Stanley Kubrick: Known and Unknown

Since the opening of the Stanley Kubrick Archive at the University of the Arts London in 2007, work on the film-maker has expanded dramatically. With important precursors in previous academic as well as non-academic publications, recent scholarly books, essays and conference papers have, among other things, begun to explore, in considerable detail, the production histories of Kubrick’s films and the many projects he worked on but never completed. Based on extensive archival research and a wide range of secondary sources, this essay offers a systematic survey of Kubrick’s unrealised projects, with regards to three distinctive phases in his career: the formative years up to 1955, his partnership with producer James B. Harris from 1955 to 1962, and his work as one of Hollywood’s leading producer-writer-directors after 1962. Discussing both production processes and thematic patterns, the essay emphasises the close relationship between Kubrick’s unrealised projects and the films he made. It also highlights the fact that much still remains unknown, despite the extraordinary level of attention Kubrick has received across the decades.