockwork Orange” in 1971 turned Anthony Burgess` novel into a fascinating study of cold-blooded violence.
Kubrick has been nothing if not eclectic in his choices. ”Barry Lyndon” was based on a work by 18th Century author William Thackeray, and ”The Shining” was an adaptation of a Stephen King best seller. ”Spartacus,” the restored version of which is playing in theaters around the country, was based on Howard Fast`s account of a slave rebellion in ancient Rome.
Warner Home Video is re-releasing two Kubrick tapes: ”Killer`s Kiss,”
the breakthrough 1955 film noir that Kubrick wrote, produced and directed, and a letterbox version of ”2001: A Space Odyssey.” Warner Bros. also is putting out newly remastered versions of five other Kubrick films: ”A Clockwork Orange,” ”Barry Lyndon,” ”Full Metal Jacket,” ”Lolita” and ”The Shining.”
