The Design Museum, London

 

Stanley Kubrick really was the director’s director, with so many great filmmakers lining up to share how he influenced their work. This exhibition marks 20 years of him passing away and looks at the 13 feature films he made between 1953 and 1999… and what a collection it is!

From Jack Torrance’s axe in The Shining to Private Joker’s combat helmet in Full Metal Jacket and Alex’s bowler hat in A Clockwork Orange, this 700-item exhibition has the big-ticket items you’d expect from such a major retrospective, hitting London after successful runs in Barcelona and Frankfurt. Kubrick was a perfectionist, and this attention to detail is apparent in the detailed journals and letters presented for us to view, as well as the beautifully crafted props.

Kubrick famously never became pigeon-holed into a single drama, his films ranging from sci-fi to war to horror to thriller, and while I have an appreciation for all his work, it’s his fantasy work – 2001, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining which are the big three for me, and are the focus of my review.

The exhibition begins in the museum lobby with the orange Durango 95, as driven by Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange, before you’re drawn into the entry queue, standing on Overlook Hotel carpet and surrounded by LED screens pumping out psychedelic star gate footage. After an introductory room which includes posters, clapperboards, scripts and cameras, the exhibition splits into separate sections based on an individual film. It’s not in chronological order, which makes sense, as it means that 2001 can be the final display.

From A Clockwork Orange there’s Alex’s full costume (including codpiece, bowler hat and eyeball cuff links), the sexualised mannequins and tables from the Korova Milk Bar, the rocking penis statue, photos of Malcolm McDowell in different hats and Philip Castle’s original poster sketches.

Highlights of The Shining are the Grady twins’ dresses and shoes, Danny’s Apollo 11 sweater, the original photo of the Overlook Hotel July 4th Ball, Jack’s axes, Wendy’s knife, the Adler typewriter (‘All work and no play…’), a scale model of the maze (copy, not original), an annotated copy of the novel and a copy of manuscript when it was still called ‘The Shine’.

The best is saved for last, a significant display for 2001: A Space Odyssey. There’s correspondence between Arthur C. Clarke and Kubrick, a copy of 10 Story Fantasy featuring ‘The Sentinel’ story, the Moonwatcher ape costume, Roy Frederick Carnon’s original concept artwork and Hardy Amies’ costume designs with swatches. Into the gallery and there’s the Discovery helmet worn by Bowman, spacesuit chest-pack and his flight overall. While Kubrick ordered that the original Discovery model be destroyed to prevent it being used in other people’s movies, there’s a beautiful reproduction hanging from the ceiling, alongside the original Star Child.

The Moonbus studio model also survived and is in in display, as is the beautifully-detailed Pan American Orion III Space Plane. There’s also a tableau of the Hilton Space Station 5 lounge, but for many it was the glowing red eye of Hal 9000 that was their primary destination.

In addition to the foregoing, check out original Saul Bass and Ken Adam design diagrams, Weegee’s photos from the set of Dr Strangelove, a tunic worn by Laurence Olivier in Spartacus, original screenplays (annotated with sketches and notes), Kubrick’s hand-held Arriflex 35IIC camera, lenses and do much more.

Verdict: More than just the director of around a dozen films, Stanley Kubrick was an auteur and an inventor, pioneering Steadicam, low level lighting, front screen projection and so much that has been subsequently used by the film industry. Even if you have the slightest interest in movies, this is a must-see. For cineastes or Kubrickphiles they’ll feel like they’ve stepped into the star gate and come out the other side. 10/10

Nick Joy

 

 

Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition runs until 15 September 2019, with some weekends already sold out, so be sure to book ahead. More information and tickets from here https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/stanley-kubrick-the-exhibition