Dogwoof, out July 23 on DVD

A look into the world of Stanley Kubrick from a unique perspective…

If, like many of us, you’ve been intrigued by the many tales about Stanley Kubrick’s working methods – his intense devotion to detail and the ways in which he would push those around him to give exactly what it was that he required, particularly – then you need to get hold of a copy of this film. Leon Vitali gave up his career as an actor to work as Kubrick’s “filmworker” – a term that encompasses every side of his life at the director’s side – and became an indispensable part of Kubrick’s creative process… even continuing to do so after the director’s death, monitoring the many restorations of Kubrick’s films.

The documentary itself deliberately doesn’t try to be avant-garde or cutting edge: director Tony Zierra has assembled a strong group of film personnel from both sides of the camera to discuss Kubrick, and there’s plenty of new material here for all but the most devoted Kubrick aficionado. Vitali himself though is the focus of the documentary, for all of his own underplaying at times of his own importance, and there are few people who would come away from working for someone as controlling as Kubrick as full of admiration and pride as Vitali.

Verdict: A fascinating and frequently eye-opening glimpse behind the Kubrick curtain. 9/10

Paul Simpson