(Kubrick, Stanley)

Bernstein, Jeremy.  Multigraphed galley proofs dated 11 April 1966 for "How about a Little Game," a profile of Stanley Kubrick published in The New Yorker, 12 November 1966, 30 pages (13 x 8 in; 330 x 203 mm), with comments , corrections and suggestions by Kubrick in red and blue ink, also with some printer's mark-up, several of Kubrick's comments cancelled by the placing of blank adhesive labels over them (however, these remain largely legible), stapled in upper left corner; circular coffee stain on first page.  Accompanied by a 15-page typescript (11 x 8  1/2  in.; 278 x 215 mm) dated "May 21" of 54 further comments by Kubrick on the profile, keyed by number to the galley, and heavily annotated by Kubrick in blue, black, red and green ink, stapled in upper left corner. 

Bernstein, Jeremy. Multigraphed galley proofs dated 11 April 1966 for "How about a Little Game," a profile of Stanley Kubrick published in The New Yorker, 12 November 1966, 30 pages (13 x 8 in; 330 x 203 mm), with comments , corrections and suggestions by Kubrick in red and blue ink, also with some printer's mark-up, several of Kubrick's comments cancelled by the placing of blank adhesive labels over them (however, these remain largely legible), stapled in upper left corner; circular coffee stain on first page. Accompanied by a 15-page typescript (11 x 8 1/2 in.; 278 x 215 mm) dated "May 21" of 54 further comments by Kubrick on the profile, keyed by number to the galley, and heavily annotated by Kubrick in blue, black, red and green ink, stapled in upper left corner.
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Stanley Kubrick's lively, detailed, and revealing annotations and comments on Jeremy Bernstein's acclaimed New Yorker profile of him.  Bernstein interviewed Kubrick (1928–1999) when he was in the midst of filming 2001: A Space Odyssey, from a screenplay written with Arthur C. Clarke (see lot 163).  The interview ranges from Kubrick's upbringing in the Bronx to his past films, his marriage, and his work on 2001.

The director annotated these galley proofs in May of 1966.  For example, regarding Kubrick's film of Nabokov's Lolita, Bernstein wrote, "Kubrick feels that the principal weakness of the film was its complete lack of eroticism (which was inevitable because of the pressures against making the film), which made it unclear why Humbert Humbert was so totally enslaved by Lolita."  In response to this, Kubrick has written in the margin, under two large red ink exclamation points, "The important thing in the story is to just think Humbert is sexually enslaved by his 'perversion'!  It is not until the end when she is pregnant by another man and no longer a nymphet that you realize along with Humbert that he loves her.  The lack of sexuality tends to imply love too soon, I think."

At one point, Kubrick addresses the notion of the "final cut" in filmmaking.  "...you have it a bit wrong about the 'final cut.'  I have complete artistic control of my films.  The only limitations are minimum censorship requirements and a maximum previously agreed upon length.  For example on Dr. Strangelove it was 2 hours.  It actually ran about an hour & forty minutes.  Final cut is an outmoded expression.  You either have complete control or you don't."

With a TLS from Kubrick to Bernstein, 1 page, 2 December 1974.