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Since the release of Full Metal Jacket, publicity over Kubrick has been at a minimum, with the director confining himself within his home in England. In 1988 he gave an interview to Rolling Stone magazine, during which he refuted many hot rumours over his eccentric behaviour. Also during this period, he assisted in transferring some of his older films onto home video, and also creating a new negative for Dr. Strangelove soon after it was discovered that the original negative was lost.
In May of 1990 Kubrick was asked by fellow directors Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Redford, Sydney Pollack and George Lucas, to join the Film Foundation, an organisation designed to promote the preservation of all films. Around this time further rumours began leaking out that he was planning another science-fiction epic, A.I. (Artifical Intelligence), but he was determined that the special effects technology of the day could not handle what he had in mind. The project was put on hold and he began working on a screenplay for a film adaption of Louis Begley's novel, Wartime Lies, about a boy and his mother trying to survive in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II. The film, to be titled Aryan Papers, was well into pre-production until Kubrick saw Spielberg's special effects masterpiece, Jurassic Park, upon which time he decided that the special effects he needed to accomplish A.I. were available. Aryan Papers was now put on hold.
Some 2 years later, in mid-December 1995, Warner Brothers announced that Kubrick was still only in pre-production with the very complicated A.I. Before going ahead with full-scale production, Kubrick chose to make Eyes Wide Shut, a psycho-sexual thriller starring Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Harvey Keitel (later replaced during production by Sydney Pollack), and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Although security on the England set (where Kubrick has made all of his films since Lolita) has been very tight, it is rumoured that nearly 100 takes were used on one scene alone, and not even cast members were allowed to discuss the project with the media, with punishment of contract alterations.
On March 8, 1997, Kubrick was awarded the Director's Guild of America's highest honour, the D.W. Griffith award. He has also been chosen to receive the Golden Lion Award at the 54th Venice International Film Festival.
Thomas Gibson , the star of TV's Dharma and Greg has been added to the cast of EWS. See the link to the Mr.Showbiz story below for more details...
A news article from E! Television, © 1998
"Kubrick Eyes Thomas Gibson"
by Daniel Frankel June 6, 1998, 11 a.m. PT
"At the rate Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut shooting schedule keeps creeping along, there will some day be parts for children not even born yet.
As it is, the marathon shoot--which is still going, after getting started way back in October 1996--is providing some good summer work for TV actors. Just ask Dharma & Greg's Greg, aka Thomas Gibson, who just finished four weeks on the Eyes set in England, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Gibson--currently back in St. Louis to film a TV movie--reportedly plays Marie Richardson's fiancee in the film. It's still unclear whether Gibson's role was in the script when Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman started shooting the thing way back in '96, or whether it was created when Kubrick halted editing and called everyone back for reshoots a couple of months back.
For Gibson, it will be the second time he's appeared in a film with Scientologist couple Cruise and Kidman--he was also in 1992's "Far and Away" with them."
EWS Trailer Released
Word has got around that a 30-second trailer for EWS is being circulated..in typical Kubrick fashion the trailer contains only a 30-second still of Nicole Kidman's breasts..the words 'tom cruise' and 'nicole kidman' flash over each of her nipples, and then the title 'Eyes Wide Shut' appears over her chest..a totally ambiguous trailer, but hey, people will see it..and they'll want to see more..More EWS news
Friday, September 25th's edition of Entertainment Tonight reported, (on its famed cover story mind you), some new details of the EWS project. The film in fact took 2 years to shoot, costing some 65 millions dollars; despite the fact that the primary set was a small apartment. The film is to be set in New York, but of course it was filmed in England, and reportedly cast members were not given full scripts in an attempt to maintain secrecy. Nicole Kidman has told of enduring nearly 100 takes for a single scene during shooting - but she was most likely exaggerating. A more feasible number is about 50 takes. The likely release date is now July of 1999, in time for a big summer release in the US. Warner Brothers will want EWS to pull in some big dollars - after all, they were less than impressed with Full Metal Jacket's box office takings back in 1987. If they were wise I think they'd let Kubrick have his way. See this week's Entertainment Weekly, (with Lauryn Hill on the cover), for more details.Official Release Date Announced!
Eyes Wide Shut release date has been confirmed as being 16th July 1999. Go to EyesWideShut.com (see below) for more!Kubrick plans to sue! - February 12 1999
Punch magazine, owned by infamous millionaire Mohamed al-Fayed, has come under fire from lawyers of Kubrick after it wrote of the director: "There's a thin line between an artistic perfectionist and a barking loon". Kubrick believes the statement questions his mental health, whilst Punch magazine's editor, James Steen, defended the article. He claims it means "he's a well-meaning eccentric". I'll keep you posted as to what happens next.Warner Bros. DVD plan announced
To recognize Kubrick's death, Warner Bros. are set to release a "Stanley Kubrick collection" on DVD in June. I'm sure you'd agree that this is great news. For more details, go to DVD Review.