Sydney Pollack talks about his experience working with Stanley Kubrick on "Eyes Wide Shut". October 22nd, 2005 The full interview is available here : • Sydney Pollack: You've...
I honestly feel gratitude when watching the same way I feel when eating an expertly made meal. The passion and care put into the work is so overwhelming, that it can literally make me emotional.
Ziegler doesn’t care one iota whether that girl lived or died, only about the trouble her death would have made for a prominent man like himself to be caught with an OD’d hooker. Which is why that line is brilliant AND awful.
Pollack was wonderful in Eyes Wide Shut. His performance was intentionally underplayed but yet he gave a presence of power and importance. That scene of him in the bathroom wearing just pants and suspenders with the passed out hooker is burned in my memory. I don't know why but that image is always haunting to me.
Pollack a natural in front of a camera. I've always thought Kubrick juxtaposes a very strong personality (not necessarily a better actor) acting directly opposite a dimmer character for some reason. Nicholson / Duvall, HAL / Dullea, Douglas / Menjou. If so, why ? I know he's up to something, it works, but how? Search me.
@videosbb1967 I actually just posted most the scenes from that film on my channel (check it out if interested 🙂). I forgot how riveting that scene is. The framing of the shots is also fascinating to study. Definitely a film for film students to pour over for many years.
@joeharris3878 He was indeed great in Husband's and Wives. Even before I saw the film I knew he was going to be. Woody Allen gets great performances out of everyone and Pollack was no exception.
I read that Kubrick stopped shooting on The Gold Room scenes in The Shining (I’m not sure if he had to actually reshoot - I think he did, but I’m not positive) because he noticed that the *ashtrays* on the *back* tables in the ballroom were not 100% period accurate. Somebody in the production said, “Stanley, nobody watching this is going to be able to see those ashtrays. They’ll never know.” Kubrick said, “I’ll know.”
The song 'Midnight, the stars and you' was by Al Bowley in the 1930s and the photograph at the end of the movie was dated to about 1921. He purposely used that song though, knowing full well it was an anachronism. Gordon Stainforth was the guy who was responsible for bringing that song to Stanley's attention in the making of the film, and he did have a version of Midnight the stars and you on his YT channel, but he seems to have deleted that video for some reason. But he interacted with people in the comments, talking about his work on the shining etc.
Master craftsmen stone masons used to set perfect blocks in areas of a Cathdral that were deep in the structure. When asded why they needed to be perfect when no one could see them, they replied that God could see them.
This is the most accurate description of Kubrick's films ever. Ive been totally engrossed in his films for 20 years now and to be honest at surface level most of his films are "ok" in the traditional sense, but there's something in every single shot of every single movie that just grabs onto you and will keep you coming back. Take for instance Barry Lyndon, my favorite out of all of them. An unbelievably boring film, but truly and sincerely one of a kind. No other period film captures the sense of scope and authenticity (I would imagine) as that film.
Took me 3 tries to watch it, kept falling asleep as it’s the most comforting film you could put on if you need to relax but it’s incredible in every sense of the word while being eye gouglingly boring at times
Barry Lyndon is my Mother's favorite Kubrick film (The Shining comes second, she saw it when it came out), mostly because she loves period dramas, so I knew the movie was for her, the costume, photography, setting, soundtrack, etc... I'll admit that every frame is an art piece, this film justifies Kubrick's perfectionism, imagine how Napoleon would have been.
He was one of my all time favorite Directors. My favorites being “Three Days Of The Condor” and “Tootsie”. He died way way too early. We miss you! Your talent!
I love him too, probably my favorite "commercial auteur", cause I love his incredibly classy touch even in those "commercial" films (that is, films made for the box office). Even in his worse movies, I can watch them just for the class of the camera, the lightning, the sense of elegance. Elegance that he had as an actor too, btw.
I was so obsessed with "Condor" (I first saw it as a kid), that I finally purchased the (post production.paperback) "7 Days of the Condor". I like books but the movie was far, far better. The fairly recent miniseries remake on Showtime (I think) also was not as good. They dragged out the story but the writing/direction or both didn't improve on the original. Kevin Mitnick loved that first movie so much, it inspired some of his actions. I met Cliff Robertson by chance and thanked him. Most importantly, that movie introduced me to a world that doesn't make the evening news and yet has so much more to do with our world than few appreciate.
I really liked Sydney Pollack, both as an actor and a director, and I felt a genuine sense of loss when he died. He left us too soon. His analysis of Kubrick is spot-on, in my opinion.
What do you mean he left us too soon ....he was pretty old when he passed on... 73? Okay yeah maybe a little too soon by 7 years... add on another 6 for family members. A great actor. Heck, I'd pay money just to see him speak just like this in a theater. What a voice!!
@@tomallen5837 He was younger than the average lifespan for males. Plus, he'd have left us too soon if lived to 100. Same with Alan Rickman. Some people you just wish would last forever.
@tomallen5837 73 is not exactly very elderly now is it, let's be honest here. My aunt was 89 when she passed last year. I get it though, women tend to live a bit longer than men.
Pollack really nails what is so compelling about Kubrick films -- they are not real in the ordinary sense of the word, although also not "surreal", I'd say they are "hyperreal" in that they extract from dramatic situations the essence of the psychological dynamics at play and this distillation is presented in visually extremely precise, unforgettable ways.
That's nicely illustrated. The only other filmmaker I know of, besides Kubrick, who has that "hyper real" sense is Robert Altman. It's particularly prevelent in the films "Images", "The Long Goodbye", "Nashville" and "3 Women." It's quite hard to describe what it is exactly. Only a rare few artists possess the quality of talent to capture your focus in that way.
Pollack's definition of Kubrick's films is accurate, you may not like all of his films (I personally like them all), but I think that's the magic of doing different genres, he never wanted to repeat himself, the colors and symmetry of the shots, it's hypnotical, cryptic and enigmatic, they're films that are critical about life, society and the system. I watched A Clockwork Orange in my early teens and I know it isn't for everyone, I wasn't supossed to watch it, but I hadn't seen anything like it before, after that I researched more about Kubrick and his films, it changed the way I watched and analyzed movies, there was no going back.
Pollack gave a fascinating and totally honest answer - and it helps me understand why I love Kubrick so much - his films are not "real" - they are hyper-real and exist inside their own universe - which is an amazing place to spend some time.
They are not "hyper-real":: they are fiction, and artifice, re-creating life to make it a more heightened version of life. Life almost never looks like a Kubrick film, but sometimes we all kinda wish it did.
@@somercet1 Kubrick's films are hyper-reality. You said: "fiction, and artifice, re-creating life to make it a more heightened version of life" is the literal definition of the prefix 'hyper-'
Sydney Pollock is quite right. Stanley Kubrick's films have a definite surreal quality to them. His films are hypnotic films even if one does not really like them.
"Stanley couldn't help doing it that way". Very good observation. Kubrick's movies aren't always good but they are interesting, hypnotic and beautiful. He brought a peculiar quality to his films which resonate.
"Surreal" is a perfect word for me to describe Kubrick films. The space he gives his shots along with the cinematography, camera position etc. are a huge reason I'm a fan of his work.
Someone famous should sit down and do a commentary on Sydney Pollack - one of the best directors ever. He did so many great films (acted in some of them - also a very good actor). Whenever you see his name, believe me, it's worth watching. From "Jeremiah Johnson" onward. One all-time favorite: "Random Hearts" with Harrison Ford. RIP.
There is behind the scenes footage of the making of THE SHINING -- you should watch it - you see Stanley Kubrick at work on a film set - he is so hands on, operating a hand held camera, pushing and encouraging Shelly Duvall - it is incredible to watch him work - I love The Shining - it did not get good reviews when it came out - but over time it has become a classic - also in that footage you see Jack Nicholson helping out in any way he can being 100 percent invested in the production - Kubrick should have lived forever
Kubrick SHOULD have lived forever. Maybe then, he could have remade The Shining the way it was written. With real characters who had real personalities and love for each other and not just cartoon stereotypes : crazy alcoholic dad, ditsy mom... all beautifully filmed but so what? I left the cinema burning with rage and a migraine headache. AND I LIKE KUBRICK. Read the book. As S. King said, the only thing Kubrick's film and his book have in common is the title.
Sidney Pollack era una di quelle presenze che rimangono anche dopo aver lasciato questa dimensione. Vedo Kubrick in modo completamente diverso dato che lui usava determinate tecniche con gli attori, quali la ripetizione infinita delle stesse parole e gesti che non vuole dire altro che creare veri e propri "incantesimi", necessari a creare una realta' parallela che lui filmava. Tutti si chiedono cos'e' un mago, ma quando lo vedono in azione non lo riconoscono. Lui riconosceva il "ciak" giusto dalla intensita' delle vibrazioni di quella singola scena, e scattava tutte le altre
For his extensive dialogue with Bill (T. Cruise) while playing snooker, mr Syd. Pollack deserved an acad. Award for supporting actor in the role of V. Ziegler. In his personal "Weltanschauung" he fully encompasses the spirit of the society of the XXI century, that was about to come.
Brilliant description. I recall when my eldest brother took me to see 2001 A Space Odyssey when I was aged 9 and I know what Pollack means when he says Kubrick`s films are hypnotic. I was mesmerised.
I never have bad dreams. I've had dreams that should have been bad but I didn't perceive them as bad, just surreal and almost of another parallel universe. I know what you mean though. Most modern movies I watch I very quickly forget about, and many I don't even know what I've watched by the time I get to the end of them. Kubricks movies are very memorable
Kubrick's sense of humour is too often overlooked. The Shining makes me laugh out loud, but my favorite is the fact that, when all is said and done, Eyes Wide Shut is the story of a man who can't get laid...even at an orgy! @@houdinididiit
Interesting observation because he was fond of dream logic in his films. I read someone say that Full Metal Jacket, for example, is not a movie about Vietnam. It's a movie about the nightmares Modine's character has after he has come home from the war. I think there are loads of scenes in Kubrick films that are dreams, or reveries. He just never made it explicit that the character was asleep and dreaming. He's the king of the 'unnanounced dream sequence'.
funnily enough i was commenting on another thread similarities between Leone and Kubrick, even though they made quite different style films. and Mr Pollack mentioning his obsessive attention to every detail, again reminds me of Leone. As both used a sort of cipher for a discreet layer beyond the literal take, minute details would be very important to them. I imagine both would focus on details bewildering the crew often. very few actors i have heard speaking of their work on either Kubrick or Leone films appear to understand the cipher layer in the films.
First time I ever saw it I gave up after 20 minutes, just couldn't take it. Then, a year or so later I watched it again and I saw how brilliant it was.
The category of "feel bad" movies. It's like a feel good movie but completely opposite. It's something you watch to feel something, not necessarily good or bad feelings.
Certainly. But you get a grudging sense of simpatico with Alex as the film progresses, although he's a monster. The dark humor drips like blood from the screen but those scenes never fail to get a laugh from me simply for the audacity of framing the situation through that comic lens.
im sure someone has said this before but i feel that kubricks photography background has a lot do with his style as a director. he always figured he could find that diamond in the rough by having more to sift through and also the fact that each take builds on itself in terms of his understanding as to how things should be for one particular scene.
The comment on Modinè's açting & Kubricks reply made me think of Jack Nicholson, Sterling Hayden, PeterSellers, MalcolmMcDowell & George C.Scott performances & how Kubrick got them from them.
It's a good point: when you watch a Kubrick movie, you are always very aware that you're watching a movie; that this was made as a movie to be a movie, not as a "slice of life". And that's interesting to watch.
After The Killing and Paths of Glory which are real as they get, especially The Killing as it was made in a documentary as-a-matter-of-fact style, yes, his movies became more surreal, Lolita being the one, imo, that made this switch. After Lolita, every single one of his movies felt like watching a paralel universe where everything looks the same as reality, but completely off despite not being able to put a finger on it. Stuff of genious.
I think mr.pollack is a great actor I wish he would act more. I know he's known for directing but he is a absolute natural at acting just my humble opinion. I just realized he passed away before I wrote this
I may have this all wrong, but Harvey Keitel was fired from Eyes Wide Shut because he wouldn't let Kubrick do his thing and go for take after take. Keitel saw it as a chore (despite knowing what he was getting into, go figure!). I can only guess Keitel was up for the Zeigler role, so it's surprising Kubrick then hired Pollack, who, as he admits, is not an actor by trade (although he's been great in anything I've seen him in).
Great Sidney Polak and he is a gentlemen. Still being hard difficult, Kubrick was a geniius, made few movies but all surprising intrigant and stay on our minds, like a Dostoievisk's book, its simple but don't get out in our minds. The personages are all archtypes with bizar behaviours but like everyone, we can see weselves into them. Who didn't forgot the violents "moloco's boys" or ladie's sacrifice in satan's cult on "Eyes Wide Shut ". In many others scenes we can be shocked or surprise with the frame pictured on screen. Kubrick are the Dostoievisk for the cinema.
How did Charlie Rose get to be so revered as an interviewer? It's obvious he did not get how much Harvey giving him and how important it was to REALLY understanding him
Kubrick allowed actor to give their best in their own terms. He didn’t tell the actor what to do, he expect the actor to deliver. Films cost money and no actor will ever have the chance to try so much. Hence, finishing in movie history
@@lewstone5430 I finally got around to seeing it. There are moments of brilliance but the whole is somewhat flawed compared to most other Kubric films. It seems flatter, the characters and situations less impactful.
@@lewstone5430 Bullshit! You see it once and then immediately want to see it again and again and again and.. One of the greatest works of art of ther 20th century.
@@PrimarchX agreed. It’s beautifully shot of course, just the story is lacking, for me at least. When I say “lacking” I mean the stakes are not very high.
they say Harvey Keitel was the first choice for Zeigler but he got mad at kubrick and said Kubrick insulted him with so many takes.. but man Sydney made that movie real.. Tom not much of actor but hes believeable and for Sydney and other great performances from Vanessa Shaw, Nicole Kidman, Rade Serbedzija, Todd Feild and great cinematography the film is a master piece..
I couldn't for the life of me figure out what every one was so hysterical about. Tom Cruise losing it, to the point of insanity, because his wife fantasized about another man???!!! Unbelievable premise.
@@c.a.savage5689 different time dude.. btw on the surface, it's about agency and obsession, Bill has an obsession and some agency to act on it.. the more up the ladder you go the more agency.. which I'm sure you don't wanna know their names as Zeigler says.. But I'm kinda wondering how deep this movie goes in terms of rituals and animistic ideas.. this movie and also The Shining!
When you watch an outtake of a recently The Shining teaser, you see why Kubrick took so many takes. The version of Jack Nicholson rising with an axe in hand after killing Halloran, looks much better in the final version. It looks nothing special or ‘magic’ in the outtake.
Love Sydney Pollack. His presence in movies where he did act was always captivating to me because he was himself an interesting man. Eliot Ziegler was a highlight of Eyes Wide Shut, especially the final scene he has with Tom. Anyone ever think maybe Kubrick on set had a touch of OCD?
Such a great description he doesn't gushingly praise him but acknowledges that his films are unique and extraordinary to watch...but not necessarily great films. He's almost respectfully stating that he may be slightly overrated.
Let's not forget that Pollack is a director too, so he describes things from a different and more professional prospective compared to us fanatics that love to worship our idols. And after all, the sole fact that Kubrick was capable of making any movie feel like a sublime experience, no matter the quality of plot or the characters, or the topic.. that's just mind-blowing. I think that's his point.
Detail. Ok. In "2001, a Space Odyssey," Heywood Floyd is asked his "Christian" name when passing a security check point. So, there are no other religions in 2001?
I'm not sure his comments about being "real" apply to "Paths of Glory." I don't think that movie was "surrealistic." If it wasn't "realistic," that was more a function of when it was made than of Kubrick's style (in that movie). I think the trench dolly scenes were pretty realistic.
Pollack hits the nail on the head. When I watch a Kubrick film I just can’t take my eyes off the screen. Everything in the scene is interesting.
I honestly feel gratitude when watching the same way I feel when eating an expertly made meal. The passion and care put into the work is so overwhelming, that it can literally make me emotional.
Over and over again
Kubrick was a photographer, every frame is beautiful
I have to comment here, because what you just said is exactly what I thought while listening to Pollack, exactly!.
You gave us a real scare there kiddo
People just didn’t understand eys
😊
Up there with one of my favourites
I love that line. Pollack read that line with a huge fatherly warmth. 😊
Ziegler doesn’t care one iota whether that girl lived or died, only about the trouble her death would have made for a prominent man like himself to be caught with an OD’d hooker.
Which is why that line is brilliant AND awful.
Pollack was wonderful in Eyes Wide Shut. His performance was intentionally underplayed but yet he gave a presence of power and importance. That scene of him in the bathroom wearing just pants and suspenders with the passed out hooker is burned in my memory. I don't know why but that image is always haunting to me.
Pollack a natural in front of a camera. I've always thought Kubrick juxtaposes a very strong
personality (not necessarily a better actor) acting directly opposite a dimmer character for some reason.
Nicholson / Duvall, HAL / Dullea, Douglas / Menjou. If so, why ? I know he's up to something, it works, but how? Search me.
Agreed....I love the scene where Tom Cruise visits him and Sydney is at pool table...And he warns Tom about the people he is messing with..Classic
@videosbb1967 I actually just posted most the scenes from that film on my channel (check it out if interested 🙂). I forgot how riveting that scene is. The framing of the shots is also fascinating to study. Definitely a film for film students to pour over for many years.
@@joestimemachine6454 Pollack was very good in Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives"
I wish he'd done more acting.
@joeharris3878 He was indeed great in Husband's and Wives. Even before I saw the film I knew he was going to be. Woody Allen gets great performances out of everyone and Pollack was no exception.
I read that Kubrick stopped shooting on The Gold Room scenes in The Shining (I’m not sure if he had to actually reshoot - I think he did, but I’m not positive) because he noticed that the *ashtrays* on the *back* tables in the ballroom were not 100% period accurate.
Somebody in the production said, “Stanley, nobody watching this is going to be able to see those ashtrays. They’ll never know.”
Kubrick said, “I’ll know.”
The song 'Midnight, the stars and you' was by Al Bowley in the 1930s and the photograph at the end of the movie was dated to about 1921. He purposely used that song though, knowing full well it was an anachronism. Gordon Stainforth was the guy who was responsible for bringing that song to Stanley's attention in the making of the film, and he did have a version of Midnight the stars and you on his YT channel, but he seems to have deleted that video for some reason. But he interacted with people in the comments, talking about his work on the shining etc.
Master craftsmen stone masons used to set perfect blocks in areas of a Cathdral that were deep in the structure. When asded why they needed to be perfect when no one could see them, they replied that God could see them.
One of the best descriptions of Kubrick's genious I have ever listened.
I miss both Sydney and his work.
This is the most accurate description of Kubrick's films ever. Ive been totally engrossed in his films for 20 years now and to be honest at surface level most of his films are "ok" in the traditional sense, but there's something in every single shot of every single movie that just grabs onto you and will keep you coming back.
Take for instance Barry Lyndon, my favorite out of all of them. An unbelievably boring film, but truly and sincerely one of a kind. No other period film captures the sense of scope and authenticity (I would imagine) as that film.
Took me 3 tries to watch it, kept falling asleep as it’s the most comforting film you could put on if you need to relax but it’s incredible in every sense of the word while being eye gouglingly boring at times
Barry Lyndon is my Mother's favorite Kubrick film (The Shining comes second, she saw it when it came out), mostly because she loves period dramas, so I knew the movie was for her, the costume, photography, setting, soundtrack, etc... I'll admit that every frame is an art piece, this film justifies Kubrick's perfectionism, imagine how Napoleon would have been.
Malcolm McDowell said it best. The thing about Stanley, he didn't know what he wanted but he knew what he didn't want.
@@notori0uszig Could be a thing called short attention span because I was mesmerized the whole time.
He was one of my all time favorite Directors. My favorites being “Three Days Of The Condor” and “Tootsie”. He died way way too early. We miss you! Your talent!
I love him too, probably my favorite "commercial auteur", cause I love his incredibly classy touch even in those "commercial" films (that is, films made for the box office). Even in his worse movies, I can watch them just for the class of the camera, the lightning, the sense of elegance. Elegance that he had as an actor too, btw.
🍷🍷🍷
Did you know he himself wrote this one sentence of madness, in The Shining? All there hundred pages of it.
Good director, brilliant actor.
loved 3 days!!!
I was so obsessed with "Condor" (I first saw it as a kid), that I finally purchased the (post production.paperback) "7 Days of the Condor". I like books but the movie was far, far better. The fairly recent miniseries remake on Showtime (I think) also was not as good. They dragged out the story but the writing/direction or both didn't improve on the original. Kevin Mitnick loved that first movie so much, it inspired some of his actions. I met Cliff Robertson by chance and thanked him.
Most importantly, that movie introduced me to a world that doesn't make the evening news and yet has so much more to do with our world than few appreciate.
I really liked Sydney Pollack, both as an actor and a director, and I felt a genuine sense of loss when he died. He left us too soon.
His analysis of Kubrick is spot-on, in my opinion.
YES!
What do you mean he left us too soon ....he was pretty old when he passed on... 73? Okay yeah maybe a little too soon by 7 years... add on another 6 for family members. A great actor. Heck, I'd pay money just to see him speak just like this in a theater. What a voice!!
@@tomallen5837 He was younger than the average lifespan for males. Plus, he'd have left us too soon if lived to 100. Same with Alan Rickman. Some people you just wish would last forever.
Sydney Pollack is just too likeable
@tomallen5837 73 is not exactly very elderly now is it, let's be honest here. My aunt was 89 when she passed last year. I get it though, women tend to live a bit longer than men.
Pollack was a great Director himself.. seeing his name in a project, always gave me the green light.
Pollack really nails what is so compelling about Kubrick films -- they are not real in the ordinary sense of the word, although also not "surreal", I'd say they are "hyperreal" in that they extract from dramatic situations the essence of the psychological dynamics at play and this distillation is presented in visually extremely precise, unforgettable ways.
That's nicely illustrated. The only other filmmaker I know of, besides Kubrick, who has that "hyper real" sense is Robert Altman. It's particularly prevelent in the films "Images", "The Long Goodbye", "Nashville" and "3 Women." It's quite hard to describe what it is exactly. Only a rare few artists possess the quality of talent to capture your focus in that way.
What do they do to "real life"?
Pollack's definition of Kubrick's films is accurate, you may not like all of his films (I personally like them all), but I think that's the magic of doing different genres, he never wanted to repeat himself, the colors and symmetry of the shots, it's hypnotical, cryptic and enigmatic, they're films that are critical about life, society and the system. I watched A Clockwork Orange in my early teens and I know it isn't for everyone, I wasn't supossed to watch it, but I hadn't seen anything like it before, after that I researched more about Kubrick and his films, it changed the way I watched and analyzed movies, there was no going back.
Pollack gave a fascinating and totally honest answer - and it helps me understand why I love Kubrick so much - his films are not "real" - they are hyper-real and exist inside their own universe - which is an amazing place to spend some time.
They are not "hyper-real":: they are fiction, and artifice, re-creating life to make it a more heightened version of life. Life almost never looks like a Kubrick film, but sometimes we all kinda wish it did.
@@somercet1 Kubrick's films are hyper-reality. You said: "fiction, and artifice, re-creating life to make it a more heightened version of life" is the literal definition of the prefix 'hyper-'
Sydney Pollock is quite right. Stanley Kubrick's films have a definite surreal quality to them. His films are hypnotic films even if one does not really like them.
What he said starting at 3:07 is very accurate. There is something mesmerizing or hypnotic in a lot of Kubrick's films.
"Stanley couldn't help doing it that way". Very good observation. Kubrick's movies aren't always good but they are interesting, hypnotic and beautiful. He brought a peculiar quality to his films which resonate.
"Surreal" is a perfect word for me to describe Kubrick films. The space he gives his shots along with the cinematography, camera position etc. are a huge reason I'm a fan of his work.
Listening to someone with Pollack's experience and ability talk about Kubrick is...just a treasure. A treasure to experience.
Now go watch Harvey Keitel whine about losing his role to a director such as Pollack!
Great respect for both Pollack & Kubrick. Thanks for this very insightful testimony.
He is a master of a director. Path's of Glory and Full Metal Jacket are truly great film making. Kubrick was one of the top 5 directors ever.
kubrick is so good, he even captured the mundane aspects of life better than anyone else.
He was my favorite character in eyes wide shut
He was the only character who was remotely believable.
Someone famous should sit down and do a commentary on Sydney Pollack - one of the best directors ever. He did so many great films (acted in some of them - also a very good actor). Whenever you see his name, believe me, it's worth watching. From "Jeremiah Johnson" onward. One all-time favorite: "Random Hearts" with Harrison Ford. RIP.
He nailed this. Made me respect Kubrick and Pollack more.
There is behind the scenes footage of the making of THE SHINING -- you should watch it - you see Stanley Kubrick at work on a film set - he is so hands on, operating a hand held camera, pushing and encouraging Shelly Duvall - it is incredible to watch him work - I love The Shining - it did not get good reviews when it came out - but over time it has become a classic - also in that footage you see Jack Nicholson helping out in any way he can being 100 percent invested in the production - Kubrick should have lived forever
Mmmm lesss said about his on set relationship with Duvall the better
@@justinherbert9146 nothing do with all that political wokenes whatsoever
Kubrick SHOULD have lived forever. Maybe then, he could have remade The Shining the way it was written. With real characters who had real personalities and love for each other and not just cartoon stereotypes : crazy alcoholic dad, ditsy mom... all beautifully filmed but so what? I left the cinema burning with rage and a migraine headache. AND I LIKE KUBRICK. Read the book. As S. King said, the only thing Kubrick's film and his book have in common is the title.
@@justinherbert9146 it wasn't a remake and I didn't miss your point, it was Dr Sleep, King's sequel decades later. You clearly didn't see it
Saw the vids. Sheeiit. I had uncles who were meaner than Kubrick was with Shelley...
There can never be another Kubrick.
A bit of a shot at Tom Cruise I think. Love it.
Sidney Pollack era una di quelle presenze che rimangono anche dopo aver lasciato questa dimensione. Vedo Kubrick in modo completamente diverso dato che lui usava determinate tecniche con gli attori, quali la ripetizione infinita delle stesse parole e gesti che non vuole dire altro che creare veri e propri "incantesimi", necessari a creare una realta' parallela che lui filmava. Tutti si chiedono cos'e' un mago, ma quando lo vedono in azione non lo riconoscono. Lui riconosceva il "ciak" giusto dalla intensita' delle vibrazioni di quella singola scena, e scattava tutte le altre
For his extensive dialogue with Bill (T. Cruise) while playing snooker, mr Syd. Pollack deserved an acad. Award for supporting actor in the role of V. Ziegler. In his personal "Weltanschauung" he fully encompasses the spirit of the society of the XXI century, that was about to come.
So stoked when he shows up in The Sopranos.
Him and Hal Holbrook were great with their guest appearances in that show
Very interesting,insightful and articulate analysis
Thanks very much for this.
Such articulate and well formulated responses to those questions
3:18 he perfectly nailed Kubrick movies. Interesting, surreal and incredibly focused.
I really liked his acting. Michael Clayton and the Woody Allen picture come to mind.
Brilliant description. I recall when my eldest brother took me to see 2001 A Space Odyssey when I was aged 9 and I know what Pollack means when he says Kubrick`s films are hypnotic. I was mesmerised.
Very astute analysis.
Kubrick's movies are like a bad dream that you can't forget.
I find most his work to be hysterically witty and funny. (Albiet dark)
@@houdinididiit I didn't really word that comment correctly.
Perhaps immersive is the quality I am thinking of. I do like his movies very much.
I never have bad dreams. I've had dreams that should have been bad but I didn't perceive them as bad, just surreal and almost of another parallel universe. I know what you mean though. Most modern movies I watch I very quickly forget about, and many I don't even know what I've watched by the time I get to the end of them.
Kubricks movies are very memorable
Kubrick's sense of humour is too often overlooked. The Shining makes me laugh out loud, but my favorite is the fact that, when all is said and done, Eyes Wide Shut is the story of a man who can't get laid...even at an orgy! @@houdinididiit
Interesting observation because he was fond of dream logic in his films. I read someone say that Full Metal Jacket, for example, is not a movie about Vietnam. It's a movie about the nightmares Modine's character has after he has come home from the war. I think there are loads of scenes in Kubrick films that are dreams, or reveries. He just never made it explicit that the character was asleep and dreaming. He's the king of the 'unnanounced dream sequence'.
One of my favorite Pollack performances was in Death Becomes Her, when he does a checkup on Meryl Streep character.
Pollack's character was named Ziegler = bricklayer = Mason.
Absolutely one of the best directors, Stanley Kubrick. Love his movies.
I would have like to meet him, R.I.P. Sir! Great director.
funnily enough i was commenting on another thread similarities between Leone and Kubrick, even though they made quite different style films. and Mr Pollack mentioning his obsessive attention to every detail, again reminds me of Leone. As both used a sort of cipher for a discreet layer beyond the literal take, minute details would be very important to them. I imagine both would focus on details bewildering the crew often. very few actors i have heard speaking of their work on either Kubrick or Leone films appear to understand the cipher layer in the films.
This is great. This explains it all.
'Real is good, interesting is better' I have to remember that.
Stanley Pollack was an very good directors
2:10 Lucky he clarified that he meant Kubrick; normally people would assume he meant Cruise, of course.
I always liked him because of how well he articulates.
He is describing exactly how i feel when watching clockwork orange. I find it unsettling and unpleasant to watch, but i can't stop doing it...
First time I ever saw it I gave up after 20 minutes, just couldn't take it. Then, a year or so later I watched it again and I saw how brilliant it was.
The category of "feel bad" movies. It's like a feel good movie but completely opposite. It's something you watch to feel something, not necessarily good or bad feelings.
Certainly. But you get a grudging sense of simpatico with Alex as the film progresses, although he's a monster. The dark humor drips like blood from the screen but those scenes never fail to get a laugh from me simply for the audacity of framing the situation through that comic lens.
im sure someone has said this before but i feel that kubricks photography background has a lot do with his style as a director. he always figured he could find that diamond in the rough by having more to sift through and also the fact that each take builds on itself in terms of his understanding as to how things should be for one particular scene.
On point. Every remark about Kubrick here is on point
The comment on Modinè's açting & Kubricks reply made me think of Jack Nicholson, Sterling Hayden, PeterSellers, MalcolmMcDowell & George C.Scott performances & how Kubrick got them from them.
80 takes is beyond taking the piss idc how good you are. Its just throwing shit at a wall and seeing what sticks at that point
It's a good point: when you watch a Kubrick movie, you are always very aware that you're watching a movie; that this was made as a movie to be a movie, not as a "slice of life". And that's interesting to watch.
After The Killing and Paths of Glory which are real as they get, especially The Killing as it was made in a documentary as-a-matter-of-fact style, yes, his movies became more surreal, Lolita being the one, imo, that made this switch. After Lolita, every single one of his movies felt like watching a paralel universe where everything looks the same as reality, but completely off despite not being able to put a finger on it. Stuff of genious.
Nailed it
Imagine if every take was always leading up to the only take for which Kubrick would put film in the camera!
Well that clip should've been three hours long.
I think mr.pollack is a great actor I wish he would act more. I know he's known for directing but he is a absolute natural at acting just my humble opinion. I just realized he passed away before I wrote this
Brilliant actor!
I love Sydney Pollack
He seems so cool
its not details, its the groundwork which is genius.
I may have this all wrong, but Harvey Keitel was fired from Eyes Wide Shut because he wouldn't let Kubrick do his thing and go for take after take. Keitel saw it as a chore (despite knowing what he was getting into, go figure!). I can only guess Keitel was up for the Zeigler role, so it's surprising Kubrick then hired Pollack, who, as he admits, is not an actor by trade (although he's been great in anything I've seen him in).
I loved 2001. Loved the Shining. Loved Full Metal Jacket......Eyes wide shut was a muttled mess. Watching that was like swimming in cold jello.
I love Sidney Bollack he is a great actor
you're not thinking of Jean Bollack a French philosopher?
There are two people I regret not meeting. One is Bob Einstein. The other is Sydney Pollack.
Only two? You must be the luckiest person alive.
Epstein? Oh, never mind.
Who's Bob Einstein?
@@godisbollocks You don't have Google where you live?
According to the CAA book, the best thought of material went to Sydney or Spielberg first.
Sydney Pollack may not have been a "professional actor" in his own words, but I always enjoyed his performances. He was great in Michael Clayton
Great Sidney Polak and he is a gentlemen. Still being hard difficult, Kubrick was a geniius, made few movies but all surprising intrigant and stay on our minds, like a Dostoievisk's book, its simple but don't get out in our minds. The personages are all archtypes with bizar behaviours but like everyone, we can see weselves into them. Who didn't forgot the violents "moloco's boys" or ladie's sacrifice in satan's cult on "Eyes Wide Shut ". In many others scenes we can be shocked or surprise with the frame pictured on screen. Kubrick are the Dostoievisk for the cinema.
Jeremiah Johnson..... beautiful and interesting....great movie.
Very cool dude Pollack is.
How did Charlie Rose get to be so revered as an interviewer? It's obvious he did not get how much Harvey giving him and how important it was to REALLY understanding him
I would agree with everything he just said.
Kubrick allowed actor to give their best in their own terms. He didn’t tell the actor what to do, he expect the actor to deliver. Films cost money and no actor will ever have the chance to try so much. Hence, finishing in movie history
Some said that HE Kubrick put men on the Moon. In studio productions
Barry Lyndon!!!!!!!!!!!
You see it once and move on.
@@lewstone5430 I finally got around to seeing it. There are moments of brilliance but the whole is somewhat flawed compared to most other Kubric films. It seems flatter, the characters and situations less impactful.
@@lewstone5430 Bullshit! You see it once and then immediately want to see it again and again and again and.. One of the greatest works of art of ther 20th century.
@@PrimarchX agreed. It’s beautifully shot of course, just the story is lacking, for me at least. When I say “lacking” I mean the stakes are not very high.
@@lewstone5430I get what you mean, but it’s a character and set piece (Barry Lyndon in the 18th century) not a narrative in the strictest sense
I.... mean,,, YES... for better or worse.... Yes.
Damn Sidney was right. Stanley’s movies are cinema. It’s a ride it’s not bad good or indifferent but you can’t do what he does.
Eyes wide shut is a classic
they say Harvey Keitel was the first choice for Zeigler but he got mad at kubrick and said Kubrick insulted him with so many takes.. but man Sydney made that movie real.. Tom not much of actor but hes believeable and for Sydney and other great performances from Vanessa Shaw, Nicole Kidman, Rade Serbedzija, Todd Feild and great cinematography the film is a master piece..
Vanissa Shaw.😊😊
@@Mostopinionatedmanofalltime Vinessa Shaw. 😊😊
@@sgtpeppers94 Oh yeah that’s it. I never can get her name right, she spells it weird.
I couldn't for the life of me figure out what every one was so hysterical about. Tom Cruise losing it, to the point of insanity, because his wife fantasized about another man???!!! Unbelievable premise.
@@c.a.savage5689 different time dude.. btw on the surface, it's about agency and obsession, Bill has an obsession and some agency to act on it.. the more up the ladder you go the more agency.. which I'm sure you don't wanna know their names as Zeigler says..
But I'm kinda wondering how deep this movie goes in terms of rituals and animistic ideas.. this movie and also The Shining!
Dr. Strangelove was the best. 2001 was great if you fast-forward some long running bits.
he is one of them...
Exactly!!! He a man that is in secret cult!!! Me seen that movie he a man that do bad thing
“After the 120th take……. I had to fully commit..”
Real os good. Interesting is better
That's a funny chair
When you watch an outtake of a recently The Shining teaser, you see why Kubrick took so many takes. The version of Jack Nicholson rising with an axe in hand after killing Halloran, looks much better in the final version. It looks nothing special or ‘magic’ in the outtake.
WHAT COULD ONE EXPECT FROM A MAN WHO MADE THE ENTIRE WORLD BELIEVE IN THE MOON LANDING?
Sydney Pollack calling Kubrick a man of genius is powerful…
Most powerful director is Kubrick
🖐🏻👁
What does he say at the end?: "hypnotic, ?driftly? hypnotic"
"Hypnotic, terrifically hypnotic."
@@KGSMMediaCache Thank you.
Love Sydney Pollack. His presence in movies where he did act was always captivating to me because he was himself an interesting man. Eliot Ziegler was a highlight of Eyes Wide Shut, especially the final scene he has with Tom. Anyone ever think maybe Kubrick on set had a touch of OCD?
Such a great description he doesn't gushingly praise him but acknowledges that his films are unique and extraordinary to watch...but not necessarily great films. He's almost respectfully stating that he may be slightly overrated.
Let's not forget that Pollack is a director too, so he describes things from a different and more professional prospective compared to us fanatics that love to worship our idols. And after all, the sole fact that Kubrick was capable of making any movie feel like a sublime experience, no matter the quality of plot or the characters, or the topic.. that's just mind-blowing. I think that's his point.
He never should have given Johnny Sac false hopes.
*"Real is good. Interesting is better."*
Sounds like Kubrick studied Howard Hughes
If it takes a director that many takes, is the director really any good at what he does?
Detail. Ok. In "2001, a Space Odyssey," Heywood Floyd is asked his "Christian" name when passing a security check point. So, there are no other religions in 2001?
I'm not sure his comments about being "real" apply to "Paths of Glory." I don't think that movie was "surrealistic." If it wasn't "realistic," that was more a function of when it was made than of Kubrick's style (in that movie). I think the trench dolly scenes were pretty realistic.